On Thursday, March 2, Back Beach Barbecue and Idyll Hounds Brewing Company will host an intimate Beer Dinner at Back Beach Barbecue in support of HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the restaurant will be closed for the private dinner experience featuring a five-course meal prepared by Back Beach Barbecue Pitmaster, Shane Kirkland. Each course will be accompanied by a specially selected beer by local brewery, Idyll Hounds Brewing Company. Pitmaster Shane has created a menu featuring various specialty meats and seafood including oysters, duck breast, shrimp, and elk. The meal concludes with a smoke-infused dessert to round out the evening.
Proceeds raised will benefit Panama City’s HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital’s NICU, a cause with close personal ties to Shane himself. Last year, Kirkland and his wife, Heather, who is also an employee at Back Beach Barbecue, welcomed twin boys, Ezra and Isaiah. They were born premature and had to stay in the NICU due to struggles of eating on their own, bilirubin levels, and caloric intake.
“The only thing that made this horrible situation the best possible was the staff at HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital NICU,” said Shane. “They loved us, and our babies, as if they were their own.”
The Kirkland’s said the nurses would hold their babies, love on them, take pictures, dress them in matching clothes, make crafts to decorate their room with, and everything else one would expect from family. They were allowed to visit, ask questions, and were continuously updated on the status of the twins and what needed to be done to bring them home. After three weeks, their boys were finally discharged and the family left feeling eternally grateful for the care they received from HCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital.
“We’ve been home for about nine months now, and we are forever friends with the staff members, and still make regular visits to see our NICU family who treated, loved, and genuinely cared for our Ezra and Isaiah.”
Proceeds raised from the dinner will go toward the purchase of clothing, supplies, and a specialized camera system in the NICU that will allow families to check in and observe their premature infant at any time. Tickets for the dinner are on sale for $100 and can be purchased by calling the restaurant at (850) 249-0822.