Late professor honored through food, fundraising
The air on the Horseshoe was rich with the smells of Columbia’s finest cuisine Monday evening at Chefs on the ’Shoe, a fundraiser hosted by the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management (HRTM). The event was a benefit for a scholarship to be given to incoming HRTM students in honor of Julian “Jules” Pernell, a long-time culinary instructor at the McCutchen House who died of liver cancer last October, shortly after his retirement.
“A bunch of chefs come together — it’s like a tasting,” said Caroline Richardson, general manager of media for the School of HRTM. “We also have music and a silent auction.”
A table was set up under the tent with a display memorializing Pernell, including a wreath with the words “in loving memory” on a simple white ribbon, plaques and pictures. Attendees remembered Pernell’s inspiration of not only students and faculty at the University of South Carolina, but also chefs around the community.
“He was very beloved in the Columbia area,” said Bailey Stoner, a member of the event’s media team. “He taught at McCutchen House, and every student had him at some point.”
The event required not only the dedication and time of the HRTM students and staff, but also the help of the community in order to be successful, Stoner said.
“It’s basically a class,” Stoner said. “We spent all semester preparing for it. We actually had a zero-dollar budget and mostly everything that we have here, including all the decorations, was from donations.”
Restaurants from around the area filled the tent with a variety of dishes, and people eagerly lined up at each station to try a plate of food. Chefs who knew Pernell helped with the event.
“I knew Jules, and it’s for a good cause. I wanted to put money [in] and help the community,” said Brandon Carn, a chef from Hudson’s Smokehouse.
Others were excited about the scholarship and its potential long-term implications for the college and the industry.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Pam Abikhaled, the owner of Mezza. “We need to get more students into this industry and with the scholarship, maybe it will be able to expand.”
Students who attended the event agreed that it was a success for the HRTM School.
“It’s really exciting to see an event that benefited future students at USC and to see what the HRTM School has managed to do,” third-year political science and English student Neha Parthasarathysaid. “Plus the food was delicious.”
While the event’s delicious cuisine was the most obvious tribute to Pernell’s legacy, Annette Hoover, an HRTM professor, said the scholarship represented the late educator’s passion for the future and well-being of his students even more.
“Jules always loved the students,” said Annette Hoover, an HRTM professor. “He didn’t want people to leave the college in debt.”