There are two reasons Comal 864 owner Dayna Lee-Márquez wanted to do a special dinner with Resident Diner owner Meredith Bost.
First, Bost and Lee-Márquez have been friends since both launched onto the Greenville food scene as a pop-up and a delightfully playful hot-dog cart in 2019. Second, the duo wanted to raise awareness and money to feed people in need in the community.
The collaboration dinner planned for 7 p.m. Jan. 28 will bring together two culinary powerhouses to raise money for two impactful local organizations. From each $100 ticket, $15 will be donated to Harvest Hope Food Bank and Project Host.
The timing is key.
“January through March is the toughest time for food banks,” said Lee-Márquez, who has served on the Advisory Council for Harvest Hope since last year. “There is a surge of giving through the holidays and January through March people are dried up and you see a big decline.”
Ever the solutions person, Lee-Márquez is using her tools at hand — food.
Bost brings a similar passion to community-minded cooking. She has run Resident Dogs and then Resident Diner for years and has also managed the Project Host food truck for the past three years.
Bost and Lee-Márquez have talked about collaborating for years but it took linking the effort to a community cause for them to actually see it through.
The menu for the Jan. 28 event includes six courses that might best be described as comforting, delicious and like a hug from within. Crab soup with a Mexican twist; crostini with Bost’s pimento cheese and Lee-Márquez’s homemade chorizo and a pickled quail egg; tempura cauliflower with Bost’s Duke’s ranch dressing; Mississippi pot roast; bitter green salad with jalapeno queso fresco; and chocolate chess pie.
“You definitely won’t go home hungry because neither Meredith or I know how to portion control,” Lee-Márquez said with a laugh.
Beyond the food, guests can expect an evening of friendship, community connection and fun.
In addition to the $100 ticket, there is an optional $25 beverage pairing. Tickets can be purchased at comal-864.square.site.
