A Photographic Tribute To The Ninth Annual Flavors Of Connecticut

On the evening of April 13, 2010, I attended the Ninth Annual Flavors of Connecticut fundraising gala held on behalf of the American Liver Foundation at the Aqua Turf Club in the Plantsville section of Southington. Aqua Turf lives up to its aquatic theme with ornamental flourishes like this fountain and windmill

and this waterwheel.

Here you see chef Juan García and server Tiffany McIntire of Ibiza Tapas posing in front of the main entrance.

The building appears surrounded by water—an island. Guests cross the moat via this drawbridge.

Once inside the banquet facility, guests check in with welcoming ladies like this one.

Then they head inside to this receiving room to socialize,

to check out fine wines,

to examine all of the items that are being sold or auctioned in support of this worthy charity,

and to enjoy hors d’oeuvre donated by the participating restaurants.

Here are close-ups of some of the hors d’oeuvre that were passed around.

My RestaurantsCT.com colleagues Isabel Tartaglia and Sharon Sudusky also turned out to support an important cause.

It was obvious to the three of us that it took the hard work of many people to create the breezy atmosphere for guests.

I want to highlight this talented caricaturist,

who to help promote this event created a portrait of every participating chef, as the following examples illustrate.

While guests were being entertained in the reception area, I photographed the setup activities in the dining room.

Each restaurant tried to outdo the next in their creative and often colorful table designs.

I got to pay my respects to many friends old and new. Here you see Jordan Dikegoros and Jennifer Krascella of J Restaurant/Bar in Hartford,

Dikegoros with Billy Grant of Grants and Bricco in West Hartford,

Krascella again,

Tyler Anderson of The Copper Beech Inn in Ivoryton,

Jean Pierre Vuillermet of Union League Café in New Haven,

Jerry Iannacone of Café Goodfellas in New Haven,

Hasni “Jeff” Ghazali and Bill Christian of Bentara and Central Steakhouse in New Haven,

David Foster of Foster’s in New Haven, solo

and with friends,

Stuart London of Nini’s Bistro in New Haven,

Bun Lai of Miya’s Sushi in New Haven,

Carlos Rodriguez of Grupo Bodegas Olarra wines,

Erin Archer of Mickey’s in Hamden,

Prasad Chirnomula of the Thali family of restaurants,

Noel Jones of Polytechnic ON20 in Hartford.

and finally, Jones with Grant.

As usual, I hung out for a while with the folks from Ibiza in New Haven and Ibiza Tapas & Wine Bar in Hamden, including Ibiza chef Manolo Romero (center),

Ibiza partner Juan Carlos González,

Ibiza and Ibiza Tapas & Wine Bar owner Ignacio Blanco,

Ibiza Tapas chef Juan García, and

Ibiza waiter Joao De Almeida.

I also hung out with my old friend Bun, whom I’ve known since he was little. But my greatest pleasure that evening may have been talking to his sister (and the restaurant’s namesake) Miya, whom I hadn’t seen in years, as well as their father.

I showed you many handsomely appointed tables, but the real pleasure, of course, is in occupying them. Identifications long after the fact are a little tricky, but here I believe is the Ibiza table,

the Ibiza Tapas & Wine Bar table,

the Bentara table,

the Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro of New Haven table,

the Miya’s table,

and the Foster’s table.

Unlike last year, where my admission had come as a “helper” of one of the restaurants (anything for a good cause!), this time I had an actual place to sit—at the Mickey’s table. Hard at work cooking our food were chef Leighann Stuart (right) and Julie Demetropoulos.

Our lively group of guests got to have a pumpkin curry soup with crème fraîche;

this salad duo of jumbo lump crabmeat, cherry tomato and red onion in a chipotle aïoli and Cajun-seared ahi tuna with a mango and avocado brunoise;

these lovely wild mushroom and Fontini ravioli in a porcini brandy cream sauce with white truffle oil;

this great surf and turf featuring beautifully seasoned and perfectly seared hanger steak and scallops,

and finally, this ginger crème brûlée.

Having so many friends, I was spoiled, not only enjoying a great multi-course Mickey’s meal, but also getting to try these cheese slices with honey from Nini’s Bistro

and these two dishes from Ibiza Tapas, a seafood salad

and eggplant filled with avocado and topped with Nevat goat cheese.

After the dining was done, fund-raising activities and the giving out of awards dominated the scene.

And as a memorable evening drew to a close, all of the chefs who had donated their time and resources were recognized.