Spanish Paella & Wine Dinner

District Wine Bar and celebrity grillmaster Jeff “Rhino” Bannister are teaming up for an evening of authentic Spanish food and wine to support Asheville Music School. A ticket price of $70 per person includes complimentary Spanish wine pairings with a tasting of small-production or estate-grown bottles (with the option to make purchases), small-bite Spanish pintxos, and traditional Spanish paella. Live entertainment by flamenco guitarist Juan Benavides and percussionist Ryan Oslance will enhance the evening’s Spanish theme. Business sponsored tables for six will be available for $600.

Based in Greenville, South Carolina, Jeff “Rhino” Bannister is perhaps best known as the founder and leader of Bovinoche, whole animal cooking extravaganzas. Since his first roast in the Upstate in 2011, curious diners have gathered to watch him roast whole cows, goats, and bacon-wrapped alligator. The 50-year-old chef has received national attention for his dinners, and has appeared on multiple TV shows including Chopped Grill Masters (Food Network, 2017) Man, Fire, Food (Cooking Channel, 2017), Smoked (Destination America, 2016), Fat Guys in the Woods (The Weather Channel, 2015), American Grilled (Travel Channel, 2014), and Anthony Eats America (Food Network, 2013).

Bannister has been cooking paella since 2005 and is a spokesperson for PaellaPans.com. His most ambitious paella dinner involved a 55-inch pan that served 200 people. He recently spent three weeks traveling through the Andalucia region of Spain eating as much paella as possible and honing his skills in the preparation of the traditional dish. For this dinner on November 7, he will be preparing a 75-person paella on-site.

Asheville Music School is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is strengthening communities through music education and outreach. Some 40 instructors offer private and group music lessons to more than 400 students of all ages and skill levels. Through the Paul Thorpe Music Education Fund (named in honor of AMS’s late director), the school offers a Scholarship Program, providing financial assistance for music lessons, and a Community Outreach Program, which brings music to multiple community centers around Asheville. Proceeds from the dinner benefit these programs and the operations to run them. For more info on Asheville Music School, visit ashevillemusicschool.org, or e-mail Executive Director Ryan Reardon at ryan@ashevillemusicschool.org.