St. Louis Magazine’s annual blockbuster dining event, Food Wine Design, is less than two weeks away.
This year, the gala takes place on three consecutive nights, March 21–23, at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Once again, SLM has assembled a handful of the region's most acclaimed chefs, from James Beard winner Kevin Nashan to the legendary Bill Cardwell.
Over the years, Food Wine Design has raised more than $95,000 for local charities. And in 2018, SLM is partnering with the St. Louis Area Foodbank. But there are many other reasons to attend. Here are just six, with possible the best listed first:
1. The Value: We feel comfortable with a superlative here: There's no better fine-dining value in town. The base price of $95 per person ($125 per person on Friday night) includes several passed appetizers, themed cocktails and beverages, a four-course dinner with one paired wine per course, live entertainment, and a farewell gift bag. The ticket price even includes tax and gratuity.
Gerard Craft and Kevin Nashan
2. The Chefs: Food Wine Design provides a chance to experience and interact with the metro area’s finest, most recognized chefs, in pairs, in a neutral venue, removed from the distractions of their respective restaurants.
Past chefs have included Brandon Benack, Vince Bommarito Jr, Bill Cardwell, Jenny Cleveland and Eric Heath, Giannicola Colucci, Patrick Connolly, Gerard Craft, Anthony DeVoti, Mike Emerson, Jim Fiala, Frank Gabriele, Josh Galliano, Michael Gallina, Adam Gnau, Justin Haifley, Joseph Hemp V, Eric Kelly, Steve Komorek, Ivy Magruder, Carl McConnell, Nick Miller, Kevin Nashan, John O’Brien, John Perkins, Ben Poremba, Mike Randolph, Lou Rook III, Qui Tran, Cassy Vires, Ny Vongsaly, and Kevin Willmann.
This year's chef pairings are as follows:
Wednesday: Bill Cardwell (Cardwell's at the Plaza / BC's Kitchen) and Lou Rook III (Annie Gunn's)
Thursday: Vince Bommarito, Jr. (Tony’s) and Giannicola Colucci (Cielo at The Four Seasons St. Louis)
Friday: Michael Gallina (Vicia) and Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Café / Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.)
3. The Food: The meal is presented in four courses, in addition to several passed appetizers, all in accordance with the culinary theme of the evening. This year's themes are "Prelude to Spring" on Wednesday, "Goodbye, Winter" on Thursday, and "Snapshot of Missouri, from Winter to Spring" on Friday.
The chefs put hours of planning into their menus. (Peruse the results here.) Entrée selections run the gamut from Parmesan-encrusted grouper with cannellini beans and prosciutto to roasted USDA Prime dry-aged strip loin, with sautéed morels, spring peas, and fried spaghetti. (And since it’s still the Lenten season, guests can choose between Berkshire pork and sautéed trout on Friday night.)
4. The Libations: Prior to dinner service, St. Louis’ preeminent mixologists will be serving wine and theme-appropriate cocktails. This year's mixologists are:
Wednesday: Brooksey Cardwell (Cardwell’s at the Plaza)
Thursday: Michael Clark (Cielo Restaurant & Bar at Four Seasons)
Friday: Ben Bauer (formerly of The Libertine, bar manager at soon-to-open BAO in Clayton)
During dinner, each course will be accompanied by a paired wine. As in past years, certified wine educator Mike Ward of Ward on Wine has gone to great lengths to source appropriate wines and will be on hand pouring freely and answering questions. Ward is eminently approachable; he discusses wine in layman's terms. He's also arranged for guests to purchase the evening’s wine at less than retail prices.
5. The VIP Experience: Each evening, a notable local designer creates an elaborate 24-person table. VIP guests receive a private wine tasting during cocktail hour, premier seating during dinner, an exclusive gift bag, and automatic membership to the Stlmag VIP Circle for one year (a $29.95 value).
6. The Concept: Six chefs, three nights, one spectacular venue. Simply put, there's no other event like it in St. Louis. Each night is unique and packs its own vibe. Feel free to dine alone, with a partner, or book an entire table with friends. Some guests attend one night; others attend them all.
For tickets and more information, visit the Food Wine Design website.
