One of the region’s biggest collaborative dining experiences returns Saturday, September 28 with the third annual Master Chefs of the Hudson Valley Dinner presented by Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth).
The evening calls together seven luminary local chefs, among them Chef Ron Gallo, chef de cuisine at The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges, and Chef Peter Kelly, owner of Yonkers’ famed X2O. Other chefs include Chef Jim Ely of Cold Spring’s Riverview, Chef Michael Kelly of Liberty Street Bistro in Newburgh, Chef Ed Kowalski of Lola’s Café and Catering in New Paltz and Poughkeepsie, Chef Rich Parente of Brewster’s Clock Tower Grill, as well as Chef Waldy Malouf and Chef-Instructor and lecturer Sean Kahlenberg of the hosting Culinary Institute of America.
The team of chefs have worked together to once again create a multi-course farm-to-table menu that emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and perfectly paired wines. All proceeds from the night will go to support WMCHealth Network’s Hudson Valley hospitals — all ten of them.
“I thought it was an honor to be included, to do something for this organization,” says Chef Gallo. “To use your passion to contribute to their cause? I thought it was brilliant.”
“It’s a huge restaurant community up here in Westchester, [but] it’s a really a small, tight-knit community where people help each other,” he says.
The evening starts off with a cocktail reception including Hudson Maple Rye Whiskey and Peerless Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey (3-year old) Manhattans or Mionetto rosé and Prosecco, and showcasing local companies like Hudson Valley Brewery, Hudson Valley Sausage Company, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Mario’s Brick Oven Breads, and Pleasantville’s own Second Mouse Cheese Shop.
Chefs Malouf and Kahlenberg of the CIA will prepare passed hors d’oeuvres, including bites like fennel-crusted sea bass with fennel confit and preserved lemons; smoked salmon bagel crostini with pickled red onion, capers, and cured egg yolks; tomato, pea, and parmesan arancini; and cannoli with truffled deviled egg filling — plus, many more. Chef Kowalski will also prepare kalbi short rib skewers with kim chi, BBQ jackfruit sliders, and crudo.
The first course, by Chef Gallo, starts dinner off with roasted local beets with fresh and pickled New York grapes, tumbleweed cheese, and lemon-garlic yogurt, paired with a Whitecliff Reserve Reisling. Chef Parente follows this up with seared Maine scallops three textures of Maple View Farms carrots, paired with a 2016 Concha y Toro de Casa Concha Chardonnay.
Chef Michael Kelly’s third course, goats milk ricotta and sweet corn agnolotti with fermented tomato water, pairs nicely with a 2015 Montinore Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley. Finally, Chef Ely will prepare local beef braised in Ben Marl Cabernet Franc with brick oven polenta and Hepworth Farms root vegetables, served with a 2016 Louis M. Martini Cabernet from Napa Valley. The evening closes with dessert by Chef Peter Kelly, a Belgian chocolate dome with crème brûlée center and caramel spring, paired with a 10-year old Tawny Port from Taylor Fladgate.
The decadent dinner will be held at the CIA campus’ Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici in Hyde Park. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. with dinner to follow. All wines throughout the evening will be provided by Highland’s Shamrock Wines and Liquors. Tickets start at $250 per person.