The Taste of Transylvania

The annual Taste of Transylvania event held on the grounds of the Brevard Music Center drew a large crowd Tuesday evening, Sept. 13.

The Taste of Transylvania has long been the primary fundraiser for the Communities in the Schools Program.

With the Communities in the Schools moving to dormant status recently, the Transylvania County Schools Educational Foundation (TCSEF) became the new beneficiary of the proceeds from the event.

The TCSEF exists to provide financial support to the Transylvania County Schools in the form of grants to teachers and programs that benefit the students.

Since its reformation in 2008, the TCSEF has provided funding for a variety of different opportunities within our schools.

During the last school year, TCSEF sent two high school students to an all expenses paid Washington, D.C. immersion program to study government and politics in the nation’s capital.

In addition, TCSEF awarded over $9,000 to provide funding for 13 different teacher sponsored grant programs.

As the fund balance of the TCSEF grows, so does its ability to increase its support of our teachers and our students.

“The Taste of Transylvania is one of the most enjoyable benefits held in our community,” said Page Lemel, event chairman.

Those attending are able to enjoy the best of offerings from local restaurateurs, caterers and food service operations. It is an opportunity for many of the establishments to showcase new dishes and the talents of their chefs.

All of the participating establishments donated the food for the benefit of the TCSEF programs.

The participating restaurants this year were: Blue Ridge Bakery, Cielito Lindo, Connestee Falls Overlook Dining Room, Dolce Regina, Earthshine Mountain Lodge, The Falls Landing, The Hob Nob, Jordan Street Café, Marco Trattoria, The Pink Rose Emporium, Sora Japanese Restaurant, The Square Root, and Transylvania Regional Hospital.

The highlight of the evening was the vote held for the favorite item in each of the divisions: appetizer, entrée, dessert and best overall.


Members of the Square Root staff prepared some delectable treats for diners who attended the Taste of Transylvania fundraising event Tuesday night at the Brevard Music Center.

Transylvania Regional Hospital took the Best Entrée category with their ultimate street food offerings of pork tacos with mango salsa and the shrimp/kiwi bah mi roll.

Blue Ridge Bakery won the dessert category for their Mint Chocolate Tiramisu.

Connestee Falls Overlook Dining Room won Best Overall for their Southern Barbecue Pork with three sauces and the accompanying cheese grits.

The TCSEF would also like to acknowledge the contributions of tea and lemonade from Sunrise Café and wine by The Proper Pot.

A new grant cycle is underway. Applications for grants from the TCSEF are due on Monday, Oct. 31 by 5 p.m. to Jessica Merrill at the Transylvania County Schools Morris Education Center.

For more information on the TCSEF grant program, please visit the website at www.tcsef.org, or contact Jessica Merrill at 884-6173.

The grant awards are made in early January by the Grants Committee of the TCSEF

by the Transylvania Times

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