Chef Billy Ballou of The Fish House will be preparing East Bay oysters on the half shell for “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. / Katie King/kking@pnj.com

Area chefs help battle autism at ‘Connecting the Pieces’ Gala

Written by

Rebecca Ross

On April 20, the oysters will undoubtedly be a hit with fundraising foodies.

Ballou, along with several other area chefs, will tempt appetites for a good cause at Autism Pensacola’s eighth annual “Connecting the Pieces” Gala. The event, at the Sanders Beach Corinne Jones Community Center, will raise money for Kids for Camp, a summer learning program for children with autism.

The menu is delicious from start to finish.

East Bay oysters from The Fish House, 150 pounds or so, will be the star of the oyster bar. The Great Southern Restaurant Group’s other restaurants, Jackson’s Steakhouse and the Atlas Oyster House, will kick off the evening with passed appetizers: shrimp and chicken satay glazed with Moroccan spiced apricot jam and rim tuna tacos.

Ballou, who created a grilled watermelon salad for last year’s gala, is happy to be back.

“It’s a really good cause,” he said. “And I enjoy seeing what the other chefs are doing.”

This year, the main course is a Gulf Coast take on the classic surf-and-turf.

McGuire’s Irish Pub and Flounder’s Chowder House will present a “Town and Beach” entree consisting of chargrilled tri-tip sirloin steak with an apple brandy-scented demi glace, miso barbecue-glazed triggerfish, rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon honey snip-top carrots.

Chef Mark Murphy of Flounder’s Chowder House will prepare about 400 entrees for fundraiser attendees.

“There’s always a good crowd,” he said. “We’ll make a few extra, just in case.”

Like Ballou, Murphy is happy to donate his time and skills to Autism Pensacola. The cause, he revealed, hits close to home.

“I have two family members who have children with autism,” he said. “I always wear my autism pin on my hat to show my support.”

The gala is a chance for area chefs to not only help raise money, but mix and mingle.

“It’s nice to spend time with everyone,” Murphy said. “We’re all friends. If someone needs something, we’ll help each other out.”

Susan Byram is the executive director of Autism Pensacola, which serves Santa Rosa and Escambia counties. She described the gala — and all those helping hands — as vital to the success of their summer camp program.

“Because we offer high quality teaching, our staffing costs are quite high,” she said. “Plus, parents have a significant financial burden. More than 50 percent of our families qualify for some support from us.”

This year, Autism Pensacola hopes to raise $150,000 at the gala.

Byram said she is ever grateful for the support shown by area restaurants and the community.

“Everyone has been incredibly generous,” she said. “Each year, we all look forward to the gala. The food is amazing and so are the participants.”

And the gala chefs are eager to sate all those healthy appetites.

“I’ll be there with my oyster knife,” Ballou promised. “I’m ready.”

Other chefs scheduled to participate in the event include Blake Rushing of Elise Coastal Dining, Dan Dunn of H2O Cajun Asian Grill, Irv Miller of Jackson’s and Jim Shirley of The Fish House.