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Most of us know—or have at least heard--that the local community of chefs is close-knit … tight … confidants … brothers in arms, wearing whites. And it’s true.
On many occasions, chefs who have relocated or returned to St. Louis have told me just how strong that bond is. And said that it’s not that way in other cities. And that local chefs are an amazingly empathetic and caring lot, a group whose back door (and office door) is always open to a chef in need.
In other cities, competitors remain competitors, culinary secrets are kept secret, employees are not shared, and chef friendships are few and hard-forged. None of that is true in St. Louis. As a dining scribe, I see examples of it every day.
That’s why when Mark Hinkle, the GM of Annie Gunn’s in Chesterfield called upon his chef friends to help with the Ollie Hinkle I ♥ Food & Wine Benefit, “I didn’t even get to finish my sentence,” Hinkle said. “All I heard was, ‘Whatever you need, Mark, whatever you need.’”
Mark and Jennifer Hinkle lost their son, Ollie Hinkle, at the age of 13 months to congenital heart disease, the most common birth defect in the U.S. and the leading cause of death in infants. During the illness, the Hinkle’s became involved with The Children’s Heart Foundation, an organization that funds research to combat childrens heart disease. The Ollie Hinkle I ♥ Food & Wine Benefit was a way for the Hinkles to raise awareness, research money, and, in Jennifer’s words “to celebrate Ollie’s life and carry on his name.”
So 17 of St. Louis’ most elite chefs will spend this Sunday afternoon serving their finest fare and populating the silent auction table. Local wine distributors have contributed, to the tune of 200 premium wines (partial list below), as have four local craft breweries, all to honor a fellow restaurateur’s son.
And all dad had to do was ask.
Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased here.
