Five chefs, five pastas, 40 seats, $100 per person, this coming Saturday in Webster Groves.
That’s a short summation of the short-notice event being hosted Saturday, April 27, by Madrina, the five-month-old Italian restaurant in Webster Groves. “We got chef confirmations just last week, and Saturday was the only time we could all get together,” says Madrina executive chef Max Crask.
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The five-course, pasta-themed dinner will showcase the expertise of five chefs, all of whom Crask befriended while working at Capital Camp, an annual investing conference with a high-end food-and-wine component. “All of these guys are insanely talented,” Crask says. “This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Hopefully, it’s the first of many such events.”
Crask is also excited that Saturday’s fete is different than more common wine or beer dinners. “I think that five guys doing their thing with pasta is something people will get excited about,” he says.
Another intriguing aspect: The menu will remain somewhat in flux until that morning, Crask says.
For his part, Crask said he was considering “foie [gras], braised elk, oxtail—we’ll have to see.” At press time, he could not speak for the others. “Who knows?” he says. “Maybe one of them will show up with a bunch of morels… When a group of us gets together and just start creating, that’s the epitome of chefs having fun. And that day, we’re going to have some fun making pasta.”
Among the participating chefs:
- Max Crask, executive chef at Madrina
- Robert Zugmaier, longtime executive chef at Sidney Street Café
- Kevin Minnick, chef-owner at The Maine Course in Quincy, Illinois
- Michael Sullivan, former butcher and chef at Blackberry Farm, now brand ambassador for Creekstone Farms
- Francesco Allegro, Rossoblu in Los Angeles
If there’s a headliner chef for the event, Crask says, it’s Allegro, who’s informally known as a sfoglino, a person who makes sheeted pasta called sfoglia. “Francesco starts with a big ball of pasta that’s so wet, it wouldn’t load into a mechanical sheeter,” Crask explains. “Then, using this giant, six-foot rolling pin, he rolls it until it’s as thin as sheets on a bed. The dude’s a master pasta maker. I can’t wait to see what he cooks up.”
The event will be held in Madrina’s west dining room (pictured below). The price is $100 per person, exclusive of taxes, gratuity, and beverages. Reservations can be made by emailing [email protected].
