Party Line: Wings with celebrities

Photo by Michael Donahue // Buy this photo

Wearing the Super Bowl ring he won during his playing days with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, Horn Lake native Brandon Jackson poses with Damian Ketchum (left) and Karter Porter at Celebrity Waiters Night during the Rock 103 Radiothon.

NFL player Brandon Jackson's Super Bowl ring apparently didn't get in his way waiting tables Thursday night at Buffalo Wild Wings on U.S. 64.

Brandon, who played for the Green Bay Packers, was one of the servers at Celebrity Waiters Night for the Feb. 10 and 11th Rock 103 Ronald McDonald House Radiothon.

His previous restaurant experience was being "bacon boy at I-Hop," said Brandon, who is from Horn Lake. "I was the one who baked the bacon and washed the dishes."

In addition to waiting on customers, Brandon also participated in a hot wing eating contest and posed for numerous photos Thursday evening.

Celebs mingled with diners at the annual event. Young Memphis rapper Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores visited with diners Bobby and Alicia McCulley and their 21/2 -year-old son, Caden. "He made me a ringtone," said Bobby, who held a cellphone. He said Lil P-Nut "talked about how he can get into clubs like grown folks but he doesn't have to show an ID."

Fox 13 reporter/anchor Lauren Johnson was the server at the table of her boyfriend, Leekeek Hopkins. She took her job in stride. "He's high maintenance, so it's no different at Buffalo Wild Wings," she said.

Asked how she did, Leekeek said, "She spilled a cup of water, but that's OK."

"He bumped into me," Lauren responded.

Bryan Senter was first-place winner in the hot wing eating contest, followed by Phillip Bailey and Eric Stevens.

Italian Winterfest

Italian Winterfest outgrew Heffernan Hall at Christian Brothers High School, so the event moved to The Racquet Club of Memphis.

The Sunday night party featuring food stations drew around 850 people.

There were a lot of Italians at Italian Winterfest, which benefited Ave Maria Home and the Catholic Education Scholarship Fund. When disc jockey Mike Spano played the theme from "The Godfather," Nick Talarico joked, "I don't want to turn my back on the room."

Peter Cotros, one of the guests, was a dead ringer for Al Pacino. "Strangers tell me that all the time," said Peter, who attended with his wife, Laurie.

Even though Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Pete & Sam's, Coletta's, The Italian Rebel, Frank Grisanti's and Garibaldi's were represented, some non-Italian restaurants -- Folk's Folly, The Rendezvous, Holiday Ham and Deli and Swanky's Taco Shop -- served food too.

Swanky's fare included mini chimichangas. They did use garlic, though, said Swanky's founder/owner Matt Wilson. "That's kind of Italian."

The Rendezvous brought more than 600 bowls of red beans and rice for the party, which began at 5 p.m.

Around 6 p.m., it was all gone, said Sean McCarty, who manned the booth with Pat Donahue.

"We never dreamed it would turn out the way it did," said Tony Barrasso, who founded the event with Sam Bomarito and Angelo Lucchesi. "We never dreamed we'd be standing here with a sellout crowd at The Racquet Club of Memphis. It was pretty phenomenal."

Wolf River Cotillion

Twenty-nine young women were presented Saturday night at the Wolf River Cotillion at the Memphis Hunt and Polo Club.

Following the presentation, the debutantes, their escorts, family and friends danced to the music of Party Planet at the Silver Ball.

The Wolf River Cotillion, which began about three years ago, is made up of 11th-graders from St. George's Independent School or legacies -- sisters of a former cotillion member. The Wolf River Cotillion is not affiliated with St. George's school, said Kim Martin event chairwoman.

-- Michael Donahue: (901) 529-2797; donahue@commercialappeal.com

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