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the sweet scoop
Food & Wine Announces the 2012 Best New Chefs!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 09:04 PM - Posted by Megan - (0) commentsFrom rising food rockstars to acclaimed celebrity chefs, the country’s culinary elite gathered together last night to celebrate the Food & Wine 2012 Best New Chefs. Held at the Liberty Theater in the heart of Times Square, the 24th annual soiree ushered in the latest roster of talented visionaries, as announced by Food & Wine Editor-in-Chief Dana Cowin and Publisher Christina Grdovic.
During the Broadway-themed affair, Best New Chef alumni Daniel Boulud (1988), Michael Anthony (2002), Shea Gallante (2005), Gavin Kaysen (2007), Matthew Lightner (2010), George Mendes (2011), and Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais prepared tempting signature dishes, as partygoers mingled with the industry’s finest and eagerly anticipated the winners ceremony.
Every year, the editors at Food & Wine scour the nation to find the most talented chefs with a unique culinary vision. “It is such a delight to honor these incredible chefs, who have made a tremendous impact on the culinary world in a short period of time,” Cowin says.
Now, introducing the 2012 Food & Wine Best New Chefs:
Erik Anderson & Josh Habiger, The Catbird Seat, Nashville, TN
Mario Carbone & Rich Torrisi, Torrisi Italian Specialties, New York, NY
Danny Grant, RIA, Chicago, IL
Dan Kluger, ABC Kitchen, New York, NY
Corey Lee, Benu, San Francisco, CA
Jenn Louis, Lincoln Restaurant, Portland, OR
Cormac Mahoney, Madison Park Conservatory, Seattle, WA
Bryant Ng, The Spice Table, Los Angeles, CA
Karen Nicolas, Equinox, Washington, DC
Blaine Wetzel, The Willows Inn, Lummi Island, WA
After the big reveal, guests noshed on Creole-seasoned buttermilk fried chicken drumsticks from DJ Questlove—who rocked the turntables and helped take the event to all-out dance party status. In between savory bites and cutting loose on the dance floor with Dana Cowin and The Harlem James Gang, the crowd sipped Belvedere cocktails and Gallo wines, and got sweet on luscious Godiva chocolate truffles.
Thanks to the entire Food & Wine staff for a truly memorable evening. Wishing many congrats to all the 2012 Best New Chefs!
Meatball Madness kicks off the 2011 NYCWFF
Monday, October 3, 2011 at 08:10 AM - Posted by Megan - (0) commentsThursday night, meatballs reigned supreme at the fourth annual NYC Wine & Food Festival kickoff event, Meatball Madness. Food Network’s Italian beauty Giada De Laurentiis played host to dozens of the city’s best chefs who rolled out their version of the perfect bite.
Nearly 1,000 meatball maniacs flooded into SoHo’s 82 Mercer to sample saucy spheres and sliders made from blends of beef, pork, veal, rabbit, goat, seitan and lobster. Styles ranged from traditional Italian polpette with tomato gravy (Donatella Arpaia’s braised veal version was delizioso) to exotic Thai-inspired goat meatballs with boiled peanuts, tatsoi and panang curry from Kin Shop’s Harold Dieterle. Giada got sweet and smoky with mozzarella, fig and honey, Maialino’s Nick Anderer dished out rabbit smothered in creamy pecorino ‘whiz’ over rapini, and Osteria Morini chef Michael White’s melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto and mortadella version was another standout.
Judges Alex Guarnaschelli, Dana Cowin and Lee Anne Wong crowned The Little Owl’s Joey Campanaro the night’s big winner for his grandma’s gravy meatball slider with pickled fennel. The crowd also casted their votes and The Meatball Shop’s Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow snagged the coveted People’s Choice Award for their steak ‘n’ bacon cheddar balls with mushroom gravy on a buttermilk biscuit.
Classic Campari cocktails, a selection of vino and sparkling San Pellegrino refreshed partygoers, while A Voce provided sweet relief with scrumptious chocolate cannoli over roasted cherries. Meatball Madness certainly started off the Festival in style and everyone seemed to have a ball—while devouring dozens!
Food & Wine’s 2011 Best New Chefs Celebration
Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 07:04 PM - Posted by Megan - (0) commentsFrom rising stars in the food world to seasoned pros, the country’s culinary elite gathered together last night in celebration of Food & Wine’s 2011 Best New Chefs. Held uptown at the Bohemian National Hall, the elegant affair welcomed in the latest roster of up-and-comers, while past Best New Chefs Tom Colicchio (1991), Rocco DiSpirito (1999), Missy Robbins (2010), Michael Anthony (2002), Jonathan Benno (2006) and Top Chef Season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga tempted guests with appetizing dishes—including foie gras soup with pear and roses, spice roasted duck with ramps and leek-black bread pudding, a delicate medley of mussels, chips and dip, and creamy Taleggio fonduta with roasted onion and semolina sesame toast.
Bohemian National Hall set the scene for the Best New Chefs celebration (image courtesy of MetroMix)
During the night, partygoers mingled with celebrity chefs and the industry’s finest, enjoyed cocktails and Gallo wines, listened to live music and eagerly anticipated the winner announcement ceremony. Now, introducing the 2011 Food & Wine Best New Chefs:
Food & Wine’s 2011 Best New Chefs (image courtesy of MetroMix)
In addition to these very talented ten, Beantown’s own Jamie Bissonnette snagged the People’s Best New Chef Award for his champion nose-to-tail cooking techniques at enoteca Coppa (Boston, MA). After the soiree came to a close, the festivities continued at Geoffrey Zakarian’s hotel hotspot, The National, where guests sipped spicy gin mules, snacked on charcuterie and celebrated the new all-star culinary class.
Thanks again to Editor in Chief Dana Cowin, Publisher Christina Grdovic and the entire Food & Wine staff for a truly memorable evening. Wishing many congrats to all the 2011 Best New Chefs!
For additional imagery, observations and coverage of the event, check out Eater, The Feast, Daily Blender and Metromix.
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