Restaurant community helping one of its own
On Wednesday, August 13, Twenty Manning Grill (261 S. 20th St.) will host a special fundraiser for a special kid - yet another instance of the Philly restaurant industry coming together, quickly and generously, to offer a hand to one of its own.
On Wednesday, August 13, Twenty Manning Grill (261 S. 20th St.) will host a special fundraiser for a special kid - yet another instance of the Philly restaurant industry coming together, quickly and generously, to offer a hand to one of its own.
Byung Lee managed Twenty Manning from 2009 to 2011 before transitioning to food-and-beverage at the Loews Hotel, then onto Stephen Starr restaurants Route 6, Parc and Pod.
In June of this year, the married father of two learned that his young son, Shane, had been diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a rare form of brain cancer that only affects children. To date, there are no recorded survivors of DIPG, which is known to be resistant to radiation and medication. Doctors do not believe that Shane, now 4, will live more than 15 months. (You can support his treatment here.)
Current TMG manager Jillian Encarnacion wanted to organize something to help her former coworker's family beat the odds, so she decided to dedicate the latest installment of its summer-long "Vacation Wednesday" promo - two courses and a cocktail, themed around a foreign country, for $25 - to raising money for Shane. But when liquor reps, restaurant friends and Lee's coworkers at Pod caught wind of the idea, it started growing.
Now, Pod chef Todd Lean is collaborating with Parc pastry chef Abigail Dahan and TMG chef/owner Kiong Bahn to put together a four-course Korean-themed meal - lobster-crab siu mai, ginger-anise pork belly buns and more - with a soju-vodka cocktail bartender Resa Mueller will mix courtesy of The Wine Merchant and Bacardi USA. (There will also be various cocktail and beer specials, with all collected tips going to the Shane Campaign.) In addition, they've received dinner donations from restaurant friends like Starr, Zahav, In Riva and Bistro St. Tropez, plus packages from from Loews, Sheraton and the Phillies, that guests can bid on via silent auction.
The fundraiser starts at 5 p.m. and will go as long as there's still food and drink. For more on The Shane Campaign, visit the Lee family's Facebook page.