Meals On Wheels Atlanta transformed Buckhead’s Flourish into a culinary and philanthropic feast serving southern sophistication as hot as the chefs’ award-winning creations.
Now in its 37th year, MOWA’s A Meal To Remember blended fine dining with heartfelt purpose, drawing Atlanta’s civic leaders, philanthropists, and tastemakers for an evening of world-class cuisine, live auctions, and community recognition.
Hosted by Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and WSB-TV’s Karyn Greer, the sold-out black tie gala raised crucial funds for MOWA’s programs, which provide hot meals, daily wellness checks, and essential home repair services for seniors across metro Atlanta.
MOWA CEO Charlene Crusoe-Ingram introduced the evening’s co-chairs: Chase Mizell, Raina Massand, Stacey Leebern, and Kimberly Evans Paige, while encouraging attendees to raise their paddles for an auction to feed those in need.
And raise their paddles they did, with the benefit reaching a new high; a record-breaking $1.3 million, ensuring seniors in the Atlanta area receive nourishment, safety, and dignity.
Chefs & Celebs Flooded MOWA’s A Meal To Remember
The elite affair brought together an impressive lineup of award-winning chefs from across the East Coast, including Top Chef finalist Eric Adjepong (Elmina, Washington, D.C.), Karen Akunowicz (Fox & the Knife, Bar Volpe, Boston), Vishwesh Bhatt (Chai Pani, Washington, D.C.), and Atlanta’s own Kevin Gillespie (Gunshow, Nàdair).
The gastronomy for the evening included Chef Karen’s roasted scallops with fiorella panzanella and yellow tomato saffron broth…
Chef Eric’s palm nut shrimp and octopus stew, and Chef Kevin’s Poulet rouge stuffed thigh with honey-carrot puree, mushroom conserva, roasted carrots, and burned sage jus. As if that wasn’t sumptuous enough, guests were treated to Chef Vishwesh’s tantalizing tres leches cake.
Chef Eric told BOSSIP that his stew celebrated the flavors of West Africa with a seafood-forward twist.
“We take lobster shells, shrimp shells, and cook that down with a tomato paste and stock,” said the chef with Ghanaian roots. “This is very, very flavorful.”
As for Chef Kevin’s heirloom chicken thigh entree, he said the “Thanksgiving adjacent” dish traces back to his Scottish background.
“We take it all apart, put it back together by making it almost like a sausage from the legs and thighs, stuffing it back into it. The twist here is that the mushroom part is very Scottish. It’s preserving wild mushrooms but using pickled walnuts. Not something we see very much in American cooking, but to me, it’s something that makes it absolutely delicious.”
In addition to delighting guests with the multi-course menu paired with premium wines, MOWA also honored outstanding community members, including acclaimed artist Charly Palmer, educators Dr. Karida Brown, Dr. Les Moon, and Mrs. Sandy Moon, as well as dedicated volunteers George Calfo and George Christman, who were named 2025 Volunteers of the Year.
Meals On Wheels Atlanta’s “A Meal To Remember” Afterparty Features Sounds From DJ Jazzy T, DJ Era & DJ Mannie Fresh
Following the record-breaking benefit dinner, MOWA brought the MOWTION to Atlanta with its annual afterparty.
Hosted by 11 Alive’s Faith Jessie and Jonathan Martin, it brought out the likes of Marlo Hampton, who personally partied with DJ Mannie Fresh…
and a bevy of beauties ready to party with a purpose.
Founded in 1965, Meals On Wheels Atlanta has delivered more than six million meals to local seniors and continues to evolve its offerings through social enterprises like 1705WEST, Atlanta’s “event space with a purpose,” and Purposeful Gourmet Foods, a philanthropic food brand whose proceeds directly fund meal deliveries.
The success of this year’s A Meal To Remember reaffirmed that when Atlanta’s finest gather with Meals On Wheels, every purpose, every plate, and every pledge makes a lasting difference.
We’ll toast to that!
