Chef melds favorite foods for Autism fundraiser
GROVE CITY — A 5-year-old Grove City boy's favorite foods will be combined by a Lawrenceville chef into a dish served Friday at a Pittsburgh hotel.
Some of Vincent Harriger's favorites — pancakes and waffles — will be turned by Chef Carrie Randolph of the Coca Cafe into “Vinny's mini-gluten-free corn cake” at a fundraising event benefiting the Pittsburgh chapter of Autism Speaks.
It will be one of 12 dishes served at the Fourth Annual Chefs Create Pittsburgh gathering at the Fairmont Hotel, 510 Fairmont St., Pittsburgh, said Catherine Hughes, senior coordinator for field development for Autism Speaks Pittsburgh, the event's host.
“With Chefs Create, we pair a child with the chef,” said Hughes. “The chef gets a profile of the child with autism, sees what his favorite foods and likes and dislikes are.”
“Based on the profile they receive, they create a dish named after the child,” said Hughes.
Hughes described Randolph's rendition of Vincent's favorite foods as “a corn cake with brown sugar, bacon, maple syrup and sunny side-up quail egg. It's a mix between something sweet and a breakfast food.”
“She tried to put a twist on a breakfast food ... a mix between something sweet and a breakfast food that can be served at dinner time,” Hughes said.
“I got the list of foods that he liked and I tried to work with that,” said Randolph. “I have maple-smoked bacon and a sunny-side quail egg. He's also has a gluten allergy so that's why we are going with the corn cakes.
“I'm using quail eggs because everything will be bite-size,” said Randolph. “We do a lot of local, seasonal food and create new items. “
She will make enough of Vincent's inspired snacks to feed 500 she said, donating both the materials and her time to the cause.
While this is Randolph's first year participating in Chefs Create Pittsburgh, it feels like coming home, she said.
“ I did work in the field for about 10 years. I was a consultant for Young Autism,” she said before switching careers to restaurateur.
Amanda Harriger, Vincent's mother, said she noticed something was different about her son when he was 2.
“He was starting to talk and then he stopped talking,” Harriger said. “He was not making eye contact. He was not playing like other children. He would just line his toys up. He was having meltdowns.”
She credits early intervention with getting Vincent the help he needs.
“There are different levels of autism. He's a high-functioning. If you just looked at him he would seem to be just a rambunctious little boy.”Vincent had been attending an special Intermediate Unit 4 preschool.“The aim is to integrate him into normal classrooms by helping him recognize what triggers his meltdowns,” Harriger said.She said she became involved with Autism Speaks because “it's a therapeutic thing for me. I met some children with autism and their parents and it kind of took off from there.”Those eager to sample Randolph's rendition of Vincent's favorite meal, as well as 11 other chefs' interpretations of the preferences of individuals on the autism scale, can purchase a ticket by visiting events.autismspeaks.org/chefscreatepittsburgh or calling 412-367-4571.Harriger said she will be attending with her mother, Stephanie O'Connell of Ridgeway and her former husband, Cliff Harriger of Hermitage.In addition to dining, the event will feature cocktails, silent auctions, raffles and live paintings.Hughes said her chapter is hoping to raise $90,000 from this year's event.She said Autism Speaks is dedicated to promoting solutions for the needs of individuals with autism and their families through advocacy and support, increasing understanding and acceptance of autism spectrum disorder and advancing research.
