It was an auction lot so good, it sold three times. Lot number five at the Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s Carnivale du Vin on Nov. 16 was “Chef Charlie Trotter’s Legacy,” starring a bottle of Château Margaux 1900 from Trotter’s personal collection, donated by his widow, Rochelle. Trotter had said if he ever planned a last meal, that would be the wine. The lot also offered a private dinner for four couples at Emeril’s in New Orleans, a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner, personally cooked by Trotter’s longtime friend Emeril Lagasse.
But before the auctioneers could open bidding, Lagasse had an announcement. He had received a call from Wine Spectator editor and publisher Marvin R. Shanken earlier that day, offering to buy the lot for $100,000 to support Emeril’s Foundation. The auction crowd erupted into applause.
But Lagasse wasn’t finished. Shanken had decided to kick things up a notch. “Marvin told me he would like to donate the lot back,” Lagasse told the crowd, so the Foundation could auction it again and raise even more money.
And so the bidding began. Auctioneer DawnMarie Kotsonis whipped up the crowd as paddles were raised. Within a few minutes, the bidders were narrowed to two, each repeatedly upping the price. By the time Kotsonis exclaimed, “Sold!”, the top bid had risen to $200,000. But the lot wasn’t finished just yet. The winning bidders were David and Shelly Kim, visiting from Southern California. Shelly came to the microphone. They were donating the lot right back.
With that additional act of charity, the runner-up bidder got the lot for $175,000, and Charlie Trotter’s Legacy had raised a combined $475,000 in a matter of minutes to support children in the 16 states the Emeril Lagasse Foundation works in.
"Charlie Trotter, Emeril Lagasse and the 20th anniversary of this wonderful charity is an unbelieveable trifecta," said Shanken. "We at Wine Spectator cherish Emeril and the memory of Charlie and are very happy to support the event."
While the Trotter lot was the biggest draw of the night, by the time the rest of the bidding had finished, Carnivale du Vin’s 20th live auction had raised $1.86 million in total. Combined with a silent auction, a fund-a-need lot and various other events over the weekend, the charity brought in more than $3 million.
Lagasse and his wife, Alden, established the foundation in 2002, originally focusing on children’s charities in New Orleans. Their efforts expanded to other communities over the years, and the foundation has given a combined $20 million in grants, primarily to youth programs focused on culinary, nutrition and arts education.
Trotter and Lagasse were longtime friends and culinary collaborators. Both first achieved fame in the 1980s when fine dining reached new heights in America. And both always put a special emphasis on wine, earning Wine Spectator Grand Awards at their restaurants.
Always intense and cerebral, Trotter retired in 2012 to follow other pursuits. Tragically, he died of a stroke just a year later at age 54.
Rochelle attended the auction and spoke to the crowd when the lot was put up for bidding. “When Charles passed away, I said, ‘I am keeping this [wine].’ But my husband was a philanthropist. That was one of the things he connected with Emeril on. I realized I was ready to let this wine go. And I reached out to Alden and said I want to do something special.”
Lagasse reflected after the event, "Alden and I were deeply moved by the generosity in the room. One of the evening’s most unforgettable moments was honoring our good friend Charlie Trotter’s legacy through a special auction lot. We are humbled by the incredible support for such a worthy cause—thank you for helping us make a difference for young people across the country.”
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