OTR restaurant changes name, menu for one night to benefit FreeStore

CINCINNATI - Most people wouldn’t associate gourmet dishes like deviled quail eggs and BBQ duck wings with the FreeStore Food Bank. However, if you were in Over-the-Rhine on Sunday evening, you’d know they make a delicious pair.

On Sunday evening, the gourmet eatery Mayberry Gastro Pub in Over-the-Rhine served decadent dishes at a night-long fundraising event to benefit the FreeStore Food Bank.

Restaurant owner and chef Josh Campbell and benefit sponsors decided to do something completely different to raise money for a charity. They came up with the idea of a "pop-up" restaurant, which for one night would offer an unusual menu to attract money for a cause.

"I really didn't want to make this about Mayberry," Chef Campbell said. "Since this is a community driven event, we thought the best thing to do is to give money to the FreeStore FoodBank, so they can buy food for the upcoming holiday season and make sure their pantries are stocked."

The Golden Lawnchair, which is what the restaurant transformed into Sunday evening, featured a four-course menu that cost $100 a plate.

Organizers say they picked the name “the Golden Lawnchair” because it suggests a type of sophisticated everydayness, which was reflected in the menu. Patrons dined on deviled quail eggs, BBQ duck wings, truffled tater tots and dry-aged ribeye Philly cheesesteaks.

In addition to the gourmet dinner that cost $100 a plate, patrons were treated to a night of live music, as well as multiple raffles to raise even more money for the FreeStore.

By the time the doors opened at 5 p.m., the Golden Lawnchair had already raised $3,000 online for the FreeStore.