One master artist, three master chefs. This will be an evening to remember.

The Lucy Daniels Center has announced the cast of characters who will combine their expertise for a unique fundraiser this fall, to benefit the Lucy Daniels Center in Cary. And now’s the time to get your tickets!

Headlining Expressions VI, A Celebration of Food and Art, will be master potter Ben Owen III of Seagrove, and award-winning chefs Mike Lata of Charleston, Curtis Duffy of Chicago and Steven Devereaux Greene of Cary.

Expressions VI will take place on Oct. 23 at The Umstead Hotel & Spa, beginning with a cocktail hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner and a live auction.

The one-of-a-kind event, now in its sixth year, raises funds for the Lucy Daniels Center, the region’s largest nonprofit children’s mental and emotional health agency.

Owen belongs to a family of multi-generation master potters. His work reflects a foundation in traditional early American designs and incorporates influences from Asia, Europe and Persia. Owen’s pottery can be found in museums nationwide, including the the Smithsonian Museum of Art in Washington, D.C.

Chefs Lata, Duffy and Greene come to the event with national recognition by the James Beard Foundation. Lata’s restaurant, FIG in Charleston, was nominated for 2016 Outstanding Wine Program by JBF, which also awarded him the Best Chef, Southeast award in 2011.

Duffy is a 2016 JBF nominee as Best Chef, Great Lakes for his culinary creations at Grace in Chicago. And Greene is a 2016 JBF semifinalist as Best Chef, Southeast, for his culinary artistry at Herons in The Umstead Hotel & Spa.

The three chefs will collaborate with Owen to create a five-course menu that combines unusual artistry and vision.

Individual tickets for Expressions VI will be available beginning Monday, Aug. 1, online at lucydanielscenter.org.

Editor’s note: Look for our one-on-one profile of Lucy Daniels in the September issue of Cary Magazine.

Once, the Jones family was homeless. Thanks to The Carying Place, that’s no longer the case.

The Cary-based nonprofit helps working homeless families achieve independent living by providing transitional housing and a 16-week training program in budgeting, goal-setting, time management and self-sufficiency.

“The Carying Place is an awesome organization, and the best-kept secret in Cary,” said Donlia Jones. “My stress level was incredible; for them to accept us was a breath of fresh air. And we didn’t have to go to McDonald’s anymore for the Wi-Fi, to do our schoolwork.”

You Can Help

You can help families like these, and enjoy a night of great music, tasty food, and live and silent auctions, as The Carying Place hosts its 15th annual Benefit Auction, Buffet and Dancing.

Set for Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m., at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, the event benefits the mission of the organization, and the families it serves.  

Jones has since graduated from William Peace University with a degree in elementary education, and now teaches first-grade at a public charter school. She and her daughters, ages 13 and 7, have also graduated from The Carying Place and moved into their own home, using escrow money Jones saved up as part of the program.

“I had their reference, and the money for the deposit and first month’s rent,” Jones said. “Without The Carying Place, I would have graduated but not had the confidence to go beyond that. I’m not where or who I was when we came into the program.”

Tickets to The Carying Place benefit are $100 per person, and are available by calling (919) 462-1800 or at thecaryingplace.org.