Chuck Bennett

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Yiannis and Pat Karimalis' name.

Detroit Burger Brawl returns to Eastern Market

Calling all burger lovers. In partnership with Dine Drink Detroit, Low Frequency, and Fairway Packing, after a short hiatus, the Detroit Burger Brawl returns to Eastern Market on Aug. 27. Nearly 20 restaurants from around Metro Detroit will compete for the title of Detroit’s Best Burger during this street party-type of event. Attendees get to sample all of the competing burgers and vote for their favorite. The top four restaurants get the chance to create a custom burger blend on-site with Fairway Packing to be ranked by a five-member panel of celebrity judges.

“There are a lot of really good burgers in this town,” says Gino Baratta, co-owner of Fairway Packing. “The Brawl gives our guests an opportunity to taste them all in one place. We’re very excited to partner with Dine Drink Detroit to bring back this event on Aug. 27.”

The inaugural Burger Brawl was in 2012 with a prestigious panel of judges that included award-winning chef Luciano DelSignore from Bacco Ristorante, movie mogul Linden Johnson and business tycoon the late A. Alfred Taubman. This year’s Detroit Burger Brawl will be emceed by Ken Daniels, the voice of the Detroit Red Wings. Tickets for Detroit Burger Brawl are $25, which includes all-you-can-eat burgers, and a $55 VIP ticket, that includes a special tent with cocktails and seating. For information, visit detroitburgerbrawl.com.

‘Art in the Garden’ brings in the celebrities

Mother Nature was generous enough to stop the rain on Saturday afternoon for about three hours — just long enough for Yiannis and Pat Karimalis to host 200 guests in their sprawling enchanting garden at their contemporary Novi home. The occasion, “Art in the Garden” was an exhibition of more than 100 paintings done by Yiannis, who is also a celebrity hairstylist (known for coiffing the locks of many of the old-school glamour girls, such as Lana Turner, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Sophia Loren). The party was also a benefit, raising more than $11,000 for Planet Lori Art Camp, run by the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. Among the guests were HGTV “Love it or List It” star Hilary Farr, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), and television news personalities Carolyn Clifford, Robbie Timmons and Lila Lazarus, who emceed the short program. Guests sipped wine and noshed on hearty passed hors d’oeuvres from Party’s by Paula, and just as fate would have it, immediately following the winning bid on the last live auction item, the skies opened up and then the rain returned. Attendees raced to help bring the paintings indoors and cover them with plastic.

Custom car auction benefits Covenant House Michigan

Danny Koker, native Detroiter and star of the History Channel’s series “Counting Cars,” has created a customized Detroit-themed 2014 Dodge Challenger Demon SRT8, which will be unveiled at Duggan’s Irish Pub at 6:15 p.m. Saturday. The car will be auctioned off to benefit Covenant House Michigan. The project is presented by Ally Financial. The custom car — which once belonged to singer Dee Snider of the Twisted Sister band — was specially designed by Koker, who owns/operates Count’s Kustoms shop in Las Vegas, to pay homage to key monuments of Detroit. The auction will be held online from Saturday-Aug. 27 at allyauction.com/challenger. All proceeds will go to Covenant House Michigan, a local charity dedicated to providing resources for at-risk youth.

Chuck Bennett is the creator of TheSocialMetro.com and is the Fox 2 News Style Ambassador