An Evening with Woody Durham

By Thomas On November 15, 2012 · Add Comment · In Past Dinners

Recap

What a wonderful evening! Woody and Jean Durham joined 5 other lucky diners in Bin 54′s private wine cellar for a three course meal, all to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill. After arriving at 7PM, everyone enjoyed expertly crafted cocktails and selections from Bin 54′s extensive wine collection while they got to know each other. After taking their seats, personal selections were made from the menu (listed below) and Bin 54′s amazing wait staff took care of the rest! Over the next two and a half hours, Woody regaled everyone with tales from his illustrious career.

We knew there would be some Tar Heel faithful that wouldn’t be able to attend the dinner due to cost or location, so after he gave us the green light, we offered everyone the opportunity to have Woody custom record their voice mail greeting for just $20, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill. Over 30 people took us up on the offer and a week after the dinner Woody delivered a voice recorder filled with digital sound clips that will surely be cherished possessions for the Tar Heels that received them. We thoroughly enjoyed reading people’s requested scripts for Woody and our favorites (with names X’d out for anonymity) were as follows:

Hi this is Woody Durham, Voice of the Tar Heels! XXXXX- a 2010 graduate from Charlotte, NC – is currently lined up, wide left and cannot take your call. Please leave a message and Go Heels!
This is Woody Durham, Voice of the Tar Heels! The XXXXX’s have gone where they go and are doing what they do, but leave your name and number and they’ll get back to you soon. XXXXX, XXXXX, and XXXXX have one wish for you – May all your skies be Carolina blue! Go Heels!
This is Woody Durham, Voice of the Tar Heels! You have reached the voice mail for XXXXX, a (3) time
graduate of Carolina Basketball School . He’s unavailable right now, but leave your name and number and he’ll get back to you soon. Go Heels!

All told, the dinner and voicemails raised over $1200 for the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill! We were thrilled to help such a worthy cause and think it is amazing that one night of good food and good conversation raised enough to provide food and shelter at the Ronald McDonald House for to two families in need for a full week’s stay. We can’t thank Bin 54 enough for the amazing venue, food, and service they contributed. This also wasn’t the first time and surely won’t be the last that Woody and Jean Durham have helped support the Ronald McDonald House. We are very grateful to them both and hope that their skies always remain Carolina blue!

About Woody and Jean Durham

Between 1971 and 2011, Woody Durham was the play-by-play announcer for over 1800 UNC Tar Heel football and basketball games. He was honored as the state’s top sportscaster 13 times, called four UNC basketball NCAA championships, and was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. UNC head basketball coach Roy Williams once said “Woody’s enthusiasm, his love for Carolina, is something that is extremely special.” Read more about Woody’s amazing career here.

Woody and Jean began dating when both were in high-school and married shortly after Woody graduated from UNC. They have two sons, Wes and Taylor, who have both followed in their father’s footsteps by becoming play-by-play sportscasters for the Falcons, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Elon Phoenix.

About Bin 54

Bin 54‘s philosophy is to serve the highest quality meats, seafood and vegetables in a simple and honest manner. By enhancing the flavors subtly, they know the quality of their product will speak for itself. Everything Bin 54 serves, including their bread and desserts, are made in house with the best available ingredients they can find. Their fish is sashimi grade and their beef is a mixture of aged USDA Prime and Choice Black Angus.

Bin 54 steaks are seasoned with sea salt and fresh ground pepper, slow grilled over a wood fire, rested for a quarter of the actual cooking time and finished with brown butter. Sauce is always served on the side, enabling the guest to control its influence. The end result is a steak experience that has no peer.

Private Wine Cellar / Caramelized Sea Scallops / NY Strip

The Menu

Choice of Appetizer
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake / corn remoulade / cabbage slaw
Caramelized Sea Scallops / truffle potato puree / forest mushrooms / natural jus
Baby Lettuce Salad / shallot / balsamic vinaigrette

Choice of Entrée
(Vegetarian options available upon request)
Filet Mignon (6 oz) with red wine demi glace
Organic Scottish Salmon with beurre blanc
Tanglewood Chicken Breast with shallot sauce

Family Style Sides
Yukon Gold Potato Puree
Truffled Four Cheese Macaroni
Sautéed Spinach

Choice of Dessert
Crème Brûlée / madagascar vanilla / sugar cookies / fresh mint
Chocolate Mousse Torte / raspberry sauce / nougatine

Crème Brûlée / Chocolate Mousse Torte

About the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill

The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill is a beacon of hope for more than 2,000 families that travel to Chapel Hill each year for their child’s treatment at area hospitals. The House provides a setting for family and community to flourish, and offers caring support to families struggling with a child’s illness. It takes a lot of time and effort to provide such a valuable service to families in need, so volunteer to do your part here.

Two seats at our dinner were sold on November 4th, 2012 at “A Tasteful Affair”, a tasting event of 30 of the Triangle’s best eateries that was held at Kenan Stadium’s Blue Zone, which also benefitted the Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill. Details on past and future Tasteful Affairs can be found by clicking on the image below.