Beauty and the Feast

“[Each] event is literally never going to happen again.” That ethereal quality has made The Legend Series one of the hottest tickets in town.

Flamingo Magazine, 2016/17

Cari Sanchez-Potter and the Pursuit of Local Food Cultures

“An unanticipated benefit of our events is that they not only shine a spotlight on our incredible local culinary talent, but they also provide opportunities to create connections between different parts of our cultural community. We always incorporate an art or music element into the events, and the venues we choose usually expose attendees to places that tell a story about our city’s history and identity. Bringing all of these elements together helps create a sense of pride, a sense of identity and a sense of place.”

Edible Northeast Florida, 2016

Farm to Table

Expect the unexpected. In a nutshell, that’s one of the mantras embraced by the crew that hosts The Legend Series dinners. “I have always wanted to plan an event with a vintage circus theme and Congaree & Penn was really the right fit for this concept.”

Jacksonville Magazine, 2016

Taste of the South: local chefs showcase their cooking chops at James Beard dinner

“In the past, North Florida has always been overshadowed by our distant cousins in the South, Miami. The ‘Sweet Tea Line’ runs across the state around Orlando and as you go north of that line the cuisine becomes inherently Southern. This was an amazing opportunity to highlight that difference.”

Jacksonville Magazine, 2015

Natural Selection: Pop up dinner series brings guests to where the wild things are

“This event was easily our most ambitious to date and differed from the typical Legend event in many ways. It was an all afternoon and evening affair that had a number of moving parts such as bussing guests to and from Yulee, managing the logistics of multiple receptions, planning a White Oak safari tour and bringing African drummers and dancers up from Orlando. While most Legend events are focused mainly on the amazing food crafted by Jacksonville’s talented chefs, The Legend Series Nine provided a grander experience in a number of ways.”

Jacksonville Magazine, 2014

One Shining Moment: The Legend Series 8 sparkles with exquisite culinary talent, black ties, evening gowns & dreams of what may be

Legend Series dinners challenge the chefs to be inventive, surprise diners and step outside of their comfort zones. So, elegantly dressed tables arranged in the rugged, ground floor shell of an old building waiting to be restored couldn’t help but bring to mind thoughts of what could be. “One of my favorite things about The Legend Series is bringing abandoned or vacant spaces to life so people can envision the possibilities of the building. I feel like this event really accomplished this—perhaps more than any other Legends dinner.”

Jacksonville Magazine, 2014

Ghostly Delights: The latest Legend Series took the “underground dining” concept to new depths – six feet down, in fact

“There are a lot of opportunities to attend wine dinners or other food events here in Jacksonville, but I think the differentiating factor for our events is the unexpected and unique venues where we hold the events… These events literally happen one time and one time only—you’re likely never going to dine in a parking garage or a cemetery ever again. So there’s an ephemeral quality to events in The Legend Series that lends a sense of urgency to buying tickets to the events.”

Jacksonville Magazine, 2013

A Chef’s Touch

A convergence of performance and food, The Legend Series is a seasonal pop-up dinner that features some of Jacksonville’s most innovative chefs gathering in unusual places to stage surprise culinary extravaganzas. The chefs step out of the kitchen for an evening to challenge themselves to go beyond a means of sustenance and produce edible pieces of art.

Jacksonville Magazine, 2013

Street Food: The Legend Series rolls into downtown to stage an urban feast for the senses

One usually considers a downtown parking garage to be, at best, little more than a brief transition point during a night on the town. Drive up, punch the button, grab your ticket, find a spot, lock the door and be on your way, right? Rarely is the garage itself the final destination, particularly for an evening involving cutting-edge cuisine, top-shelf cocktails, fine wine and live entertainment.

Jacksonville Magazine, 2013

Where the wild things are: The latest Legend Series dinner took patrons into the woods and back again

A warm afternoon gave way to a chilly evening. As the meal came to an end, guests began to filter outside and gather around the bonfires that were crackling down near the lake. A spectacular sunset painted the sky with bright oranges, red and pinks. It seemed a fitting close to such a special, artistic evening.

Jacksonville Magazine, 2013

Stop what you’re doing and eat dinner: a look into renegade dinner events The Legend Series

There is a cultural uprising happening right beneath your nose — but you probably have no idea. Why? Because it’s not bombarding your social media or clogging your newsfeed. It’s not televised or broadcast. And it’s not stagnant or expected. What it is, however, is something that will test your senses and spontaneity, and ultimately, change the way you look at Jacksonville. It’s The Legend Series.

Void Magazine, March 2013

Masculine meets feminine at Legends dinner series

The feeling of power was tangible everywhere in the dozens of stunning vehicles that commanded the space: it was like experiencing masculinity on steroids. But these marvels of technology also looked like living, breathing sculptures at rest and it seemed as if the vehicles could not help but express their feminine Amazonian energy in the curves that framed each car. It was a rare honor to experience this private collection in such an intimate way.

Arbus Magazine, 2012

The Chefs Assemble a Meal Fit For Film

Inside the 1924 Ford Assembly plant that sits vacant on the St. Johns, “beautiful in its abandonment,”… there is a phenomenon in the stacked rows of glassless windows that is almost beyond words… “To me the building is the real guest of honor at this event.”

Arbus Magazine, 2012

Chefs Gone Wild

The day arrives, and with it a location—Intuition Ale Works, the craft brewery located in Riverside. As the night arrives and finally unfolds, the experience is akin to a Prohibition-era speakeasy, complete with warehouse location in a not-quite gentrified area, near railroad tracks. It feels secretive, even a bit seedy, and once inside, the vibe builds… The entire night is tinged with this coy, adventurous spirit. It was, after all, designed as a way to explore, share and experience food, drink and music in a new way.

Arbus Magazine, 2012