What to know about chefs Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse's visit to Wilmington

The 8th annual Celebrity Chef events that have become one of Wilmington’s favorite fundraisers took place this week. Beacon Education has been hosting famous culinary talents to raise money for GLOW Academy and now the upcoming Spark Academy. This time, Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse came to support the schools.

Here are the highlights from their visit.

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Emeril Lagasse's big gift

Lagasse first came to Wilmington seven years ago upon the invitation of GLOW Academy founder (and former Food Network president) Judy Girard. At the time, he suggested adding a kitchen classroom for the school. This year, he donated $500,000, and on Thursday, the school unveiled the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Culinary Lab. A guiding mission of Lagasse's foundation is to inspire, mentor and enable youth through culinary, nutrition and arts education.

"We're going to make it bigger and stronger," he said.

Rachael Ray's police escort

Icy weather kept Ray from arriving in town on Thursday, so she got to the Landfall Country Club Friday after events were underway. Law enforcement officers were waiting for her at the airport to make sure she arrived quickly. "I thought I was under arrest!" Ray joked.

But she was soon onstage for a cooking demonstration with Lagasse and two students, Kayleigh "KJ" Cox, Aryana Brown, and MaryClaire Mintz, which will air as part of her talk show. They made a tahini ranch dressing for a Fattoush-style salad with fresh vegetables and spiced pita chips. She then signed 500 copies of her cookbook, "This Must Be the Place."

Speaking of food

Good eats are an important part of the celebrity chef events. This time began with student-prepared appetizers, including shrimp remoulade and pimento cheese deviled eggs, at a reception Thursday. That evening, there was a private dinner with Lagasse, hosted with the help of locals such as Christi Ferretti of Pine Valley Market and Billy Mellon of manna. Other businesses, including Butcher's Market and Nicola's, provided elements such as a custom-made sausage blend and egg-yolk pasta.

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On Friday, a champagne brunch featured a bagel bar inspired by Ray, fresh fruit and Lagasse's chicken-and-waffles. A plated lunch showcased more recipes from the chefs, including a cassoulet, a beet salad with whipped goat cheese, and banana cream pudding with caramel sauce.

GLOW Girls

While this was Ray's first visit to Wilmington, Lagasse had a chance to re-meet some of the students from his previous events, including one who had her picture taken with him seven years ago. The school's first cohort is preparing to graduate, and he said it's great to see how well they're doing. More than 94% of them have applied to college, and 87% have already been accepted to at least one college.

Allison Ballard is the food and dining reporter at the StarNews. You can reach her at aballard@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Chefs Rachael Ray and Emeril Lagasse visit Wilmington for GLOW