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Good eats and a whole lot of greenbacks at the Best of Tahoe Chefs |
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Written by Paul Raymore
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Monday, 05 June 2006 |
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 With 10 of Tahoe’s top chefs working feverishly in the kitchens of the Resort at Squaw Creek, and almost 250 Tahoe VIPs waiting anxiously in the Grand Ballroom for the culinary masterpieces that would be coming from those kitchens, the Seventh Annual Best of Tahoe Chefs Dinner kicked off what promises to be a jam-packed season of food and wine events in the region.
The evening started early for those of us who wanted a sneak peak of the chefs in action, as tour guides Windy Culver and Schatzi Boyd led groups of 10 on a behind-the-scenes tour through the maze of kitchens being used for the event. Tour guests were even allowed to sample some of the appetizers and desserts being plated by the chefs and their support staffs, including a memorable Basil Panna Cotta made by Trish of Wedding Belle Confections and a decadent Chocolate Mousse created by Bill Arnoff of Pianeta Ristorante.
After the tour it was time to take our seats for a first course of Mandarin Hamachi Tartare with Sambal Créme Fraiche and Crispy Wanton created by Lew Orlady of The Lodge and Scott Yorkey of Jake’s on the Lake. That was followed by a Wild Striped Bass Ceviche with Plaintain Strips and Rice Paper Wrapped Dungeness Crab and Tropical Fruit Spring Roll that sprung from the minds of Billy McCullough of Dragonfly Cuisine and Johnny Alamilla of Sol y Lago.
 Staying with the seafood theme for the third course, chef Jacques Cornelis of the Resort at Squaw Creek and Charlie Soule of The Soule Domain presented a Braised Petrale Sole and King Salmon with Champagne, Sorrel, Leeks and Mushrooms that was quickly devoured by everyone at my table, in anticipation of the entrée... Which turned out to be Kobe Beef Tenderloin “Tongue and Cheek” with “Peas and Carrots” created by Mark Estee of Moody’s Bisto and Jakon Tolhurst of Big Water Grille.
Every course was paired with a different wine, all of which was donated by Ron and Patti Florian at Florian’s Fine Wines & Specialty Foods, who just happened to be sitting at our table enjoying the evening.
As the wine supplier for the Best of Tahoe Chefs Dinner, which was a fundraiser for the Tahoe Forest Hospital District’s cancer prevention programs, Ron Florian was happy to leave the stress to the chefs: “I just get to enjoy the wines and go on the auction block, so I got the easy part,” he said. “It’s a great evening. It’s probably the biggest fundraiser in the last seven years with the most dollars generated.”
Many of those dollars were generated by ticket sales, but the rest, over $40,000, was raised when Emcee Gary Bulmer auctioned off the services of every chef at the event for in-home dinners during the Live Chef Auction.
 Billy McCullough got the other chefs into the giving spirit by offering to cook not just one private dinner, but three. A feat that was matched by Mark Estee.
And while we’re just now entering one of the busiest seasons for all the chefs in their own restaurants, all were excited to be able to come together to raise money for the Hospital District’s programs.
“The best part is, we often get stuck in our own kitchens and never get to work together. So this is a fun event to actually rap with the other chefs. They’re our peers and people doing the same things that we are, so it’s fun to work together,” Billy McCullough said.
Even Jacques Cornelis, who as the host chef at the Resort at Squaw Creek was ultimately responsible for making sure the evening went according to plan, was pleased with the work of the 10 chefs:
“It was fantastic. All the chefs helped each other out and did a great job. I think we had a good variety of food, the menu was terrific and everything was great,” he said. “It’s pretty intense, but everybody acted as support staff for everybody else, so we made it happen. We were plating up 1, 250 plates in a short period of time, but we pulled it off.”
 And while putting 10 creative minds together in an unfamiliar kitchen sounds like it could lead to disaster, chef Johnny Alamilla echoed the sentiments of all of the guests I spoke with: “The whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts, and it’s good to collaborate with people you would never get the chance to work with otherwise,” he said. “We all own our own restaurants and do our own things, but as Billy said, it’s great to see what other people’s take on food is.”
See more photos from the evening in the gallery
All photos by Jason Kelley
Top to bottom: Charlie Soule prepares Braised Petrale Sole and King Salmon for the third course; because of kitchen contruction at the Resort, the chefs had to prepare everyting in cramped quarters; the second course was Wild Striped Bass Ceviche with Plaintain Strips and a Rice Paper Wrapped Dungeness Crab & Tropical Fruit Salad; guests enjoy the ambiance in the Grand Ballroom; chefs Lew Orlady and Jacques Cornelis help plate dessert created by Trish and her girls at Wedding Belle Confections.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 June 2006 )
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