Christina Bailey
The most recent Guerrilla Cuisine event was last week at the Vue at Ripley Point. The location was announced hours before the event started, and featured food by chef Nate Alton of Pearlz.
Jimihatt (right) and his mother, Mimi Hatt.
For more information on Guerrilla Cuisine and its upcoming events, visit www.guerrillacuisine.com.
On a January rainy night, dozens of people made a trek to a destination that had been revealed only a few hours before. People hurriedly checked MapQuest to figure out where they were going and set out in search of a new experience.
Arriving at a stunning location overlooking the Charleston Harbor, the participants were ushered into a room bustling with excitement and camaraderie. They have not come here for a wedding or a party; this was Guerrilla Cuisine, Charleston's only underground supper club.
More than just food
Though the focus of Guerrilla Cuisine is on food, it is about so much more than just a dinner. It is an experience that crosses genres to bring the audience live music and visual art.
The ringleader of this organization is known simply as "jimihatt." A moniker that was coined in the kitchen of a Charleston restaurant, it suits the elusive nature of a Guerrilla Cuisine dinner.
The lack of capitalization is intentional on his part; it signifies a humility that he is determined to keep, no matter how many try to make him a rock star of Charleston's underground.
He surrounds himself with a tight-knit group of chefs, musicians and artists who make these events possible.
Consisting of such talented individuals as John Pundt, Carl Janes, Ishmael, Graham Worley and Andy Allen, this group has formed a coalition that continues to wow the diners.
All of these people contribute to the idea that the events are underground; these are artists who are mainly on the fringe of Charleston. It is almost guaranteed that you will never find a marsh painting or a cover band at a Guerrilla dinner; it just would not fit.
According to Ishmael, a Charleston-based artist, the members of the collaborative sees themselves as "messengers ... influencing young artists and creative people."
How it happens
The process of a dinner goes like this: It is announced electronically, you buy your tickets knowing only the featured chef, type of cuisine and date of the dinner. Then you wait.
Twenty-four hours before the event, the buyer receives an e-mail announcing the location. This gives an air of exclusivity and excitement to the dinner; one feels as if he is in on the secret when a location is finally revealed.
It's been just over a year since the first dinner was held, and in that time, there have been few changes to the formula but definite changes in how the operation runs.
"The collaboration is getting easier. We now know what to expect from each other, as a team, and from each event, and that makes things run a lot smoother," says jimihatt,
He also thinks that, despite the street credibility that comes from being underground, some publicity is a good thing. With each interview, Web site hit and discussion, Guerrilla Cuisine becomes more of a prominent fixture in the community.
As a friend of his likes to say, "His stock is on the rise."
'Wonderful experience'
The most recent dinner, which featured Nate Alton of Pearlz, was held at the Vue at Ripley Point.
The venue was stunning and the view provided the first awe-inspired gasps of the evening.
Throughout the event, diners were treated not only to fabulous food, music and art, but also an amazing view of the city. As the sun went down on Charleston, the party geared up.
The thing that is most striking about the Guerrilla Cuisine dinner was the sense of togetherness.
Wine was shared, along with laughs and companionship, as each course was served. Alton's vision brought to the dinner a spread of fresh shellfish and local vegetables from Thackery Farm on Wadmalaw Island.
It began with "Naked Cubed," a trifecta of fresh oysters served without accompaniment in order to highlight the taste and variation in each variety.
When asked his thoughts after the event, Alton described it as "a wonderful experience that I wouldn't have been able to do without the servers, the people in the kitchen and jimihatt. More than anything, he gave me the confidence to be able to pull this off."
jimihatt's baby
The process of putting together an event is time consuming and detail oriented, but jimihatt manages to deal with all the challenges without any visible stress, handling each setback as if it were no big deal.
With a week to go before the most recent dinner, there was still no location and no definite lineup of artists and musicians, just some talk of what might happen. He thrives on making it all come together at the last minute.
In his own words, jimihatt describes Guerrilla Cuisine as "Food for the people. People in this day and age eat what is convenient, so with the trusted help and know-how of the cooks and chefs, I'm lucky enough to have made friends with, we can make a difference!"
He lives by the principle of what he calls culinary responsibility. Believing in using ingredients that are fresh and local whenever possible, it is important to him to turn people on to this type of dining, he says.
Though his main focus is on culinary responsibility, he says he also feels a social responsibility that he takes very seriously. Because much of a Guerrilla Cuisine dinner relies on donations, he is able to donate a portion of the proceeds from each dinner to charity. Instead of receiving a paycheck for participation in a dinner, the chef chooses a charity to receive the funds.
Though jimihatt says he feels he would be nothing without those with whom he surrounds himself, there is no doubt that he is running this show.
He has a hand in every decision that is made and ultimately is responsible for each guest's happiness. When asked if he ever sits back and feels accomplished, he has a rare moment of self-satisfaction, leans forward with a smile and says, "Every time."
It is apparent to all who know him that he takes great pride in Guerrilla Cuisine, an organization that he fondly refers to as his baby.
Though satisfied with the events of the past year, he is determined to push the dinners to new and exciting places.
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