WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The Cape Fear Wine and Food Experience has returned to Wilmington for another year.

The annual fundraiser brings together chefs from the region and wines from around the world. The grand tasting and auction event is Saturday from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Proceeds benefit local students at GLOW Academy and Spark Academy.

GLOW Academy has been in Wilmington since 2016. It is an all-girls public charter school.

“We started as a small school on South College Road with just a group of 6th graders, and now we serve 6th to 12th grade,” said Jahleese Hadley, GLOW’s director of college access.

Students learn cooking at the school. This year, some students are preparing their own treat to serve and will set up their own booth at the event.

“One of the things we’re really passionate about here is looking for opportunities to give our students exposure and help them build the academic skills they need to be successful, but also the soft skills and professional skills,” Hadley said.

Ahead of the event, students had a culinary lesson from the event’s celebrity chef, James Beard Award-winning Virginia Willis.

“I’ve been cooking professionally for about 30 years,” Willis said.

She taught the students how to make biscuits. Willis said the recipe was simple and easy, so students could use it immediately and have a sense of empowerment.

Willis said the skills students are learning will stay with them past the fundraiser event.

“Knowing how to cook and knowing how to feed yourself and knowing how to feed your family is one of the most powerful things we can do,” she said.

If you want to support Glow Academy and Spark Academy, you can find tickets to the event and learn more by clicking here.

Access original article HERE.

By: Jacee Caldwell

Updated: Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:35 PM EDT