Chef's Night Out assembles Ithaca culinary dream team

Ithaca Taste of the Nation, the local group that hosts an annual fundraising showcase of local food and wine, has a new event to raise awareness and money to fight hunger. This fall, the organization is holding three "Chef's Night Out" dinners, bringing 15 local chefs together for a trio of special nights.

The first dinner, held at Collegetown's Carriage House Cafe earlier this month, was deemed a smashing success. Two remaining dinners are scheduled for Tuesday, October 28th, and Tuesday, November 11th. Tickets are available on the Ithaca Taste of the Nation web site.

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The upcoming dinners are being held at Celebrations on Slaterville Road, and La Tourelle on South Hill, respectively. Each features a five-course sit-down dinner, with each course prepared by different local chefs and matched with local wines. Proceeds from ticket sales go to Share Our Strength's Operation Frontline, a food nutrition and budgeting education program for low-income families.

Chefs at the October 14th event included Rich Avery, the new chef and owner of Simeon's on the Commons; and Leslie Muhlhahn, of Just Desserts and the Queen of Tarts Café, and the dinner featured wine pairings from King Ferry Winery.

The remaining dinners feature chefs including Alex Brown of Maxie's Supper Club, Lindsay Pou of Madeline's, Jack Applegarth from La Tourelle, Samantha Izzo of Simply Red Bistro, and Suzanne Stack from Suzanne Fine Regional Cuisine.

Operation Frontline provides six weeks of classes that helps low-income families learn how to prepare healthy meals on a budget. Each class session ends with a shared meal consisting of dishes prepared in that class, and each participant leaves with a grocery bag filled with the ingredients used that day so they can replicate the meal at home.

Tickets for one of the dinners is $65, or tickets for both remaining dinners may be purchased for $115.