On February 9th, 2009, Gracie’s hosted its first ever Star Chef dinner. James Beard Award winning Chef Celina Tio collaborated with the Gracie’s culinary team on what has now become one of our most popular events.
The relationships that we create with fellow chefs, farmers, fishermen, winemakers, distillers, and brewers allow us to grow in ways that would never have been possible. We learn from them; we are inspired by them. It truly takes a village to do what we do, and we are eternally grateful for all of the people who keep us inspired, engaged, and enlightened.
Now, 7 years later, we are still broadening our horizons through collaborations with both first-time visiting Star Chefs as well as those chefs who return to Gracie’s each year. Chefs like Maria Sinskey, Evan Mallet, and Michael Ginor have been returning to Gracie’s year after year, much to the anticipation of our loyal and loving dinner guests who also return year after year. At this point, we, the Gracie’s staff, our returning Star Chefs, and our returning guests have grown into one big happy family.
If you are not familiar with our Star Chef Series, it goes something like this. The visiting chef and our Executive Chef, Matthew Varga, collaborate on a menu that highlights favorite techniques, ingredients, and dishes that give you, the diners, a literal taste of their styles of cooking as well as inspirations that fuel their passion for the culinary arts. Each dinner starts with a reception featuring passed hors d’oeuvres and sparkling wine. This, however, is just the tip of the iceberg.
After the reception, guests are seated in our main dining room to enjoy 5 courses of outrageously delicious dishes paired with wines hand selected by our sommelier, Alan Freudeman. Upon being seated, guests are greeted by the collaborating chefs who take time to connect with the diners to tell of the stories and inspirations behind each dish.
