Wednesday evening, guests attended the second annual Food Wine Design, presented by Lexus, at the Lumen Private Event Space as chefs Jim Fiala of Acero, The Crossing and Liluma and John Griffiths, formerly of Truffles, delivered a “Night in Tuscany.”
A red carpet lined with the lustrous Lexus automobiles welcomed guests to the evening. While admiring the Lexus products, guests sipped on cocktails from Mixologist Justin Cardwell of BC’s Kitchen. He wowed guests with three different drinks, crafted in spirit of the Tuscan theme. One of Cardwell’s creations was a pink, fizzy drink called the Mona Lisa’s Kiss. The cocktail contained Prosecco, a sparkling Italian wine, mixed with crystals from dehydrated Campari, which gave the drink its blooming pink color. “Its like a glass of champagne, completely turned on its head,” Cardwell explained. Cardwell showcased Italian flavors, like local strawberries, in another drink. “Its important to me to use fresh products. I’m keeping the drinks light.”
After the cocktail hour, guests entered Lumen and were received by musician Jim Stevens, who treated guests to the smooth sounds of jazz and blues for the evening. The space featured three Tuscan-schemed tabletop displays designed by three different designers. The designs originated from Melinda Hagedorn of Interiors By Melinda, Jeanie Hood of Three French Hens and Kimberly Reuther of K Designs. Guests voted for the table of their preference; the winning designer was Melinda Hagedorn. “I wanted to do a romantic setting. It seems to indicative of Tuscan design,” she said. Exhibited in the center was a stone urn filled with Magenta wild flowers and a citrus yellow fabric tablecloth. “The table is strong but classic.”
Guests were also able to submit entries for the raffle, which consisted of a donated item from Riedel and a centerpiece from Jeanie Hood of Three French Hens. Guests who participated in the voting and raffle made a suggested contribution of $5 to the ALS Association, the evening’s charity partner, which was chosen by chefs Jim Fiala and John Griffiths. Griffiths, whose mother passed away a year ago from ALS, is a continuous supporter for the association. All donations were given to the ALS Association, whose mission is to treat and cure ALS through public education, research, and provide care services and support to the community with Lou Gehrig’s disease and their families. Click here to learn about the ALS Association and to find ways to support the fight.
Eager to venture into the culinary world of Tuscany, the diners found their seats. St. Louis Magazine’s dining editor, George Mahe, introduced the chefs, Fiala and Griffiths, “who is currently cooking up a new restaurant of his own.” Mahe said, “In the history of St. Louis, only four chefs have ever had the honor of being invited by the James Beard Foundation to cook at the James Beard House, and we are fortunate to have two of them here this evening.” The James Beard Foundation is a national non-profit that is largely known in culinary culture for its events and programs. The foundation honors Beard, an extremely revered chef and mentor in the culinary community, by inviting chefs to “perform” in the James Beard House, in New York. Both Fiala and Griffiths have been given this prestigious honor; Fiala visited the house in March 2012, and Griffiths is due to appear in June of this summer. The binary teamed up to provide a symphony of Tuscan flavors. The pairings for the evening featured wines from Banfi Vintners, the largest wine importer in America. The evening’s featured beer was Peroni, from Peroni Nastro Azzuro, Italy’s number one selling beer.
The first course was a dish of local asparagus, which was blanched and shocked to maintain it’s clean and crispness. The course included prosciutto, lemon, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and was paired with a Fontana Candida Frascati, the “wine of the Pope and the people.” For the second course, Fiala transported guests to Italy with his hand made ramp ravioli with a wild mushroom sauce. “I took wild leaks and cooked them very, very slowly,” Fiala said. “[Then] I folded them into ricotta and put them inside the ravioli.” The oaky roundness of the Sartori Valpolicella wine completed the dish.
Next, guests were presented with a glass of Cecchi Chianti Classico with their dish of stuffed lamb with fava beans and artichokes, including a puree of mint. “The expression of the lamb is soft and neutral. It isn’t defined by the ingredients, but the methodology,” said Griffiths. For the dessert course, Griffiths bestowed guests with his Italian twist on strawberry shortcake. He used olive oil, instead of butter, in the cake and custard and exceptionally ripe strawberries. It was paired with a Movendo Moscato.
St. Louis Magazine and chefs John Griffiths and Jim Fiala would like to extend a special thank you to all the guests who donated to the ALS Association and attended Wednesday’s Food Wine Design. View the party pics.
