When I think of the space of time between last October and now, all I hear is a whooshing noise – that went fast. It hardly seems possible that Knife & Spoon, the upscale restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes is celebrating its first anniversary.
And it’s doing it with a grand dinner on Thursday, Oct. 7, with celebrity chef and Knife & Spoon founder John Tesar joining chef de cuisine Gerald Sombright an pastry chef Stephane Cheramy in presenting a five-course dinner.
Joining them will be special guest chefs Alex Seidel and Casey Thompson. Seidel, the chef and founder of Mercantile Dining & Provision and Fruition Restaurant in Denver, was Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef in 2010 and won the Best Chef: Southwest James Beard Foundation Award in 2018.
Thompson was a finalist and “fan favorite” on the third season of Top Chef, after which she traveled the world to learn about the cuisines of such places as Thailand and Argentina. She is now executive chef and director of culinary development at Sonoma’s Best Hospitality Group and Folktable and Georgette restaurants there.
The anniversary dinner will begin with a cocktail reception and live music at 6 p.m. followed by the seated dinner. Tickets are $295 per person with proceeds benefitting Parramore Kidz Zone. An optional wine pairing is also available. Reservations are mandatory and may be made by calling 407-393-4333.