Saturday, July 27, 2013

CHEFS DINNER & MEET THE CHEFS COCKTAILS AND TASTINGS PARTY TO BENEFIT JEFF’S KITCHEN AT HAYGROUND SCHOOL




Festive Cocktail Party Featuring Top Manhattan and Local Talent and

VIP Dinner at the Home of Toni Ross Honoring Eric Ripert

Top Manhattan and Hamptons chefs will be featured at the 2013 Chefs Dinner (www.greatchefsdinner.com) Sunday, July 28th in the Hamptons.

The much-anticipated event now in its ninth year will be held on Sunday, starting at 5:30 p.m. on Hayground School’s campus (151 Mitchell Lane, Bridgehampton, NY) as a benefit for Hayground School’s Jeff’s Kitchen and the Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund

The event will include a cocktail party from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. featuring notable Manhattan chefs as well as top local chefs preparing tastings using the local, homegrown bounty.

I will be there too!  
Toni Ross and her team have graciously allowed me to participate in this cherished, annual Hampton foodie event.
I will have a table to present and sell my book, The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook. My Smithtown Cooks, Homegrown friend, Nancy Vallarella from "What's Cooking Smithtown," will join me there.
Ten percent of the book sales will go to Jeff's Kitchen.

I'm so looking forward to seeing so many of "my" chefs that are featured in the Homegrown Cookbook. 

Confirmed chefs at this year’s cocktail and tasting event include many from this Examiner’s book: The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, as well as notable East Enders and some of Gotham’s  culinary artists:  Josh Capon (Lure Fish Bar); Arjun Achuthan (Hayground School), Tom Colicchio/Ty Kotz (Topping Rose House), Bryan Futerman (Foody’s); Joel Hough (Il Bucco), Jason Weiner (Almond), Matt Michel (Rolling in Dough Pizza); Joe Realmuto (Nick & Toni's), Davie Simmons (Uptown Juice Bar), Cheryl Stair (Art of Eating), Roy Wohlars (The RiverheadProject) and Christian Mir (Stone Creek Inn). Product sponsors include: Kona-Ice, Blue Parrot, ZICO Pure Premium Coconut Water, VerTerra, PLAIN-T, Greenport Brewing Company, Crystal Head Vodka, Wolffer Vineyards, Channing Daughters Winery, Diplomatico Rum, Nestle Waters/San Pellegrino and Shaw-Ross International Importers. During the cocktail party there will be live music by Lily and the Parlor Tricks and a silent art auction featuring renowned artists. There will also be demos in the newly expanded Jeff’s Kitchen by TV host and chef George Hirsch and Aesop Skin Care.

Foody's chef and owner, Bryan Futerman told me he is working with the Hayground School children this year - he is such a natural teacher - and does so much work with the Seedlings project.  That's another story.  Sunday, he and the students will prepare a whole local pig Porchetta and Pizzas from their wood oven, featuring Mecox Cheeses and Falkowski Mushrooms -- also featured artisanal growers and food makers in the Homegrown Cookbook - I am proud to add!  
Foody's Bryan Futerman, Chefs Dinner 2012

Chef Lia Fallon, the Riverhead Project wrote that she is preparing sea scallop ceviche.  Sweet. 

Intimate VIP Wine Dinner at the Home of Toni Ross Honoring Eric Ripert
The VIP dinner following the cocktail party will be held at the home of Toni Ross from 7:30 – 10 p.m. The dinner, honoring four-star chef Eric Ripert, will feature a four-course meal prepared by a select few of the participating chefs and paired with wines by Aldo Sohm (Sommelier – Le Bernardin). Confirmed chefs include the following: Claudia Fleming (North Fork Table and Inn), Justin Smillie (Il Bucco Alimentari e Vineria), Michael Cavaniola (Cavaniola’s Gourmet Cheese Shop), Kerry Heffernan (Finalist “Top Chef Masters” season 4); Steffan Karlsson (Fond- Gothenburg, Sweden) and Taku Sato (Nobu57). Products from D’Artagnan and Fishers Island Oysters will also be featured. A portion of the produce used in sit down dinner will be sourced from Hayground School’s Slow Foods Greenhouse. 
There will also be a live auction following the dinner featuring exclusive culinary and travel packages.


Ticket Prices and VIP Wine Tables
The “Meet the Chefs” Cocktails and Tastings party will be held in a festive tent on the Hayground School’s beautiful grounds as well as in the newly expanded Jeff’s Kitchen.
The fundraising event will feature live music, a silent art auction, and bountiful tastings by top chefs, specialty drinks and NEW this year exciting demonstrations in Jeff’s Kitchen. 
Tickets for the cocktail party only are $175 per person. 
Tickets for the dinner and the cocktail party are $1,000.

Tickets for children will be available for $40, which includes a kids dinner and creative childcare by Hayground Camp counselors.

An Annual Tribute to the Late Jeff Salaway
The Chefs Dinner series is the primary fundraiser for Bridgehampton’s own Hayground School www.haygroundschool.org
and an annual tribute to the late Jeff Salaway, a widely respected and beloved restaurateur and one of the school’s co-founders. 
Since it’s inception, this event has raised over $1,000,000 for Jeff’s Kitchen and the Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund
Toni Ross, who was also the late Salaway’s wife says, “Jeff believed that the growing, preparation, and sharing of food is a primal human experience and the foundation of family and community.”  
Jeff’s Kitchen is a full service professional kitchen and classroom fitted with top-of-the-line Viking appliances and a new pizza oven.  Classes in nutrition, food science and cooking are held there for both children and adults.  Completing the facility, recently a professional Farmtek greenhouse was erected by Hayground students, staff and friends with funds provided by Slow Food.

Jon Snow, Director of Admissions and Community Relations for Hayground School is also a master gardener and horticulturist, and a featured profile in the Hamptons Homegrown Cookbook, selected by Foody’s chef and owner, Bryan Futerman, as the grower who most inspires him.

For more event information or to purchase tickets by phone contact Samantha Dettmer at 631-537-7068 x113 or email at info@greatchefsdinner.org. For press inquiries contact Nicole Castillo at WordHampton Public Relations at (631) 329-0050.

 

About Hayground School
Hayground School is an independent alternative school, committed to a program of innovation in a community of diversity, both economical and cultural. Hayground students range from 3-13 years of age. The mission at Hayground is to provide an open, community school where conventional teaching methods are replaced by new ways of teaching and learning. We work to give our students the tools, perseverance and determination to be independent thinkers and continue learning throughout their lives.
Jon Snow, Hayground School master gardener

Friday, July 26, 2013

Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs at The New York Botanical Garden Kick Off Sunday, July 28th


Chef Mario Batali, NYBG Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden


Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs at The New York Botanical Garden
July 28, August 11, and September 21 & 29, 2013

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Four Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs offer al fresco dining experience from 5–7:30 p.m. at NYBG’s Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, featuring hands-on gardening and craft activities, live cooking demonstrations hosted by Mario Batali’s top chefs, and a three-course family-style meal. 





Now through October 2013, NYBG’s Family Garden offers fun for adults and kids alike with cooking demonstrations in the outdoor Whole Foods Market® Family Garden Kitchen, hands-on gardening, and daily family-friendly activities. “Mario Batali’s Kitchen Gardens” are filled with beds of vegetables and herbs, the same ingredients used at the celebrity chef’s own restaurants. Guests to the interactive space can pick up recipes for Mario’s popular dishes and learn how to create fresh, seasonal family meals.
Family Dinners with Mario Batali’s Chefs support the Edible Academy, a planned dramatic expansion of NYBG’s edible gardening education programs in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden.

Where: 
The New York Botanical Garden Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden
Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) at Fordham Road Bronx, New York  


When & Who: Sunday, July 28
Lupa – Chef Cruz Goler Babbo – Chef Frank Langello

I'm so sorry to miss this kick off Batali Family Dinner - I will be at my Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Book Signing and benefit for the Chefs Dinner at the Hayground School.  
So many of the Homegrown Chefs and their inspired growers will be there, offering tastings from the bounty of local ingredients.

I do hope to catch up with the Batali Family dinners on the schedule:

Sunday, August 11
Casa Mono – Chef Anthony Sasso Tarry Lodge – Chef Andy Nusser

Saturday, September 21
Felidia – Chef Fortunato “Dodo” Nicotra

Sunday, September 29
Tarry Market – Chef Josh Laurano Otto – Chef Dan Drohan

Here is an added foodie bonus: Chef Mario Batali and his chefs produced a Recipe Book from the Kitchen Garden.
It's truly priceless. And delicious.



http://www.nybg.org/files/2013_NYBG__Batali_Recipe_Book.pdf

I visited NYBG on Wednesday for the inaugural, first-ever Hortie Hoopla, celebrating the area's horticutlural interns and the next generation of hort professionals.
I also got to visit John - manager of the Shop in the Garden books - and autographed my book -- more next week!
The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden has never looked better!
Annie Novak and her team are angel stewards of the edible garden.  I also had the opportunity to reconnect with the Korean family gardeners. They were staking a few cosmos and edibles.  I recalled how kind they were to me when I worked there and still treasure a ceramic dish they gifted me for work on their behalf...

For more information on the Batali Family dinners:

http://www.nybg.org/exhibitions/2012/mario-batali/index2.php

$75 adults; $30 children
This is A MasterCard® Priceless New York Event. 


Wednesday, July 24, 2013

The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook Booksignings at Sag Harbor East End Masters of Health & Wellness & Slow Foods East End, 7/27, 7/28




Homegrown food and cooking -- and health and wellness -- go together like dear friends who warmly embrace after a long time apart. 
Or to use a food analogy: they are meant for each other like a martini, a twist of lemon and local oysters -- and a sweet, satisfied smile. 

So no wonder I’m tickled pink to be a presenter for my book, The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook http://amzn.to/1aCQIhQ at the 3rd annual East End Masters of Health and Wellness Preventative Health and Sustainable Technology Expo, July 27th and 28th in Sag Harbor. 



This complimentary DAY PASS gives you, my Homegrown readers, access to one day of the event including discussion panels scheduled for the day. 


The line-up of programs includes:

SATURDAY JULY 27th, 10am-9pm
  10am-5pm Exhibitors Showcase
  11am-2pm Cooking Demonstration with Silvia Lehrer & Nadia Ernestus 
  2pm-3pm Congressman Tim Bishop
  3pm-4pm Feng Shui Expert Candace Vorhaus
  4pm-5pm Holistic Veterinarian Jennifer Katz
  5:30-7pm Slow Food Cocktail Party (must upgrade your ticket for access)
  7pm-9pm Slow Food Dinner & Keynote Address by Jeffrey M. Smith (must upgrade your ticket for access)

SUNDAY JULY 28th, 11am-5pm
  11am-5pm Exhibitors Showcase
  1pm-3pm Genetic Roulette Film Screening + Q&A with Filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith
  3pm-4pm Lifestyle Educational Consultant Amy Elias
  4pm-5pm Agricultural and Food Law Attorney Jason Foscolo

UPGRADE your ticket (www.mastersofhealthandwellness.com/tickets) for full access to the event including 
the Cocktail Party and the Slow Food Dinner featuring Chef Todd Jacobs and keynote speaker Jeffrey Smith

Healthy Living
The locally-owned holistic health consulting firm, Turtle Shell Health, will help host the trifecta of the weekend’s food events there: the Farmer’s Market, the Slow Food East End Food Riot VIP Cocktail and Dinner fundraising event.

Also key to the success of the weekend events is the landscape design firm, Dodds and Eder, who showcase the work of a number of the East End community’s best nonprofits and businesses.

Turtle Shell Health launched in 2007 from the combined efforts of health mentor Ana Nieto and web guru Ivo Tomasini: two Sag Harborites who are known locally for their management of the Sag Harbor Farmers Market.
Through Turtle Shell Health, information about holistic health and East End health organizations are available to the entire community.

Turtle Shell produces two annual events-- in the twin foodie high points in the greater New York Metro area -- Manhattan and on the East End -- to advance their goal of making health information more accessible.

In Sag Harbor, July 27th and 28th the best of local businesses focused on health and homegrown food at this year’s Masters Expo include Fighting Chance, GMO Free NY, the East End Farmers Market Association, Clean Apothicaire, Holly Durning Acupuncture, Edible East End and The Sag Harbor Express, Naturopathica, SHIMA (Sag Harbor Integrative Medical Associates), the East Hampton YMCA, The Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, Peter Garnham horticulturist, and many more.  
Peter Garnham, Horticulturist at ECCO Farms

Farm Fun: Peter, me/author & Farmer Ian Calder-Piedmonte











Slow Food East End will co-host The Food Riot VIP Dinner Event, July 27.
The cocktail and dinner will benefit Slow Food East End, featuring keynote speaker, Jeffrey M. Smith, and live music.
The event is reserved for VIP ticket holders and is dedicated to bringing awareness to the local grassroots food movements and sustainable agriculture systems that are changing how people eat.

As the Health & Wellness team writes: “From personal experience, which includes several fabulous Slow Food dinners at Ted Conklin’s The American Hotel, a featured restaurant and chef and grower in my Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook, “I can guarantee that any Slow Food East End event will treat you well. After all, the organization is aimed at advocating for the efforts of chefs and food growers on the East End over fast-food companies. Fabulous food is very convincing.”  

I Couldn’t agree more.  
Ted Conklin, owner of The American Hotel, featured in Hamptons & LI Homegrown Cookbook

The American Hotel in Sag Harbor is a classic.  I felt like Eloise staying there.  It was home away from home. Great Martinis and Oysters!

Co-Host Dodds and Eder is also featured prominently, in that their Sag Harbor storefront will once again be the venue of the Masters Expo.

According to the landscape design firm, “The staff at Dodds & Eder designs and maintains unique landscapes and interiors to meet the exacting needs and desires of their clients.”

Masters of Health and Wellness events feature, alongside the exhibitors, the opportunity to talk to professionals in the fields of food and health. Panel discussions will run both days of the event, twice a day, and include such well-known and well-regarded wellness professionals such as culinary nutritionist Stefanie Sacks and raw-foods proponent Debra Secunda. turtleshellhealth.com.

Dodds & Eder of Sag Harbor, site of the Masters Expo, is located at 11 Bridge Street, Sag Harbor.
Find more information and order tickets at turtleshellhealth.com.

Also, for tickets and more information on the Slow Food East End Food Riot, July 27th, visit Slow Food East End’s webpage at slowfoodeastend.org

Don't think the South Fork has the corner on food events.  Sang Lee Farms -- another featured grower in the Hamptons & Long Island Homegrown Cookbook -- Karen Lee and her family and team are the inspired growers for Shelter Island's 18 Bay market-driven chefs: Elizabeth and Adam.
So be sure to enjoy Sang Lee Farms' Monday Pizza Night, 6:30 to 9:00pm.
http://www.sangleefarms.com