SAGAPONAK, NY – Wölffer Estate Vineyard once again was the perfect venue for the summer’s hot event Chefs & Champagne® in the Hamptons this weekend. The premiere culinary night this year honored Daytime Emmy award-winning chef and cookbook author Carla Hall.
“This is a great event to benefit the James Beard House, which I am huge supporter of,” said Chef Jamie Leeds of Hank’s Oyster Bar of Washington D.C. over at her wonderful Grilled Oysters booth. “I also an old friend of Carla Halls. I am here to support her as well, and to have fun.”
The sumptuous tasting party featured flowing Champagne Taittinger, the wines of Wölffer Estate Vineyard and culinary offerings from a select group of more than 40 fantastic fine chefs.
Honoree Carla Hall pours a tower of Champagne Taittinger at Chefs & Champagne (Phil Gross)
“We have been to this event for three years in a row and we love it,” said Chef Brad Farmerie of Public and Saxon and Parole, NYC, while serving a fantastic Olive-Oil Poached Salmon with grilled leeks, lemon-horseradish yogurt and black river caviar. “It is a great honor, and it is wonderful what they do for food and what they do for chefs.”
Funds raised at the event help support the James Beard Foundation’s wide variety of initiatives, including culinary student scholarships and the organization’s annual food conference on sustainability, public health, and nutrition. A silent auction consisting of fine dining experiences, wines and spirits, cookware, and culinary travel packages also raised funds for the organization. In addition, the 2015 recipient of the Christian Wölffer Scholarship for wine and food studies was announced.
Amazing chefs were Franklin Becker, The Little Beet Table, NYC; Anthony Bucco, Restaurant Latour at Crystal Springs Resort, Hamburg, NJ; Marc Anthony Bynum, Hush Bistro, Farmingdale, NY; Deena Chafetz, Wölffer Kitchen, Sag Harbor, NY; Amanda Cohen, Dirt Candy, NYC; Leah Cohen, Pig & Khao, NYC; Ben Del Coro, Fossil Farms, Boonton, NJ; Daniel Eddy, Rebelle, NYC; Didier Elena, Chefs Club by Food & Wine, NYC; Brad Farmerie, Public and Saxon + Parole, NYC; The Thomas & Fagiani’s Bar, Napa, CA; Michael Ferraro, Delicatessen, NYC; Tom Fraker and Marco Zapien, Melissa’s; Pastry Chef Colleen Grapes, Oceana, NYC; Sam Hazen, Atlantic Grill, Ocean Grill, Blue Water Grill, and Blue Fin, NYC; Patti Jackson, Delaware and Hudson, Brooklyn, NY; Luis Jaramillo, Blue Water Grill, NYC; JJ Johnson, The Cecil, NYC; Tyler Kinnett, Harvest, Cambridge, MA; Chris Lavey and Pastry Chef Stephen Collucci, Colicchio & Sons, NYC; Jamie Leeds, Hank’s Oyster Bar, Washington D.C.; Pastry Chef Matthew Lodes, Rose Bakery, NYC; James Beard Award winner Tony Maws, Craigie on Main Street and the Kirkland Tap & Trotter, Boston, MA; George Mendes, Aldea and Lupulo, NYC; Todd Mitgang, Crave Fishbar, NYC, and South Edison, Montauk, NY; Harold Moore, Commerce and Harold’s Meat + Three, NYC; Melvin Myers, Success Catering, Antigua and Barbuda; Titti Qvarnström, Bloom in the Park, Malmö, Sweden; AJ Schaller, Corkbuzz Wine Studio, NYC; Noah Schwartz, Noah’s, Greenport, NY; Pastry Chef Daniel Skurnick, Buddakan, NYC; Michael Vignola, The Strip House, NYC; Nick Wallace, Preserve, Jackson, MS; Florian Wehrli, Triomphe, NYC; Jason Weiner, Almond, NYC and Bridgehampton, NY, and L&W Oyster Co., NYC; Doron Wong, Northern Tiger and Yunnan Kitchen, NYC; Jonathan Wu and Matt John Wells, Fung Tu, NYC; Pastry Chef Zac Young, David Burke Group
The Exclusive Champagne of the event was Champagne Taittinger, and great sponsors included Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority; Audi; Badoit® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water; Celebrity Cruises®; Eventbrite; evian® Natural Spring Water ; Fossil Farms™; Halstead Property/Halstead East Hampton; Hamptons magazine; Melissa’s ; Roland Foods; Royal Cup Coffee; Stella Artois®; Tito’s Handmade Vodka; VerTerra Dinnerware; Wölffer Estate Vineyard; and WVVH.
VIP After-Party Sponsors were Sysco Metro NY, LLC; Michael P. Salvatore, III CEC, Director of Culinary Resources, and Corporate Chef.
To learn more about the James Beard Foundation please visit jamesbeard.org.
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