Charleston's culinary scene is trading in its aprons for black-tie attire this season, as the city's chefs, business leaders and philanthropists gather for the Signature Chefs Auction, a fundraiser benefiting March of Dimes. The evening brings chef tastings, a silent auction and a live auction together under one roof, with proceeds going toward the organization's mission of supporting healthier futures for mothers and babies.
The event, described by organizers as a black-tie evening that brings together Charleston's culinary, business and philanthropic communities, is reported by WCIV as the 27th annual Charleston Signature Chefs Auction. The official March of Dimes event page for the auction, however, lists it as the 26th Annual Charleston Signature Chefs Auction — a discrepancy in the event's numbering that has not been resolved between the two sources. What is consistent across both accounts is the format: chefs offering tastings of their cuisine alongside the live and silent auctions that have defined the event for years.
A Fundraiser With a Specific Mission
March of Dimes describes itself on its event page as a not-for-profit, section 501(c)(3) organization that, in its own words, fights for the health of all moms and babies. The Charleston auction is pitched as an opportunity to support that mission, with fundraising aimed at helping healthy moms and strong babies.
The stakes behind the black-tie optics are serious. South Carolina ranked 43rd among 52 states and jurisdictions for preterm birth in 2024, posting a preterm birth rate of 11.6%, according to the March of Dimes South Carolina Report Card. That rate did not change significantly from 2023, the same report notes, suggesting the state's preterm birth challenges have persisted rather than improved. The Report Card also found South Carolina was implementing only two of six supportive maternal and infant health initiatives the organization assessed in its 2025 edition.
Charleston's Track Record of Big Numbers
Charleston's chefs have shown they can turn a tasting menu into serious fundraising muscle. The 25th Annual March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction, held November 21, 2024, at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Charleston, raised $667,000 — a new state record for March of Dimes, according to Charleston Living Magazine's coverage of the event. That gathering featured the same mix of chef tastings, wine and spirits, and silent and live auctions that has become the event's signature format.
The 2024 total marks a dramatic jump from earlier years. Charleston Living Magazine also reported that the 2021 Charleston Signature Chefs Auction, held at the Gaillard Center on November 18, 2021, raised $325,000 to help support healthy moms and strong babies. Several of Charleston's top restaurants served food and drinks at that 2021 event, the magazine noted, underscoring the local restaurant community's long-running involvement in the cause.
What the Money Supports
The connection between the auction's fundraising and the state's public health picture adds context to why organizers keep returning to the same black-tie formula year after year. The 2025 March of Dimes Report Card says 402 babies died before their first birthday in South Carolina in 2023, a rate of 7.0 deaths per 1,000 live births. That figure sits alongside the preterm birth data as part of the broader landscape March of Dimes says it is working to change through fundraising efforts like the Charleston auction.
Whether this year's event is officially the 26th or 27th annual Charleston Signature Chefs Auction remains an open discrepancy between March of Dimes' own event listing and reporting from WCIV. What both sources agree on is the basic shape of the evening: chef tastings, live and silent auctions, and a black-tie crowd from Charleston's culinary, business and philanthropic communities coming together for mothers and babies across South Carolina.
