I usually find myself looking forward to June a couple of months in advance, thanks to what this year would be The Sixth Annual Stages Wine Dinner held at Waterbury’s Palace Theater.
It was a beautiful Thursday, June 7, the Palace Theater’s banners streaming in a light breeze.
Entering beneath the elaborate marquee,
my wife and I passed through the doors into the ornate Carpinella Lobby
with its glorious high ceiling and glittering chandeliers.
We approached the reception table
where we were greeted by Palace Theater administrator Laurie Viltraikis (left) and communications manager Audra Bouffard.
We were a bit early, so I went behind the scenes and pulled back the curtain, as it were, to reveal the many people laboring behind the scenes. Hors d’oeuvre were being prepared by staff from Miya’s Sushi in New Haven, one of the world’s leading restaurant practitioners of sustainability,
and by Bob LaVorgna of Bourassa Catering & Events,
who readied their goodies for the wait staff.
The dining room was a hub of activity, whether seen from ground level
or above.
Even the grand men’s bathroom was sparkling.
There was a food staging area just inside theater itself.
There I found my boss, Bob DeZinno, owner of this website and master of ceremonies for the dinner, conferring with staff.
But appropriately, the main food staging area was the main stage!
There I found Billy Grant, one of the hardest working and most charity-minded chefs in Connecticut.
After that, I came across my boss holding court with talented chef Noel Jones.
Back in the Carpinella Lobby, things had gotten really busy. The staff, some of it volunteer, was hard at work.
The hors d’oeuvre looked (and tasted) delicious. From Bourassa Catering, there were toasted ciabatta points with fresh housemade ricotta, garden herb and Connecticut flower honey
as well as duck confit with tomato chutney on a goat cheese crostini.
From Miya’s Sushi, there were four kinds of rolls, including rolls composed of 1) sweet potato, apple chutney and pine nuts with organic heirloom grains, 2) broccoli, roasted garlic and salted Chinese black beans with organic heirloom grains,
3) a medley of seasoned Atlantic seaweed, avocado and roasted garlic, and 4) mushrooms, asparagus and Brie cheese with organic heirloom grains.
Now I’m going to show a plethora of crowd shots of people enjoying themselves. You’ll see the crowd thicken as you go through the photos. If you know someone who attended the party, you may spot them here. If you need an alibi that night, we got you covered. (For sufficient inducement, we can Photoshop you in.) And if crowd shots really bore you, you can fast forward to the food.
After a piece, Palace Theater executive director Frank Tavera greeted the crowd.
The crowd dallied in the lobby for some time longer before heading to their seats.
Of course, I poached the occasional shot of my honey as well.
Then everybody headed to their seats and well-appointed place settings.
Staff were on hand
to fulfill our every need.
Palace Theater chairman of the board Sandra Vigliotti-Senich addressed the dinner crowd.
Then DeZinno took the mic,
praising the hors d’oeuvre from the folks (owner Bun Lai was not present) at Miya (rhymes with “see ya!”)
and Bourassa Catering.
DeZinno then turned over the mic to Nelson Veiga of The Good Life wines, who told everyone about the vintages they had already tried and those that were to come.
I took a photo of every table,
including our own.
I’m always fascinated by what goes on behind the scenes, so I slipped away from the table into the theater itself. I wasn’t the only person who liked to watch the action.
Servers were surprisingly chipper as they got ready to make endless trips bearing heavy trays of food.
Production was located on the main stage, shipping just below.
But I had abandoned my lovely date, so I hurried back to my seat.
Soon, caravans of servers were bringing the first course out to guests.
Tasty loin of lamb in filo pastry with spinach, prosciutto and a port wine reduction
was prepared by Rick Kerzner of Emily’s Catering Group.
The second course featured refreshing poached scallop in citrus juices with avocado and cilantro foam
and it was prepared by Billy Grant (Grants and Restaurant Bricco in West Hartford and Bricco Trattoria in Glastonbury).
The third course was a stunning salad of field greens, nuts, berries and cheeses united by a Leinenkugel’s summer shandy sorbet dressing
and it was prepared by Christopher Smith, chef of popular gastropub Backstage in Torrington, which is located next to the Warner Theatre.
Palace Theater board member Carolyn Cicchetti got the microphone away from the always-entertaining DeZinno and then said a few words.
Of course, every course featured something special, but the fourth was especially unusual. It featured lovely cornmeal agnolotti with sheep’s milk ricotta, applewood bacon, celery and honeycrisp apple.
Ryan Jones of The Mill at 2t in the Tariffville section of Simsbury, a new guest chef for the event, was its creator.
The impressive fifth course was braised short rib served over seared polenta, topped with porcini mushroom and garnished with English peas.
Behind this dish was Waterbury’s own beloved Nicola Mancini of La Tavola Ristorante.
After Nicola Mancini, we were entertained for a while by auctioneer Dr. Peter Jacoby.
And finally, paired with a glass of lovely 2010 Gaudio Bricco Mondalino from Piedmont, Italy,
our scintillating sixth and last course, a work of art, was under-described as a white chocolate coconut ganache.
That dessert was prepared by Noel Jones of PolytechnicON20 in Hartford, arguably Connecticut’s top chef.
Throughout the meal, I photographed servers and guests alike in the dining room, as well as slipping behind the scenes to show the chefs and their staffs in action.
Toward the end of the meal, the chefs were photographed on stage
and then introduced to the adoring patrons of the arts in the dining room,
leaving everyone to start the countdown to next lucky June.