On November 18th and 19th, the historic Hartford Club
was the site of the Connecticut Wine & Food Festival, an eleemosynary event held to benefit the Arthritis Foundation. My friend and I came to Hartford to attend the Physician’s Award Dinner the first evening, and the V.I.P. Grand Cru Tasting the second.
Although many worthy organizations stepped up to the plate, the presenting sponsor of the event was the charitably-minded Hoffman Auto Group,
as reflected by these handsome vehicles parked out in front,
while the producer of the event was 360 Marketing & Events, headed by Michael Guinan.
Once inside the impressive edifice, my companion and I joined other guests in proceeding up these grand steps
to the reception station,
where we were warmly greeted by Heather Schold, regional development director of the Arthritis Foundation.
Soon we were in the Hartford Club’s Yachts Room
mingling with the other guests
until it seemed as if everyone must have arrived.
The tables were filled with promotional displays and silent auction items.
Our restless spirits were soothed with bubbly
and various hors d’oeuvre from the kitchen produced by Ryan and Kellyanne Jones of the Mill at 2t in Tariffville, including butternut arincini with tomato jam (second from rear),
an apple and celery root soup with white truffles from Alba,
slow-cooked lamb breast with Bourbon caramel,
and crispy pumpkin dumplings.
More and more guests filled the stairs
and crowded the reception table.
The guests overflowed onto the landing.
I thought it might be easier to find our assigned table before these crowds descended upon the dining room.
So while various staff were working out last-minute details,
I located table 15.
After marking my seat with my jacket, I poked my head into the kitchen to convey regards to some of my favorite chefs.
Seated with us at our table were a couple of winsome Manhattan publicists
and a high-level manager from Hoffman Auto and his wife.
The first course was already on the tables, a stunning palette of colors, flavors and textures by Noel Jones of Polytechnic ON20.
The dining room filled quickly.
Logan Byrnes of Fox Connecticut anchored the festivities,
introducing co-chairs I. Bradley Hoffman
and Lawrence J. Kucharski of Enterprise Holdings
to a standing ovation.
Then people settled back into their seats.
Mark Raymond of Frederick Wildman & Sons Importers
spoke at length about some of the wines we had enjoyed and would enjoy,
as well introducing Ryan and Kellyanne Jones, the chefs responsible for the imaginative hors d’oeuvre,
and Noel Jones (no relation), the chef responsible for the first course.
A delightful second course featuring scallops
was created by devilishly handsome Tyler Anderson of Brasserie Pip in the Copper Beech Inn.
A third course showcasing lovely soft gnocchi
was credited to Billy Grant of Restaurant Bricco and Grants in West Hartford and Bricco Trattoria in Glastonbury.
Taking a bow was Hunter Morton of Max Downtown
for his venison ossobuco fourth course.
And an exquisite dessert
was provided by host chef Christopher Kube of the Hartford Club.
There was even a little treat at each place to finish the meal.
But the point of this dinner was to award five physicians who stood out for their contributions in the field of arthritis treatment and research. Throughout the dinner, the Arthritis Foundation recognized Dr. Bruce Browner
and Dr. Jonathan Dixon of Hartford Hospital,
Dr. Robert Green
and Dr. Ann Parke of St. Francis Hospital,
and finally, Dr. Lawrence Zemel of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
The event was commemorated by a cake that was an incredibly “lifelike” doctor’s bag,
made by master baker Mike Elder, TLC Cake Champion.
The event was loosely paced, so that plenty of socializing could take place between food courses, awards and wine commentary.
At the end of formalities, a photograph was taken of many of the main participants.
The previously unidentified woman on the right is Jaime Seltzer, the Arthritis Foundation’s vice president of philanthropy for the New England region, who worked tirelessly to bring this event off successfully.
As the event wound down,
other notables posed for my camera. Shown with his wife Sylvia is Michael Guinan, producer of the festival,
and here the Guinans are with a friend.
Here is Guinan with Heather Schold
and with Mark Raymond.
and with Raymond and Logan Byrnes.
If you wish to contribute to the cause or have questions about arthritis, you can contact Arthritis Foundation, New England Region
35 Cold Spring Road, Suite 411, Rocky Hill, CT 06067, 860-563-1177
www.arthritis.org
Yes, the Hartford Club has elevator access to its upper floors.
Looks like a great event! Was the second floor (up that long staircase) accessible to people who couldn’t do the stairs?