A Gourmet Mag Goodbye at Great Gathering of Chefs
The latest victim of the recession and print media crisis, Gourmet Magazine was honored at a unique tasting at the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle this evening, and I was fortunate enough to have joined in the celebration of the magazine’s 50+ years as a food industry “bible.” Several of the former magazine’s editors were on hand to receive a “Golden Fork” at the fifth annual Great Gathering of Chefs, a food and wine tasting featuring over 100 of NYC’s top chefs. Complete tickets to the tasting and earlier book signing, which ran from 3-8 p.m. and doubled as a benefit for Action Against Hunger, were available for $250.
The tasting featured a variety of appetizers and entrees, including Lobster Bisque and Caviar from The Russian Tea Room (definitely one of my favorites), Sunchoke Veloute Smoked Salmon from Gilt, Long Island Duck from Rouge Tomate, a Braised Pork Belly, Peanut Butter & Jalapeno Jelly Sandwich from Blue Smoke, and a Kanpachi Tiradito from Sushi Samba (its neutral flavors made for the perfect palette cleanser before moving on to dessert), just to name a few. Some of the desserts included a killer Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread Pudding from Dovetail, and Carrot Cake Macarons from Aureole (by far my favorite dessert), with many other petits fours available as well.
The mood at the event was generally upbeat, though some guests and former Gourmet editors appeared emotional during the “Golden Fork” presentation, as one of the food industry’s most recognized publications closed its doors. It was an honor to be able to attend tonight’s event honoring these colleagues; I wish the Gourmet staff the best of luck, and hope that they land on their feet, ready to take on a new challenge in our battered, yet still hopeful industry.
