The Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired is hosting a Dining in the Dark event on March 21. The unique experience will happen on Charlie’s on Main in Oregon, and will start at 6:30 p.m. and end around 9:00 p.m.
The guests will enjoy an Italian inspired four-course meal while blindfolded prepared by chef Dave Heide, followed by a showing of “Sound of Sunshine Sound of Rain.” Dinner costs $60 per person and a wine pairing is available for $20, and proceeds benefit the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
“You have this really powerful opportunity to experience food through all of your other senses and to really have that exquisite multisensory experience with food,” said Denise Jess, executive director of the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. “To notice what implications it has to not see the food, both in what the gift of that might be and what the loss of that might be.”
This is the second time Dining in the Dark is held at Charlie’s on Main, with the first time being in March 2018.
The first time the Council held this type of event was about six years ago in Appleton at a restaurant called GingeRootz Asian Grille. Three years ago, Vignette Dining Club also joined the Council and has been doing about three Dining in the Dark events per year.
Following a presentation for Madison Original, an association of independently owned restaurants and affiliated businesses in the Madison area, Charlie’s on Main approached the Council to hold a Dining in the Dark event.
“It's a fun experience for us and it works out nicely for the restaurant,” Jess said. “It showcases the chef and showcases the restaurant so it's a win-win all the way around. It's a great educational opportunity, a great socializing, a great entertainment activity. Good showcasing for the restaurant and fun development and education for the Council.”
