Long Island Wine-2008 Great Chefs Dinner and Nick & Toni's 20th Anniversary Benefiting Hayground School

2008 Great Chefs Dinner Celebrates Nick & Toni’s 20th Anniversary & Benefits Hayground School

Gastronomy and philanthropy are once again joining forces to serve education with the 2008 GREAT CHEF’S DINNER, one of the food world’s most eagerly anticipated culinary affairs each year. The event is the primary fundraiser for Bridgehampton’s own Hayground School, the Hamptons’ most creative institution for progressive nursery-to-8th-grade education. This annual tribute to the late Jeff Salaway, a widely respected and beloved restaurateur and one of the school’s co-founders, features the prodigious culinary talents of 12 of the hottest chefs in New York City and the Hamptons. The 2008 GREAT CHEF’S DINNER will benefit Hayground’s Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund and Jeff’s Kitchen, as well as celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nick & Toni’s, Long Island’s leading restaurant and a favorite haunt of visiting and local business, art and entertainment celebrities. The 2008 GREAT CHEFS Dinner’s stellar lineup of culinary masters, many of whom were Salaway’s longtime friends and colleagues, include: Miche Bacher of Sacred Sweets, Josh Capon of Lure Fishbar; Tom Colicchio of Craft Restaurants, Food Craft, and TV’s Top Chef; Claudia Fleming of The North Fork Table & Inn; Larry Forgione of An American Place, and An American Café St. Louis; Marc Meyer of 5 Points, Cookshop, and Provence; Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill; Joseph Realmuto of Nick & Toni’s Restaurants; Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin; Aaron Sanchez of Paladar, and Centrico Restaurant; Toshio Tomita of Nobu Restaurant; Laurent Tourondel of BLT Restaurants and Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto Restaurant. The elegantly casual evening will begin under the tent with cocktails at 6:00 p.m. and will feature food stations offering an array of the chefs’ signature dishes; the area’s foremost sommeliers will pour wines that perfectly compliment these gastronomic delights. Dinner will be followed by dancing, and there will also be wine tasting provided by the top local and international vineyards; appearances and book signings by noted food writers; and displays of specialty foods, and culinary tools and products. Tickets for the tent event are $350 per person. In addition, a limited number of tickets are available inside the restaurant for a special 7:00 p.m. seating for courses created by Eric Ripert, Tom Colicchio and Claudia Fleming, served with exceptionally fine, rare wines, at $1,500 each (includes cocktails and dancing in the tent). Restaurateurs Drew Nieporent and Toni Ross and Nick & Toni’s are the evening’s co-hosts. The event will take place in a festive tent outside Nick & Toni’s at 136 N. Main Street East Hampton, New York. Current sponsors include TurboChef, KraftWorks NYC, BookHampton, The Charmer-Sunbelt Group, LiV Vodka, Jill Gordon Celebrate and Water Mill Party.

For tickets and sponsorship information, contact Donna Imbarrato at 631-327-0573, greatchefsdinner@gmail.com or visit www.greatchefsdinner.com