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Sai Viswanath

chefs & restaurantsnews

March of Dimes 12th Annual Signature Chefs Auction Coming September 19, 2013

by David Dadekian August 29, 2013
written by David Dadekian
March of Dimes Rhode Island's 2013 Signature Chef Kevin Thiele of the Hotel Viking / One Bellevue

March of Dimes Rhode Island’s 2013 Signature Chef Kevin Thiele of the Hotel Viking / One Bellevue

It’s almost time once again for one of the year’s best chef and restaurant events in Rhode Island, the March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction. Where else can you find 24 of the area’s best chefs preparing their fantastic food in the same place, while also benefitting a great charity? The event is coming up on Thursday, September 19 in Newport and tickets are available here. Full details follow in the March of Dimes Rhode Island release below.

 

 

Something’s Cooking In Newport and the Key Ingredient Is . . . You!

Twenty-four of Rhode Island’s top chefs “come to the table” with their signature dishes to support the State’s tiniest citizens at 12th Anniversary of March of Dimes Signature Chefs Auction Event

Ever have one of those nights where you want to dine out but just can’t decide which of your favorite restaurants to go to or what kind of food you’re in the mood for? Problem solved for at least one day anyway. Head to Belle Mer on Goat Island in Newport on September 19 at 6 p.m. and enjoy the company and signature dishes of 24 of Rhode Island’s leading chefs. The chefs will leave their restaurant posts for the day to lend their culinary talents to the March of Dimes’ 12th annual Signature Chefs Auction. By attending the event, you’ll be helping R.I.’s tiniest citizens – its babies – while partaking in a culinary extravaganza with a front-row seat of the ocean.

“We are so fortunate to have such top-tier cooking talent all under one roof for this important event,” said Betsy Akin, director of March of Dimes Rhode Island. “These leading chefs have graciously donated their time to prepare samplings of unforgettable dishes to help support the March of Dimes, and subsequently, to help give babies a healthy start in life.”

Ellen Slattery, owner of Gracie’s and co-chair for the sixth consecutive year of the Signature Chefs Auction, added, “This is a true show of collaborative spirit and combined talents for a very important cause. As someone who has been personally touched by the March of Dimes and knows all too well how scary it is when a baby is struggling, it means so much to me that all of these skilled chefs are sharing their gift for cooking in support of this great organization which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.”

Serving as co-chair of the event with Slattery is Annette Picerne of East Greenwich.

In addition to the “Signature Chef” samplings, a tribute will be “on the menu” as Chef Kevin Thiele of Newport’s Hotel Viking/One Bellevue will be presented as March of Dimes Rhode Island’s 2013 Signature Chef. The evening will also include participation of celebrity auctioneer and entertainer Sir Jeremy Bell of Edinburgh, Scotland, who will auction off superb culinary, accommodation, theater and vacation packages. To give a “taste” of the evening, one of the superb items on offer during the Live Auction is an 8 day cruise, with stateroom river view accommodations of the storied Danube River and through 4 of Europe’s most enchanting countries – Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia – courtesy of Viking Cruises.

Participating chefs include: Kevin Thiele of Hotel Viking/One Bellevue, Karsten Hart of Castle Hill Inn, Michael Hervieux of Belle Mer – all in Newport; Matthew Varga of Gracie’s, Brian Kingsford of Bacaro, Josh Herring of CAV, Massimiliano Mariotta of The Dorrance, Melissa Denmark of Ellie’s Bakery, Joe DeQuattro of Pane e Vino, Rolando Robledo of Aspire at Hotel Providence, Edward Bolus of Mills Tavern, Jennifer Luxmoore of Sin Desserts, Maria Meza of El Rancho Grande, Kaitlyn Roberts of Easy Entertaining, Jon Dille of The Grange – all in Providence; Champe Speidel of Persimmon, Sai Viswanath of DeWolf Tavern – both in Bristol; Joe Simone of The Sunnyside in Warren; Kevin Gaudreau of The Boat House in Tiverton; Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections in Central Falls; Ben Wood of Wildwood Catering in Kingston; Raymond Montaquila of The Coast Guard House in Narragansett, Ben Lacy of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro in Foxboro, Mass. and Kevin Des Chenes.

The Signature Chefs Auction begins at 6 p.m. and tickets are $150. Corporate and host tables are available, and the March of Dimes hopes that individuals and companies recognize the opportunity to help babies and their families while enjoying inventive and succulent dishes in an elegant venue.

For more information or sponsorship opportunities and tickets, contact Neil Sharpe at March of Dimes at 401.228.1932 or visit www.marchofdimes.com/rhodeisland

Proceeds from the Signature Chefs Auction will help support the March of Dimes mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.

August 29, 2013 0 comments
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chefs & restaurantsnews

RI Chefs and Restaurants Stand Out on 2012 James Beard Awards Semifinalists List

by David Dadekian February 21, 2012
written by David Dadekian

James Beard Foundation AwardUPDATED (more comments below) The  James Beard Foundation 2012 Restaurant and Chef Award Semifinalists were announced this morning and a number of Rhode Island chefs and restaurants are included on this year’s list. The semifinalists in our area are:

Best New Restaurant: The Dorrance

Outstanding Bar Program: Cook & Brown Public House

Rising Star Chef of the Year: Benjamin Sukle of The Dorrance

Best Chef: Northeast:

  • Matt Jennings of Farmstead / La Laiterie
  • Champe Speidel of Persimmon
  • Sai Viswanath of DeWolf Tavern

The Semifinalists will be narrowed down to a list of finalists on March 19 and then winners be announced at the Awards Gala in New York City on May 7 in what is essentially the Oscars® of the food world. For the complete list of semifinalists you can view the Foundation blog here. Eat Drink RI has reached out to all the semifinalists and will be publishing their comments here as the day progresses.

Benjamin Sukle, Executive Chef at The Dorrance (Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best New Restaurant): “It’s awesome. The team and I work our asses off every day. We aren’t doing it for the recognition, but to be mentioned by the Foundation is such an honor and privilege and only helps justify the 16-hour days! As for Best New Restaurant, this is the most gratifying as a team. No award is gotten single-handedly. My right-hand man, (Sous Chef) Ed Davis, certainly deserves to be mentioned in these awards. I can’t wait to see what happens. Congratulations to everyone else nominated.”

Scott Pinocci, General Manager at Cook & Brown Public House (Outstanding Bar Program): “It’s a great honor to be on this list. Obviously it’s a testament to the hard work of the bartenders that we have now, and all the bartenders that have worked with us in the past.  Congratulations to all the Rhode Island nominees. It’s all well-deserved and shows how far Rhode Island has come on the national scene. It’s very exciting for the entire RI hospitality community.”

Nemo Bolin, Chef/Co-Owner at Cook & Brown Public House (Outstanding Bar Program): “This is f___ing awesome news. Our bar crew kills it every day and it’s great to get the recognition. I would love to take all of the credit but it really goes to Scott [Pinocci] and our awesome bartenders.”

Champe Speidel, Chef/Co-Owner at Persimmon (Best Chef: Northeast): “I’m thrilled to be on the list and thrilled to be in the company we are in. It’s good for our location. It shows we’re on the right track and doing the right things. I’m very appreciative.”

Matt & Kate Jennings, Chefs/Owners at Farmstead, Inc. (Best Chef: Northeast): “We are so appreciative for being nominated for Best Chef Northeast category. While we can only set the tone, this nomination is for our staff, who work so hard everyday to make Farmstead & La Laiterie what it is. It is awesome to see Rhode Island represented on the Semifinalist list, in such great numbers. A huge pat on the back to all of the nominees from the Ocean State- it is time that Rhode Island got it’s due!”

February 21, 2012 0 comments
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chefs & restaurants

March of Dimes Rhode Island 10th Annual Signature Chefs Auction

by David Dadekian March 16, 2022
written by David Dadekian
Pork terrine from Gracie's Chef Matthew Varga

Pork terrine from Gracie's Chef Matthew Varga

In a show of support for Rhode Island’s tiniest citizens, more than 260 guests turned out for the March of Dimes Rhode Island 10th Annual Signature Chefs Auction event held recently at Belle Mer on Goat Island in Newport. The event—which featured the culinary talents of 24 of the state’s leading chefs, and restaurant, theater, accommodation and vacation packages auctioned off by celebrity auctioneer and entertainer Sir Jeremy Bell of Edinburgh, Scotland—raised $95,000 to help support the March of Dimes mission. The event also paid tribute to Chef Sai Viswanath of DeWolf Tavern in Bristol. He was presented with the March of Dimes 2011 Signature Chef Award. Commenting about the event, Rhode Island March of Dimes Director Betsy Akin said, “We are thrilled about the outcome of this wonderful event and the participation of Chef Sai and all the other top-notch chefs who came to Belle Mer from all parts of the state and on their own time to prepare samplings of their signature dishes for guests. These unforgettable dishes combined with the fantastic packages Sir Jeremy Bell auctioned off to guests made for a hugely successful night. We are grateful to those involved in the event’s success; especially to the many individuals and companies that turned out to support the Signature Chefs event.” story by Dawn Ratte

In front row from left to right are: Rizwan Ahmed of Hourglass Brasserie, Ryan Escudé of Centro, Chris Kattawar of D. Carlo Trattoria, Matthew Varga of Gracie’s, Kevin Gaudreau of The Pier, Melissa Denmark of Gracie’s, David Blessing of Belle Mer and Jennifer Chapman of DeWolf Tavern. In back row from left to right are:  Michael Conetta of Trio, Raymond Montaquilla of the Coast Guard House, Eric Haugen of Ocean House, Rick Allaire, David Cardell of Temple, Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections, Karsten Hart of Castle Hill Inn, Ben Lacy of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, Sai Viswanath of DeWolf Tavern, Christian Pieper of Salvation Café and Brian Kingsford of Bacaro. Missing from the photo are the following chefs: Jules Ramos of 1149, Kevin Thiele of One Bellevue, Kim Lambrechts of Grill at 41 North, Jonathan Cambra of the Boat House, and Antonio Franco of Pane e Vino

In front row from left to right are: Rizwan Ahmed of Hourglass Brasserie, Ryan Escudé of Centro, Chris Kattawar of D. Carlo Trattoria, Matthew Varga of Gracie’s, Kevin Gaudreau of The Pier, Melissa Denmark of Gracie’s, David Blessing of Belle Mer and Jennifer Chapman of DeWolf Tavern. In back row from left to right are: Michael Conetta of Trio, Raymond Montaquilla of the Coast Guard House, Eric Haugen of Ocean House, Rick Allaire, David Cardell of Temple, Andrew Shotts of Garrison Confections, Karsten Hart of Castle Hill Inn, Ben Lacy of Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro, Sai Viswanath of DeWolf Tavern, Christian Pieper of Salvation Café and Brian Kingsford of Bacaro. Missing from the photo are the following chefs: Jules Ramos of 1149, Kevin Thiele of One Bellevue, Kim Lambrechts of Grill at 41 North, Jonathan Cambra of the Boat House, and Antonio Franco of Pane e Vino

Chef David Cardell of Temple carving suckling pig

Chef David Cardell of Temple carving suckling pig

Centro's Chef Ryan Escude plating braised beef cheek

Centro's Chef Ryan Escude plating braised beef cheek

Chef Rick Allaire's tomato salad with stracciatella

Chef Rick Allaire's tomato salad with stracciatella

Gracie's preparing the pork terrine

Gracie's preparing the pork terrine

Fish cake with fresh corn from Chef Jonathan Cambra at the Boat House

Fish cake with fresh corn from Chef Jonathan Cambra at the Boat House

Dessert from Garrison Confections

Dessert from Garrison Confections

Host and auctioneer Sir Jeremy Bell

Host and auctioneer Sir Jeremy Bell

Co-chairs of the 2011 March of Dimes Signature Chefs event Annette Picerne of East Greenwich and Gracie's restaurant owner Ellen Gracyalny; DeWolf Tavern Chef Sai Viswanath; and Rhode Island March of Dimes Director Betsy Akin.

Co-chairs of the 2011 March of Dimes Signature Chefs event Annette Picerne of East Greenwich and Gracie's restaurant owner Ellen Gracyalny; DeWolf Tavern Chef Sai Viswanath; and Rhode Island March of Dimes Director Betsy Akin.

The silent auction portion of the evening

The silent auction portion of the evening

March 16, 2022 0 comments
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