Autism Speaks Chef Gala 2014

It's been a lucky month for me. I recently won tickets to the Autism Speaks Chefs Gala from the fabulous Cleveland Chick. I found out at work and I literally had to control myself and not jump up and down. Who wouldn't be excited about getting to eat food from tons of great #CLE chefs. You throw in our local super star Michael Symon and Mario Batali and it's sure to be an extra special bash. And it was.

There was so much great food - you could tell that the chefs all wanted to make something extra special for the occasion. The museum was gorgeous and So. Much. Yum.

My favorites of the night were:

Anna Harouvis - Anna in the Raw

Her Icarian Salad with Raw Vegan Greek dressing and Raw Vegan Gluten Free Kalamata Cracker was our first bite of the night and it set the bar high. She continually impresses with her ability to make raw food so good that you don't even notice it isn't cooked.  I may have gone back multiple times for shots of her famous juice...

Karen Small – Flying Fig

Her lamb polpette (meatball) was juicy and packed full of flavor. We really loved the sauce and the crunchy za'atar pita chips. The smoked yogurt, feta and Cornichon complimented the lamb perfectly. I would love this as an entree.

Dion Tsevdos – Cheese Shop, Urban Herbs, & Classic Seafood

WOW~ this Goat Cheese Sundae was a stunner! Gorgeous, super creative and soooo good! The touch of micro basil was a tasty surprise.  I wish this was on every menu in Cleveland!

Jeff Jarrett – AMP 150

    

Jeff is consistently one of my favorite chef's in CLE. He never disappoints and makes me like things I swore I never would. LOVED the Bison Tartare with Duck Egg Gribiche (fancy egg salad,) shiso puree and spiced salt. 

Chris Hodgson - Hodge's, Cibreo, Driftwood Catering, Bin 216

This tart was a huge hit. The fig and duck confit took this tasty treat to a whole new level. The portion was HUGE but that didn't stop us from eating every last bite.

Fabio Salerno – Lago & Gusto

This Scallop Crudo with grapefruit, edamame, cucumber and mint oil was soooo fresh and light - perfect for a summer night.

Matt Mytro – flour

 

Eggplant Meatballs - these were like arancini without the rice and were loaded with eggplant and cheese - delicious!

And here's the rest of the good eats:

     

Jonathon Sawyer - Greenhouse Tavern, NoodleCat, & Trentina
Strangolapreti alla trentina - Bonus: click here for recipe!

Brian Doyle - Sow Food & Beachland Ballroom
Heirloom Tomato and Watermelon Consomme / The Doughgirl's Tomato Cucumber Jam

Brandt Evans - Pura Vida, Blue Canyon

The highlight of this dish was the Basil Avocado Gelato. Swoon!

Douglas Katz- fire food and drink,The Katz Club Diner, Provenance

Yellow House Cheese Cracker, bleu cheese panna cotta, 
local tomatoes and micro basil

Tim Monsman – Market District
Grilled Vegetable Gazpacho w/ Fresh Herb Pesto
He also made citrus crusted tuna.

Jill Vedaa - Rockefeller's
Sweet potato blini with Smoked Trout

Rocco Whalen - Fahrenheit, Rosie & Rocco’s Tacos
Hamachi crudo with white soy ponzu, pine nuts, radish and cilantro

    

Eric Williams – Momocho, El Carnicero
Guacamole with smoked trout and bacon with corn chips

Jonathan Bennett - Moxie, Red
Chilled tomato soup - "not gazpacho!"

     

Britt-Marie Horrocks Culey - Coquette Patisserie
Ricotta panna cotta with tomato mousse

Tim Bando - Grove Hill - This is the a dish we didn't try because it was corn on the cob. No way was I even touching that in a cocktail dress. Too bad because it looked great!

and last but not least...

John Selick - University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center - blogger fail - no pic!

Of course the hightlight for many was the Chew-like cooking demo by Chefs Symon and Batali. I wish they would have had a screen up to show what they were doing but was glad to get to sample their recipes. 

           
Tomato salad with feta, cukes, mint and dill and braised shortribs with soft polenta & pickled chili

Lola S'more

Too bad this was served cold because it sounded so good!

One of the best parts about the night was getting a booklet of all the recipes. They also provided a parting gift of chocolates from Fears Confections.

If you missed the event and still want to donate, click here.