Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

FROM STAFF REPORTS

COLUMBIANA — Alabama’s cooking phenomenon and internet sensation Brenda Gantt is coming to Shelby County. Gantt will be the guest speaker of “Barbecue with Brenda,” a fundraiser for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Shelby County. All funds will remain local to assist abused and neglected children in our county.

The event will be held Sunday, Oct. 24 at 1:30 p.m. at The Grande Hall at Old Mill Square in Columbiana (adjacent to the Shelby County Arts Center).

“There is limited seating for the event, and we expect a sell-out crowd,” CASA Director Beth Chapman said. “I encourage people to order their tickets as soon as possible.”

Famous for her homemade biscuits, down-home southern cooking and love for her faith and family, Gantt became an internet sensation during the COVID-19 pandemic. She began posting cooking videos from her home kitchen at the request of young husbands in her church for their wives to learn to cook biscuits. Since that time, Gantt has posted hundreds of videos and garnered more than 2 and a half million followers and even more views on Facebook. She has appeared on national TV shows, the cover of multiple magazines and her first cookbook is coming out in November.

Tickets for the event are $50 per person for lunch, $100 for lunch and your photo with Brenda. Corporate or individual tables with reserved seating for eight are available for $500 without photos and $1,000 tables are reserved seating for eight and everyone gets a photo with Brenda. All other seating will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. Doors for the event will open at 1:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Casaofshelbycounty.org/bbq/.

CASA is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization that works to prevent child abuse and neglect. They recruit and train volunteers to go through the court process with abused and neglected children. They also provide parenting classes and supervised visitation for children in need.

CASA is the only organization of its kind in Shelby County. They are a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization so portions of ticket purchases will be tax deductible.

CASA is funded in part by the Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama, a Shelby County Community Grant and other generous donors throughout the county and state.

For more information about CASA or Barbecue with Brenda, contact Beth Chapman at Beth@bethchapman.com.