Our local celebrities are at it again! Giving back to the community they love, many of the area's most celebrated chefs are dedicating their time and talents to benefit St. Michael Special School here in New Orleans. Here are the details...

35th Annual Chefs’ Charity for Children

What: Some of New Orleans finest chefs present a cooking demonstration and luncheon to benefit St. Michael Special School in New Orleans, which serves developmentally disabled students of all ages in the New Orleans area.

When: Tuesday, April 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tickets are $65 and cover admission to the chefs’ demonstration, a sampling of all the dishes prepared by the chefs, and a cookbook featuring more than 35 of their recipes, including those prepared for the luncheon. Tickets can be ordered by calling 504.524.7285. They can also be purchased at the door. Visa and Mastercard accepted.

Featuring:

Emeril Lagasse -- Lasagna Bolognese

John Besh of Restaurant August -- Chicken and dumplings

Andrea Apuzzo of Andrea’s -- Crawfish ravioli

Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen’s – Crawfish cornbread

Leah Chase of Dooky Chase – Tutti frutti pork

John Folse of Chef John Folse & Company – Mirliton and spinach-stuffed breast of chicken

Gunter Preuss of Broussard’s – Bouillabaisse

The Wong Brothers of Trey Yuen – Pineapple delight

David Woodward of the Hilton New Orleans Riverside – Bermuda fish chowder

Lazone Randolph of Brennan’s – Steak Diane

For more information: visit NOLA.com!

    This past weekend, the HBO Series TREME hosted a benefit to raise funds for three of the area’s nonprofit organizations. Specifically dealing with musicians here in the Crescent City, the gala, “My Darlin’ New Orleans” took place on March 31st. In attendance at the event was the entire cast of the hit show, including local celebrities Wendall Pierce and Khandi Alexander.

NOLA.com reports that “the past two such events have raised more than $175,000 total to benefit organizations that provide support and safety-net services to the people who fuel the culture that the series spotlights.” The three charities selected this year were Sweet Home New Orleans, the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and The Roots of Music. Sweet Home New Orleans provides financial assistance to some of the area’s musicians, and the Clinic provides medical care. Roots of Music is an organization that makes after school music programming available to local kids- making sure that the tradition of New Orleans’ music lives on to the future generations.

Aside from the fundraiser itself, there is no doubt that the HBO series has been good to our city. Particularly on rebuilding the culture here that was affected by the storm. Mobley, from Sweet Home New Orleans comments “It's sort of a fascinating case, … I think that it has helped interest more people who could be part of the culture in becoming part of it. I think it's interested more people who are outsiders to learn more about it, to be engaged with it.”

While we don’t yet know the dollar amount raised on Saturday, we can be sure that the television series did not disappoint! For the full story, please visit NOLA.com.

 Local New Orleanian, Bryan Batt is better known as Salvatore Romano on AMC’s Mad Men. Or possibly in one of his countless leading roles on Broadway which range from Beauty in the Beast to Saturday Night Fever. But, in addition to his successful performance record, he is also an accomplished author. Most recently,  he has published a book celebrating the decorative flare of New Orleans, titled “Big Easy Style”. This evening he will be available for a book-signing at the Garden District Book Shop from 5:30- 7:00 p.m. So don't miss your opportunity to miss this talented performer and author!

For More information about this book, visit his website.

This work is following the huge success of his first publication, “She Ain’t Heavy, She’s My Mother” which paid tribute to his mother’s heroic triumph over Breast Cancer for 25 years. As we all know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and local, national, and international celebrities are banding together to show their support. Batt was recently one of many celebrities who participated in the National Breast Cancer Coalition’s 11 annual Les Girls benefit. This event featured cabaret-style musical performances, speeches, and a prestigious silent auction. The gala successfully raised $450,000 for the cause.

To see a full list of celebrity attendees check out this article.