A Taste of Home to Those Who Need it Most
By Carmel Mushin 
June 28, 2011 
2 Comments
Maybe it was the “home-cooking†theme that made the 26th annual Chef’s Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels so fabulous and unpretentious. Even with the abundance of celebrity chefs, wine families, restaurateurs, and foodies in attendance, “A Taste of Home: Star Chefs and Wineries Celebrate Family Feasts†felt like a food-driven family reunion. The lovely weather and the airy Rockefeller Center Plaza certainly added to the ambiance – not to mention the delicious food! Whatever it was, the event had a great vibe and every contributor and guest seemed to recognize and appreciate the importance of Citymeals-on-Wheels’ mission.
Each year, “Chef’s Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels†brings together world-renowned chefs and wineries at Rockefeller Center to raise funds for New York City’s vulnerable, homebound elderly. Citymeals-on-Wheels is one of the largest meals on wheels programs in the U.S., delivering 2 million nutritionally balanced meals to over 16,000 seniors each year. The organization also coordinates thousands of devoted volunteers to provide companionship to homebound individuals, most of whom live all alone and have survived the loss of spouses, friends, and even their own children.
This year’s theme of family and home highlighted the reality that many elderly individuals no longer enjoy the support of family or the joy of a home cooked meal. Appreciating their own fortune, contributors and attendees were able to fill the role of family members long gone, by making sure these individuals have nutritious meals available to them, and the support of caring members of the Citymeals-on-Wheels team. A Taste of Home raised more than $750,000 – enough to fund more than 125,000 nutritious meals, hand-delivered to frail, homebound elderly New Yorkers.
Everyone was really friendly and everything was delicious, but here are some of our favorite dishes and family anecdotes. While I can’t include everything we learned throughout the night, I anticipate this article will be a little longer than usual. Enjoy!
Buffalo tartare with hottish vinaigrette and red veined sorrel, The Forgione Family – When we first walked in, we were greeted by renowned chef Marc Forgione and his equally renowned chef father, Larry Forgione, who helped found the Chef’s Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels when his son was only 6 years old. The rest of the Forgione clan, including Bryan Forgione, another celebrity chef, were just a few feet away, helping prepare and serve their delicious buffalo tartare.
The Forgione dish was a take on something their father served years ago that reminded them of family. Larry Forgione was among the first chefs in 50 years to serve buffalo, after the ban protecting the mammal from extinction was lifted. But before the ban, Larry Forgione told me, buffalo was a normal part of American historical cuisine. Because the buffalo is so rich in protein it held together amazingly well, unlike other tartares that often come apart. The fresh and meaty delight was accompanied by a slightly smoky vinaigrette, which Larry Forgione developed 30 years ago with roots in a Texas pumping sauce. The flavor and texture together were delightful and unlike anything I’ve ever had before.
Wild boar ragout with creamy parmesan polenta, Tocqueville & 15 East – This comfort food favorite also came with a good story. The creamy texture and pungent flavor of Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky’s parmesan polenta, paired with the gamey wild boar made me feel like I should be sitting in front of a fire in a cabin somewhere remote. It was so satisfying! Jo-Ann Makovitzky’s lovely mother told me that the recipe came from her grandmother, who used to serve a similar dish with rabbit on cold nights when the family was gathered together. This was later modified with wild boar to avoid serving “bunny.â€
She also explained the family’s connection to Citymeals-on-Wheels. The family had long been involved with a food and hunger hotline, and after Citymeals-on-Wheels was the only one of 16 programs that agreed to help an unfortunate elderly hospital-bound individual that called for help, they became avid supporters and volunteers.
Potato and farmer’s cheese peirogi, scallions, brown butter, Telepan –If you’ve ever heard about Bill Telepan’s peirogies – it’s not myth, they are fantastic!! The Telepan team used farmer’s cheese on the inside of the peirogi and shredded pecorino on the outside, to produce layers of cheesy delight separated by layers of potato dumpling. And the brown butter was like icing on the cake, adding just the right amount of sweet to the savory dish. I didn’t get the chance to really chat with Bill Telepan, but from the brief interaction it seemed like each guest was his old friend and his team of chefs were his family.
Ruoto di pesce spada (wheel of swordfish), Fulton – When I first saw this, I thought it was a wheel of some kind of cheese. Aside from being totally wrong, I was pleasantly surprised by what Jeremy Culver and the Gurrera Family had going on. They served the swordfish at room temperature, straight from the wheel, with warm fennel, fava beans, artichokes, and chermoula sauce. The Mediterranean flavors worked so well together and the cool white fish with the warm greens was unique and very visually appealing!
Rhubarb and strawberry almond crumble with ice cream, Patina Restaurant – I’m a huge rhubarb fan because I love the intense tartness. The strawberry in this dish tempered the intensity of the tart, while the almond crumble added texture and balanced the sweetness. The ice cream added another texture and temperature to the whole composition. It was awesome!
Bara Zushi (seasoned sushi rice with vegetable or fish garnish); miso soup, Nobu – This was another really simple dish, that was so satisfying and screamed “home.†In Japan, the Nobu team explained, these dishes are the equivalent of chicken soup. The rice was topped with a “kitchen sink†of ingredients including lotus, ginger, shrimp, eel, egg, and sweet cambio (pickled gourd). It was so colorful with so many flavors and textures. I was not expecting to enjoy this so much since I’m not much of a rice eater, but it was so comforting that I think maybe I should start eating this when I feel sick. Does Nobu deliver?
Bacon-wrapped shrimp with cherry mustard; rice cracker crusted tuna with sriracha-citrus emulsion, Jean Georges/Perry Street – I think I was most star-struck when I met Jean-George Vongerichten. But he was so friendly and told me all about the cherries he ate with bacon when he was growing up, which was his inspiration for the bacon wrapped shrimp with cherry mustard. He also explained that he chose the rice cracker crusted tuna with sriracha-citrus emulsion because Cedric, his son who was working alongside his father, was born in Thailand. The tuna was a masterpiece, it reminded me of a cross between a fried fish and a seared tuna. The tuna was incredibly soft and smooth while the outer crispy rice gave it a crunch. Now just how did they fry the outside without cooking the inside!?
Some other dishes we loved:
Assorted Crudo, Scarpetta – Fred Hopson and the Maccione family’s yellowtail crudo with large flakes of sea salt and ginger oil. This was simple, but fresh and flavorful, and the salty crunch was a great complement to the delicate fish, which melted in your mouth.
Flatiron steak with blackberries, Quality Meats – Craig Koketsu and Michael Stillman’s meat was so tender and juicy and the blackberries added an awesome tart kick and a different texture to go with the meat.
Shrimp filled zucchini blossom, Le Cirque – This was such a beautiful dish! The colors of the shrimp and zucchini came through the light crispy batter that surrounded both. It also tasted as good as it looked!
Skewered lamb meatballs wrapped in lardo, Ford’s Filing Station – This was my first time having lardo (pig fat) and it was so good! It had kind of a cheesy texture, which went so well with the more brittle lamb meatballs. The meatballs also had strong hints of rosemary, which lightened the otherwise heavy combination of flavors and textures.
Seeing the families and clans of chefs working together, frequently with a family portrait nearby, I was constantly reminded of how lucky I am to have family and close friends around with whom to share my meals. Not everyone is so fortunate, though, and The Chef’s Tribute to Citymeals-on-Wheels, so appropriately titled “A Taste of Home,†did an exceptional job of celebrating family feasts, while also stressing the importance of sharing them with elderly individuals who no longer have the luxury of sharing meals with loved ones.
Photos by Patrick Chang for Appetite for Good.
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All of the food looks lovely. What a great casue!
That looks amazing,and for a good cause too. Excellent !