Chef Clayton Horrighs is caring for his father, Robert “RT” Horrighs, who is facing serious health challenges in Illinois, and this Sunday a lineup of chefs from Springfield, Dayton and Yellow Springs will cook a seven-course benefit dinner at Hi-Hat Social to help him do it. The dinner starts at 5 p.m. on August 23 at the downtown Springfield restaurant, 28 S. Limestone St., and tickets are already moving fast for what organizers describe as an off-menu, once-only meal built entirely around supporting one of the region's own.
A Chef's Network Steps Up
According to the Springfield News-Sun, Horrighs reached out to chefs across the region for help, and the response quickly overwhelmed him. Every participating chef will contribute food to the dinner, and Horrighs has said the community's support has been overwhelming. Horrighs serves as Hi-Hat Social's executive chef, a role he took on after building his reputation in Springfield as chef and owner of Speakeasy Ramen, where he focused on pan-Asian noodle dishes and street food techniques drawn from Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean kitchens, according to Visit Springfield.
Joining him in the kitchen will be Liz Valenti of Wheat Penny Oven & Bar in Dayton, Dane Shipp of Culture and Nood Bar at The Silos, Lisa Freeman of Torte & Iron Café, and Roland Eliason of The Winds Café in Yellow Springs. The station's report notes that Valenti was named Ambassador of the Year by the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance in December for her culinary contributions and community meal donation programs, work that included preparing more than 1,500 free meals during single-day community drives. Jake Christian, owner of Christian Bros Meat Co., is donating a pot of jambalaya, while Joel Shear, who runs Hi-Hat Social's bar program, will handle craft cocktails for the evening.
What Diners Can Expect
The roughly seven-course dinner will feature beluga caviar as guests arrive and frogmore stew, a low country boil, among the off-menu dishes made only for this event. VIP and VIP Plus guests will receive specialized dishes before, during and after the main courses, and the restaurant is normally closed on Sundays, making this an unusual one-night opening built specifically around the fundraiser.
Tickets range from $150 Patron tickets, which include food from every chef, one drink ticket and access to the full auction and event, up to $250 VIP tickets that add an hour of early entry, a welcome cocktail, exclusive one-off dishes, chef meet-and-greet access, reserved seating and an additional drink ticket. The $500 VIP Plus tier includes all of those VIP benefits plus welcome-board recognition, a special thank-you gift and priority seating. Reservations are available directly through Hi-Hat Social.
Live Auction and Ways to Help
A live auction will run alongside the dinner, offering sushi nights with Horrighs, a bartending class with Shear, private chef dinners and cooking classes, donated local artwork, and a coffee-themed basket. Unticketed community members who can't get a seat may still purchase drinks and participate in the auction, offering a way to contribute even as the sit-down seatings fill up. The precise financial target for the auction and ticket sales has not been disclosed, and the exact nature of RT Horrighs' medical needs remains unspecified.
The gathering also reflects a broader pattern of collaboration among Miami Valley chefs. Horrighs and Freeman previously worked together as judges for the 11th Springfield Rotary Gourmet Food Truck Competition at Veterans Park last August, according to Springfield Rotary. Freeman and her husband Dan merged three of their Springfield ventures — Le Torte Dolci Bakery, Ironworks Waffle Café and Crust & Company — into Torte & Iron Café on North Fountain Avenue last summer, per Hub Springfield.
Hi-Hat Social's Place in a Growing Dining Scene
Hi-Hat Social opened with a ribbon-cutting in March 2025, taking over the former Seasons Bistro and Grill space to offer contemporary Asian-American dining alongside a vinyl listening lounge, co-founded by Rod Hatfield and Andrew Lazear. The venue's design includes murals honoring local musical icons Johnny Lytle and Ada Lee, paired with vintage tube amplifiers and mid-century furnishings, as described by the Visit Greater Springfield Blog. That same coverage frames the benefit dinner against an ongoing restaurant resurgence in downtown Springfield, with investments like COhatch The Market and a wave of upscale openings along Main and Limestone streets since 2020.
Those interested in tickets or additional details can contact Greg Rogers by call or text at (937) 408-7999. With chefs from three communities converging in one kitchen for a single night, organizers are hoping the turnout matches the scale of support Horrighs says he's already felt from his peers.
