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Central Florida Chefs Plan for Big Night at James Beard House in New York

Written By Scott Joseph On June 14, 2010

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Photo of Beard House on W. 12th Street in New York by Mitzi Morris and courtesy James Beard Foundation.

The Ravenous Pig usually takes the day off, but on a recent Sunday chef/owners James and Julie Petrakis were at the popular Winter Park restaurant. Joining them were rival chefs — but also friends — Kevin Fonzo of K Restaurant, Scott Copeland from Antonio’s La Fiamma, and Jamie McFadden of Cuisiniers. The five of them gathered around the bar to talk about strategy.

On Tuesday, June 22, they will collaborate to cook “A Central Florida Inspired Dinner,” something they all do, each in his or her own way, all the time. But this dinner will be different: it will take place at the prestigious James Beard House in New York’s Greenwich Village. They’re not the first chefs from Central Florida to cook there — Disney chefs are occasional guest cooks as are others from corporate hotels — but theirs will be the first dinner presented by a group of chefs from independently owned local restaurants.

There’s a lot at stake. It’s a big deal for any chef, including those in New York, to be invited to present a dinner at the house. It’s an opportunity for chefs to showcase their talent and promote their restaurants. And the people who attend the dinners and pay up to $165 per person, die-hard foodies all, are an appreciative bunch. But the group of Central Florida chefs are fighting against stereotype, the prejudiced notion that Orlando has nothing to offer but chain restaurants and all-you-can-eat buffets. So in a way, these five chefs are representing all the fine cooks in Central Florida. It has to be perfect.

McFadden, who first approached the Beard House with the dinner proposal, is the group’s de facto leader. At this Sunday planning session, he presents the others with a roster of all the things that will be served at the dinner, including each of the hors d’oeuvres that will be passed by the House’s serving staff during the champagne reception. Each menu item is listed on a separate sheet of paper, and below each item are places for notation. The chefs have to go through each menu item and discuss who will prepare it, when will it be prepared (what can be prepped in Florida and what must be done in New York), what ingredients are needed and where will they come from.

Much of the day’s discussion will center around logistics: how will they get the food from Central Florida to New York.

It’s true — and any New Yorker will tell you this, even without asking — that the chefs could get the ingredients for their dinner in the city. But this is a Central Florida inspired dinner, and the chefs are determined to use as many local ingredients from area purveyors as they can. So that means they have to find a way to get the various meats, seafood and produce to New York.

McFadden suggest it be packed in dry ice and shipped. But James Petrakis brings up the possibility of renting a refrigerated truck and hiring a friend to drive it from Orlando to Manhattan. No one is certain what it would cost to rent a refrigerated truck, and some worry about the reliability. “Trucks break down,” says McFadden, “then what do we do?” But others like the idea of having someone drive the products to New York and wonder if an SUV packed with coolers would work — a rented SUV so it could be replaced by the rental agency if anything happened along the way. The five chefs are responsible for all the costs associated with their dinner, including their own flights and accommodations, so the possibility of saving some money intrigues them. They agree to look in to the driving alternative.

They continue through the menu, divvying up the dishes and duties. They agree to get together to start prepping when it gets closer to the date.

The next day, after looking into the driving alternative, the group decides to stick with the original plan to air-ship the ingredients. It’s more reliable, says McFadden, and ultimately less expensive.

Up next: the prepping session.

I’ll be at the dinner on June 22 and will be sending updates on the proceedings. Plan to join me, either online or at the Beard House — tickets are still available. Go the jamesbeard.org for details.

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