Cheers and kudos to my friends Mark Allison and Jaclyn Beith for orchestrating an amazing funraising event, the fourth annual year for Fork Cancer, on Saturday, September 6, 2025 at the Marriott City Center in Uptown Charlotte.
Fork Cancer Charlotte: A Feast of Flavor, Love & Resilience
The evening marked the fourth annual Fork Cancer dinner and auction—an event held in honor of, and as an annual celebration of life for, Mark’s late wife Allison Davies and others who have battled cancer, while raising funds to support those currently fighting the disease.
It has always been my experience that wherever and whenever chefs gather, amazing things happen, and this evening was no exception.
More than 250 supporters filled the room, enjoying everything from a buffet of appetizers to an elegant dessert, and generously gave to support the cause. Every single person in that room became part of something truly special.
The Culinary A -Team
In the kitchen, a powerhouse lineup of chefs turned the evening into a culinary showcase:
Jonathan and Amy Fortes, Executive Chefs/owners at Flipside Restaurant and The Flipside Café and FM Eatering opened the meal with a fresh, creative coal roasted beet salad course topped with grated goat cheese, micro basil, fennel pollen, citrus and a pistachio crumble.
- Pro Tip here from Chef Jon: If you are making a similar salad at home, freeze the goat cheese first; it makes it so much easier to grate. Chef Raffaele Patrizi said the idea was genius! Actually, if I am telling the truth, his wording was a bit more colorful, but in the interest of keeping this post PG, it was simply genius and I agree.
- Just for fun… Here’s a link I wrote about Jon and Amy when they first opened the first restaurant in their Flipside stable. Coming Soon: Keep an eye out for more from Jon and Amy as they will have a new place opening in Waxhaw, hopefully before or just after the end of the year!
But Wait, There’s More…
Andres Prüssing, Former Executive Chef at Stoke, the restaurant at the Marriott, is now Director of Operations at the Charlotte Marriott City Center, the host venue for the event. The team at the Marriott did an incredible job; While Andres delivered the evening’s second course of beautifully poached Kingfish, provided for the event by The Kingfish Company. The fillet was topped with a lobster mousse, lemon buerre blanc, herb oil, and a potato cremoux filled with a mushroom duxelle.
Sam Diminich, Exec Chef /Owner and a 2025 semifinalist for the James Beard Award’s Best Chef: Southeast for his much loved work at the popular Restaurant Constance in Charlotte’s, followed with the third course. This was all about the beef. A dry aged New York Strip provided by the Chop Shop in Charlotte, seared and served with XO sauce and a Shiitake Parmesan cannelloni.
While the team of chefs worked together to plate each of the courses above, Mason Martinez of Culinary Concepts created a full three-course vegetarian menu as well, so that no one in the crowd missed out on a thing.
And then came dessert…
Samantha Ward, Charlotte pastry chef extraordinaire, now at home and part of the outstanding team at L’Ostrica in Charlotte kicked things off with her bread service ( truth is our table ate it too fast to get any photos) and this decadent dessert finale. And now, you can see why I forgot all about taking a group photo of the chefs!
Before and After the Seated Dinner
The evening actually kicked off with a VIP reception. My favorite Charlotte musician, guitarist Tom Billotto kicked off the festivities with a series of instrumentals as the crowd started to arrive. Then Chef Jay Z introduced Guest Chef Roshni Gurnani, to the VIP crowd who gathered in the cute demo kitchen on the 2nd floor of the Marriott.
Chef Rosh is a James Beard nominee and Food Network Chopped Champion (and alumna of several other Food Network shows including Beat Bobby Flay) who flew in from Texas to support the event. In her VIP demo, Chef Rosh taught the crowd how to make a popular favorite – Chicken 65, an Indian Spiced Fried Chicken. A delicious start to the evening.
The Silent Auction and Hors D’oeuvres
Then just as the VIP reception was winding up, Raffaele Patrizi of Mano Bella Market & Bistro wowed guests with small bites and hors d’oeuvres that kicked of the evening. Presented alongside the host of silent auction items, Raffaele’s offering included the delicious marinated trout ( pictured in the center below) I order every single time I eat at Mano Bella’s SouthPark location.
Behind the scenes, Chris Aquilino, Director of Culinary Development at Elior North America, kept the kitchen running like clockwork, and Jay Ziobrowski, Corporate R&D Chef at Morrison Healthcare, emceed the menu taking the audience back into the kitchen via video several times during the evening.
Chef Luis Rojas, the 2025 NCRLA Pastry Chef of the Year and Specialty Chef for Stoke at the Marriott, also lent a helping hand in all the prep and plating.
This group poured their hearts into every plate, reminding us that food at its best is more than just delicious…it’s a celebration of life, love, and resilience.
More Than a Meal
But Fork Cancer was never just about the food. Guests also raised their paddles during silent and live auctions, bidding on one-of-a-kind items and experiences.
Entertainment kept the night buzzing, in addition to the live cooking demos and Tom’s guitar that kicked off the evening; Steve Daley also performed on sax while the sleight-of-hand charm of a magician, Steve Vaught kept the crowd on its toes. Cheers to every single person who played a part.
At its core, the evening was about togetherness and community. Truth is, there are very few of us who haven’t been impacted by cancer. We lost my brother Jamie several years ago and Tom lost his wife Karen, in the early 2000s. Mark has lost several family members including his wife Allison. Her death and the celebration of her life is what has became the driving force for Mark to develop the concept for Fork Cancer.
As Mark said in one of his follow up posts, “One moment we were clapping and cheering, the next we were wiping away tears; but through it all, we felt united in hope, love, and the fight against cancer.”
The Impact
This unforgettable evening supported two incredible charities: The Meggs Foundation and Xander’s Acts of Kindness Foundation. The funds raised from all the fun and the silent and live auction, beautifully emceed by Concord NC based realtor Leigh Brown, will ripple far beyond a Saturday night in September, touching the lives of patients, survivors, and families across Charlotte.
Fork Cancer 2025 was nothing short of extraordinary. Plates were cleared, glasses were raised, and once again, Charlotte showed the power of coming together for something bigger than ourselves.
Want to Be A Part of it All?
If you couldn’t join us this year, there’s still time to make a difference. You can still donate here. Donations are welcome anytime and will continue to fuel the incredible work of organizations like The Meggs Foundation and Xander’s Acts of Kindness Foundation.
And, a little scoop for you: starting in 2026, this powerful gathering will continue under a new name, Chefs Against Cancer… A Taste of Life…same heart, same mission, just a fresh banner for the fight. So stay tuned, stay hungry, and most of all, stay involved—because together, we’re cooking up change that lasts.