Central Jersey chefs serve up fine fare for hunger relief.
By: Jillian Kalonick
While Taste of the Nation participants were busy deciding between Mexican, Indian, Ethiopian and Italian dishes, more than 30 of New Jersey’s top chefs got a chance to sample one another’s gourmet fare.
"For the chefs, it’s kind of like a wedding it flies by, it’s so much fun," said Jim Weaver, chef and co-owner of Tre Piani in Forrestal Village. "You get to see all your colleagues all at once who you never get to see all year, and catch up a little bit. It’s definitely a cool thing."
The 11th annual Princeton Taste of the Nation, a gourmet food-and-wine tasting held at the Marriott Forrestal Village in Princeton on Monday, raised money for anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts. Seventy percent of ticket sales benefited local organizations HomeFront in Lawrence Township, and Isles, Inc., Mercer Street Friends Food Cooperative and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen, all in Trenton. The rest of the proceeds benefited statewide and national anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations.
About 500 Taste of the Nation attendees quickly learned the fine art of balancing dishes up their arm, waiter-style, and sampling appetizers, main dishes, desserts, wines, beers and liquors, all in the right order. According to one ambitious participant, the key is wasting no time you’ve got to eat while you stand in line for the next dish.
New events this year included a Friends of Taste pre-event reception at Tre Piani. Mr. Weaver served up foods to fit the theme "Bounty of New Jersey," including Delaware Bay oysters, Griggstown Farm quail in a coriander and honey glaze, sea scallops stuffed with tuna tartar, fresh whiting fried and marinated in sweet and sour sauce, and a classic New Jersey dish: fresh tomatoes. Food and Wine editor Dana Cowin and New Jersey Secretary of agriculture Charles Kuperus were among the special guests.
New chefs this year included those from Mercer County Community College’s culinary arts program. The students got a glimpse of their future in the food business. Being surrounded by representatives from many of New Jersey’s best restaurants did not make them nervous at all.
"They had no clue how important it was," joked Karen Child, their instructor. "Now that they’re here, they know." Her 12 pastry arts students worked for almost a week, going beyond class time to prepare 3,000 petit fours and a three-tired chocolate cake for the silent auction table.
Ms. Child also wanted them to know what it was like to operate in a real chef’s environment. "I want them to have as much exposure as possible. In most kitchens, it’s not as luxurious there’s not a lot of equipment."
Ms. Child has spent her share of time in kitchens, including those at the Witherspoon Bread Company in Princeton, The Frog and the Peach in New Brunswick, and the restaurant at the Doral Forrestal. All of these restaurants participated in this year’s event, making it a sort of reunion for Ms. Child, as it is for many area chefs. "It’s like being home again you form good bonds."
Taste of the Nation brought back many Princeton-area restaurants, including Mediterra, now a fifth year participant, which served ahi tuna. The Cranbury Inn, a seventh-year participant, has learned that you cannot make too much.
"We always bring extra food so they can take (any leftovers) to the food (banks)," said Cranbury Inn proprietor Tom Ingegneri, who had plenty of his restaurant’s cold bow-tie pasta and peanut salad to donate following the event. Other longtime participants in Taste of the Nation included Princeton-area restaurants Mikado, which served up sushi, Teresa’s Café, with a peach bread pudding in caramel sauce, and the Masala Grill, adding edible centerpieces to its Indian spread.
Princeton’s Taste of the Nation has raised more than $390,000 for the fight against hunger and poverty, plus an estimated $45,000 this year. Started by Share Our Strength, a national organization, Taste of the Nation events in cities all over the world have raised moe than $47 million since 1988.