by Andrew Chalk
The Crescent Club (under Host Chef Bruno Davaillon) was the scene for Share Our Strength’s Taste of The Nation ‘No Kid Hungry’ fundraiser last Sunday as fifteen of our city’s best chefs pulled out all the stops to raise money to reduce the number of children struggling with hunger (Honorary Chef of the event, Stephan Pyles, reported that that figure stands at 25% of all children in Texas). Backing them up were an impressive list of individual and corporate sponsors. Guests contributed through their seat purchases, live and silent auction purchases and their donations. Today, Event Chair Terri Provencal of Patron magazine reported that the total raised was $146,000, a 14-year record.
The set up at this dinner is unusual. Each guest is seated at a round table of eight served throughout the night by one restaurant. Therefore, each table’s menu is different. I was seated at Bolsa’s table which meant that my five-course meal, including beverages, was created by Bolsa Executive Chef Jeff Harris and served by Bolsa waitstaff (including enthusiastic owner Chris Zielke!). The menu (shown below) was accompanied, at various times, by a cocktail, a beer, and several wines, including two from Red Caboose Winery in Meridian, Texas.
A full list of chefs is here. Here is a time-ordered pictorial of my meal…
Lucian LaBarba, CEO of FreshPoint surveys the Pre-Dinner Cocktail Party
Guests Assemble for Dinner
Our Menu at the Bolsa Table
Crispy Rabbit Rillettes, White Beans, TGH Farms Mustard Greens, Tomato and Natural Jus
Gulf Coast Red Snapper, Celery Root, Fall Squash, Hen of the Woods Mushroooms, Pomegranate and Tarragon
Excellent Dessert Wine
Live Auction Item 4, AKA Kent Rathbun
Pingback: Red Caboose Winery and Vineyards: Discovering a Texas Iconoclast | cravedfw