Taste of the Nation-Princeton has a June date, a new site and a culinary star as Visiting Celebrity Chef David Burke of the noted Manhattan restaurant, davidburke & donatella.
Princeton Taste, which raises funds to fight hunger in Mercer County, will take place Monday, June 12, from 6 to 9 p.m. in at the Westin Forrestal Hotel in Forrestal Village, Plainsboro. More than 30 chefs from Central Jersey’s leading restaurants will showcase their specialties, accompanied by a selection of fine wines.
Tickets are $85 if booked in advance and $95 at the door, if available. Tickets can be booked via www.princetontaste.org.
The annual Taste gala is part of Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation, presented by American Express and Jenn-Air. It is the nation’s pre-eminent culinary benefit supporting anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts.
One hundred percent of ticket sale proceeds go to Share Our Strength’s effort to end hunger. Locally, proceeds go to HomeFront, Isles Inc., Mercer Street Friends Food Bank and the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.
Co-Chairs for 2006 are Jeanne McNulty, co-owner of Tre Piani Ristorante, and Pamela Parseghian, Nation’s Restaurant News.
Among the participating restaurants as of April 3 are Alchemist & Barrister, Anton’s at the Swan, The Brothers Moon, Diamond’s Riverside, Eccoqui, The Ferry House, Hannah & Masons, Lawrenceville Inn, Mediterra, The Palace at Somerset Park, Rat’s, Tre Piani and Vidalia.
Chef, artist, entrepreneur and inventor, David Burke is a trailblazer in American cooking. His fascination with ingredients and the art of the meal has fueled a career marked by creativity, critical acclaim, and the introduction of revolutionary products and cooking techniques.
New Jersey born, Mr. Burke became the first American, and one of the youngest chefs on record (age 26), to win France’s coveted Meilleurs Ouvriers de France Diplome d’Honneur, an award given to the chef who shows unparalleled skill and creativity with his native cuisine.
In 1992, Mr. Burke opened the Park Avenue Café with Smith & Wollensky CEO Alan Stillman. In 1996 he took on the formidable position of vice president of Culinary Development for the Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group.
Mr. Burke teamed up with energetic restaurateur, Donatella Arpaia, to open davidburke & donatella in January of 2003. He focuses entirely on cooking, with Ms. Arpaia heading up front of house operations. He describes the restaurant’s Modern American Cuisine as "David Burke unplugged."
In addition to his work in the restaurant kitchen, Mr. Burke is actively involved with culinology, an emerging discipline which marries traditional culinary arts with innovative food science to improve the nutritional and flavor profiles of mass-produced foods.

