That’s A Wrap! James Beard Foundation Contemporary Chianti Dinner 2012
As Thornton Wilder would say “all good things must come to an end”, so did this year’s TuttoToscana events. Of course there was our final event at the James Beard Foundation that celebrated the work of all 15 of our students and another fabulous year for the faculty staff of TuttoToscana.
The dinner was an exciting follow up to the previous day’s lunch. Everyone was at the Foundation by eight on Saturday morning and none of us left, except for one last minute trip to Chelsea Market, until the end of the event nearing eleven that night! Everyone was concentrated on producing the best products for all the guests and proving that we understood the Contemporary Chianti theme.
Tensions were high making sure the first few courses out for our guests, but shortly after, it was like a well-oiled machine as the plates quickly came out of the kitchen for each of the following courses. The wine service team was blowing away guests with the knowledge of Chianti. Soon enough the dessert was presented and our team was being rounded up to be presented as a team to all the guests inside Mr. Beard’s home.
We wrapped the night up by celebrating as a team back in the kitchen and reminiscing our favorite moments that we shared together in the past week. Slowly, one by one, the team parted ways to try to catch their flight before Hurricane Sandy arrived. As everyone would hug to say goodbye each person that was so gracious to be working with, it was evident that a true bond between everyone was formed, even with some of the team members who had only been working together for ten days. Talking to many of the team members, they were sad to have this week of events end in New York; we were able to grow into a team and became friends immediately. Looking back, we have cooked in some of the biggest and most renowned culinary institutions in less than a week, and very early in our careers. A big thank-you to everyone involved in TuttoToscana including all our wine representatives, all the event locations, the staff at Florence University of the Arts especially Executive Chef Andrea, Sous Chef Desi, Pastry Chef Simone, Camilla, Grace, David, and last but not least grazie mille to Gabriella Ganugi the founder of Apicius and FUA.
Follow us for 2013’s TuttoToscana event cycle! The academic program is open for enrollment, while our Facebook and Twitter pages will be updated in the coming months as the new events are planned.
