Rodney Scott fundraising stop
Pitmaster and James Beard award‑winning chef Rodney Scott is scheduled to appear at the Franciscan Center’s annual Plated fundraiser to support the center’s culinary program and community services (wbaltv.com). The local report frames his visit as part of the center’s efforts to raise visibility and funds through high‑profile culinary talent (wbaltv.com).
Rodney Scott, the South Carolina pitmaster who won a James Beard Award, is in Baltimore for the Franciscan Center’s Plated fundraiser on April 16. (wbaltv.com) Plated 4 is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the B&O Railroad Museum, and the Franciscan Center says Scott is this year’s special guest. The center lists the event as its annual fundraiser for the Dignity Plates Culinary Training Academy. (fcbmore.org) WBAL-TV reported tickets were $175 and the event was nearly sold out as Scott visited the center’s kitchen ahead of the fundraiser. The station said food prepared during his visit would be served through the center’s daily lunch program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. (wbaltv.com) The fundraiser is built around a workforce program, not just a celebrity appearance. The Franciscan Center says Dignity Plates is a 13-week, no-cost culinary course in Baltimore that trains students in sanitation, kitchen basics and food-service skills, including ServSafe Food Manager certification. (fcbmore.org) The same nonprofit also runs a broader emergency-assistance operation. The Franciscan Center says its lunch and dinner programs feed 400 to 600 people a day and its services include clothing, emergency health support, counseling and technology training. (fcbmore.org, fcbmore.org) Local coverage has framed Plated as the center’s biggest fundraiser and a public showcase for graduates of the culinary program. WMAR reported the night includes a live cooking competition and tastings from nearly 18 restaurants. (wmar2news.com, 98online.com) Scott brings national name recognition to that pitch. He opened Rodney Scott’s BBQ in Charleston in 2017 after decades cooking whole-hog barbecue in Hemingway, South Carolina, and won the 2018 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Southeast. (chefsmakingwaves.com, sobewff.org) The Franciscan Center has used Plated before to put graduates in front of donors and local chefs. After the 2025 event, the group said more than 300 guests attended and watched Dignity Plates alumni compete live at the same museum. (citybiz.co) This year’s version follows the same formula: a high-profile chef, a cooking contest and a fundraising pitch tied to job training and daily meal service. By Thursday night, the center was using Scott’s stop in Baltimore to turn barbecue attention into donor attention. (wbaltv.com, fcbmore.org)
