Stir the Pot is a fundraiser for the Southern Foodways Alliance hosted by Ashley Christensen of Poole's Diner in Raleigh 4-5 times a year. On Sunday night, August 14, there is a five-course dinner with a guest chef at Poole's. This month's guest chef is Ed Lee of 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky. That dinner is $150 a plate. On Monday night, Ashley will host a potluck dinner at her house in Raleigh (she lives near NC State). She and Chef Lee will cook a main dish, Fullsteam Brewery of Durham will be pouring the beer, and bartender Wesley Wolfe of Lantern restaurant in Chapel Hill is creating a special (as-yet-unrevealed) cocktail for the evening. Guests are asked to bring a $35 donation to the SFA (check or cash) and a side dish or dessert that celebrates their sense of place.

All of this information (and then some) is available at: http://www.stirthepotluck.com/. Reservations are required and limited for both events and can be made by calling Poole's at 919-832-4477.

Stir the Pot will happen again on September 18 and 19 with guest chef John Fleer, formerly of Blackberry Farm in Tennessee and now of Canyon Kitchen in Cashiers, NC.