Biscuit Showdown Raises Record $15,625

The Big Biscuit Showdown, featuring 13 teams of chefs from Rise Biscuits & Donuts, was held Thursday, July 27, at The Rickhouse in Durham.

The benefit event, which paired original biscuit fare with local brews, raised funds to benefit Give 1 For Dad, a Durham-based charity supporting a clinical trial testing a type of copper to treat advanced prostate cancer patients. The second annual Big Biscuit Showdown raised a record $15,625.

"The event is the brainchild of my former business partner, Tom Ferguson, who started Rise Biscuits and Donuts with Brian Wiles," said Sam Poley, founder of Give 1 For Dad. "The Big Biscuit Showdown is really Tom's way to let the chefs at the Rise locations stretch their culinary legs. As the business has grown and the franchise locations increase in number, the opportunities for creativity become a bit more programatic and scoped. This event is a way for those talented folks to spread their wings while giving back."

Sam Poley, Give 1 For Dad; Tom Ferguson, Rise; and Erin Tait, Duke Cancer InstituteAfter the loss in 2015 of his father, Neil, to prostate cancer, Poley launched Give 1 for Dad, a fundraising campaign to raise $1 million to support the copper study. Initially, he invited donors to give one time, one percent of one day's salary. Since then, he has also partnered with supporters, such as Rise, to launch other fundraising initiatives.

According to the American Cancer Society, one man in seven will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Most cases of prostate cancer occur in older men — on average at about 66 years old. There will be approximately 161,360 new cases of prostate cancer in 2017.

Rise Southpoint won Best Beverage & Donut. Rise Morrisville won Best Biscuit.

To date, Give 1 For Dad has raised more than $485,000 toward its $1 million goal. For more information or to give, visit Give 1 For Dad. For great tasting biscuits and donuts, visit Rise.