As Williamsburg mourns the death of Tom Power, a community staple and co-owner of the Cheese Shop, local organizations are finding ways to honor him.
Power’s son, Tom Power Jr, is one of several local chefs slated to discuss American gastronomy June 21 following a movie showing of Anthony Bourdain’s “Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent” at the Kimball Theatre, according to a Colonial Williamsburg news release.
While the screening will go on in the wake of the senior Power’s death, the event will instead honor the man who ran restaurants in Merchants Square for 45 years.
“He was a true mentor of the community,” said Marianne Johnston, program manager at the Kimball Theatre. “His legacy has not stopped, and his family will continue on with it.”
Power, 81, died Tuesday after getting caught in a rip tide while on vacation with his wife, Mary Ellen, in Bermuda.
The movie, which chronicles the life of the “father of American cuisine,” Jeremiah Tower, is fitting to show in honor of Power, Johnston said, because there are several parallels between the two men’s lives.
Johnston said Power’s daughter Mary Ellen Power Rogers was integral in organizing the movie showing, but after Power’s “sudden and tragic” death, she wanted to incorporate more about him into the event, including stories about Power and his family.
“One of Tower’s quotes he lives by is ‘What are my great expectations, and what have I done?” Johnston said. “And Mr. Power has accomplished that – you can tell he accomplished his expectations.”
Tower is one of the “most controversial and influential figures in the history of American gastronomy,” the release said.
Tower started cooking in 1972 at a well-known restaurant in Berkeley, Ca. called Chez Panisse, becoming a “pioneering figure in the emerging California cuisine movement,” the release said.
Tower then moved to San Francisco to open his own restaurant, “Stars.” After several years at the restaurant, Tower walked away and left the cuisine scene for nearly twenty years, the release said.
Similar to Tower, Power and his family were very involved in the community, helping jumpstart the cuisine culture in Merchant Square. As restaurant owners, the Powers were honored in May with the College of William & Mary’s Prentis Award, recognizing them for their strong civic involvement.
“Jeremiah Tower put Chez Panisse on the market, and Mr. Power did the same with Merchant Square,” Johnston said.
Several local chefs will still hold the panel discussion following the movie showing, including Marcel Desaulniers and David Everett, Johnston said. The chefs will talk about their own lives, insights and experiences with the late Power.
Desaulniers is a four-time James Beard Award winner, author of “Death By Chocolate” and the former owner of the Trellis restaurant and MAD about Chocolate, according to the release.
Everett is involved with the Blue Talon Bistro, Dog Street Pub, The Trellis, Blackbird Bakery and Culture Café, the release said.
Doors for the event open at 6:30 p.m. June 21 at the Kimball Theatre, located at 428 W. Duke of Gloucester St. The movie will start at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $8.50, and $7 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at Colonial Williamsburg ticketing locations, at colonialwilliamsburg.com, on Fandango or by calling 1-855-296-6627.
