The 2019-2020 Cultural Series

The Beautiful People Gala

In December of 1969, Melanie Safka released her song “Beautiful People” in recognition of the homeless population in the United States. The opening line of the song says it all: Beautiful people You live in the same world as I do But somehow I never noticed You before today I’m ashamed to say Homelessness is defined as lacking stable and appropriate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are living on the streets (primary homelessness); moving between temporary shelters, including houses of friends and family and emergency accommodation (secondary homelessness); or living in private boarding houses without a private bathroom or security of tenure (tertiary homelessness). The legal

Red Snapper | Lux Libations

My dad, born and raised in Pennsylvania, attended Mercer in Macon and graduated with a degree in education and a love for southern food, especially fried chicken — I’ve never seen someone get so excited over a Bojangles. My first experience with true southern cuisine happened on a road trip with him — we were following my sister’s softball team all over Georgia. I was 15. Okra, collard greens, and real BBQ were all foreign to me. I think I had seen My Cousin Vinny by that time, so I may have known about grits but had never tried them. I tried all the foods my father enjoyed, but the

Pimento Cheese | From the Kitchen of… Fuse Aiken

Interview with Corie Allison, Sous-Chef at Fuse Corie, what is your background? I’ve worked management in many different corporate restaurants and pretty much hated every second of it. I dreaded going to work every day, but it gave me some good experience. I was looking to leave the restaurant business for good until the day I caught wind of a new place opening in downtown Augusta that was offering something very different. I went in, had an impromptu interview with the chef when construction was nearing the end, and fell in love. Since then, Fuse has been my home, my family, and my source of inspiration to be better every

Beer, Bella: The Beer Making Process

It is spring. The weather is getting warmer and people are spending more time outdoors. What might you find in someone’s hand on the golf course, tailgating at a sporting event, or standing by the grill cooking up dinner? A cold glass or can of beer. Ever wonder how this liquid gold came to be resting in your glass with bubbles of perfection rising to the surface and just the right amount of head retention? Me neither. Quite frankly, I took it for granted until I embarked on my beer journey. Believe it or not, the beer goes from grain to glass in six simple steps; malting, mashing, fermentation, filtration,