Food and wine festival euphoria Greenville donated $10,000 to The Southern Smoke Foundation. 

Morgan Allen, the festival’s executive director, presented the check on March 11 during euphoria’s Beyond the Hospitality event. The event took place at Jianna, an Italian-focused eatery on Greenville’s South Main Street.

From left to right: Alexandra Rutland, marketing and hospitality coordinator for euphoria Greenville, Lindsey Brown, executive director of the Southern Smoke Foundation, Chef Chris Shepherd, founder of the Southern Smoke Foundation, Jianna’s chef Michael Kramer, and Morgan Allen, euphoria’s executive director

The Southern Smoke Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency relief and mental health resources for food and beverage workers.

Chef Chris Shepherd started the organization in 2015 when a friend was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Since then, the organization has distributed over $11 million to hospitality workers nationwide.

Shepherd created the menu for the Beyond the Hospitality event in collaboration with Jianna’s chef, Michael Kramer.

The festival’s organizers had already planned to donate a portion of ticket sales to the foundation but decided to double down upon the launch of the nonprofit’s Behind You program. Behind You provides no-cost mental health services for hospitality professionals in California, Illinois, Louisiana, New York and Texas. The organization offers the opportunity to apply for financial aid for professionals who do not live in those states.