January 9, 2005 - Windows on Minnesota
Young Chefs 2005 Awards Dinner:
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
By Gary Snyder, Vice Conseiller Gastronomique
On January 9, 2005, a magical winter wonderland was beautifully created within
the windows of Windows on Minnesota ~ the spectacular dining venue
of the Marquette Hotel, located on the 50th floor of the
IDS Center. As the lights of downtown Minneapolis twinkled beneath
us, little white lights on flocked fir trees sparkled around us. On
this cold night, we were wrapped in winter’s beauty, but kept warm
with marvelous food, fine wine, and excellent Chaine camaraderie.
Our hosts Officier Conseiller Culinaire Honoraire Gérard Viardin and
Chef Rôtisseur Mark Stankey would soon have us dining with each course
cleverly reflecting a verse in the song:
“Walking in a Winter Wonderland” (see
Menu).
Before our wonderful walk began however our new Bailli Robert Cornelius and his lovely wife Sandra greeted us and treated us to Perrier Jouet Methuselah. With this lovely champagne in hand we were able to toast our honored guests of the evening – the four contestants in our Young Chef Rôtisseur Competition.
Chef Rôtisseur Amanda Bové Sill who guided the competition thanked The Art Institutes International Minnesota for hosting the contest the day before and expressed her gratitude to those lucky Chaine members who served as this year’s judges. She stated that the courses presented by these four young chefs truly raised the bar for future competitions. She then announced the winner – Laura Castro, Pastry Chef, Pazzaluna Urban Italian. We will look forward to cheering Laura on as she competes in the regional Young Chef Rôtisseur competition later this March.
The evening also included a silent auction of hotel and restaurant certificates and many fine wines contributed by our members. The proceeds of this auction will be used to continue our chapter’s participation in the Young Chef Rôtisseur competition. As Bailli Robert Cornelius noted, it is essential that we continue to encourage young chefs and keep the pipeline full to ensure that future generations enjoy fine dining experiences such as tonight’s wonderful winter wonderland feast!
Chef Rôtisseur Mark Stankey, Executive Chef
Eric Walsh, Banquet Manager
Pictures by Officier Conseiller Culinaire Honoraire Gérard Viardin, General Manager