The party—where the magazine introduces its annual lineup of 10 up-and-coming chefs—has a history of using grand locations rarely used for events (the Surrogate's Court building in 2004) or brand-new venues (the Chelsea Art Museum in 2003). Mood Food's Tinker Boe, who has produced the event for several years for Food & Wine associate publisher Christina Grdovic Baltz, had been asking the city to use the Maritime building as a venue for several years. This time, the Economic Development Corporation finally said yes.

The magazine brought in an architect to draw up plans for the party, put in emergency lights to mark exits, and required more help than normal from its legal counsel. But Grdovic Baltz said she expected the costs associated with the space to be about average for the event. And she felt the extra effort was worth it when guests at the party recognized the uniqueness of the location. "I knew it was cool," she said the next day. "But I was most happy that everybody got it."

The event is always packed with food industry folks, many of them scrambling for samples from a selection of chefs who have been honored by the magazine in past years. This year Scott Conant (of L'Impero and Alto), Shea Gallante (Cru), Laurent Tourondel (BLT Fish, BLT Prime, and BLT Steak), and Tom Valenti (Ouest) passed out small plates. Mood Food also served hearty hors d'oeuvres, including mini lobster melts and croque monsieurs, and wild mushroom and truffle risotto served in tiny ramekins.

The magazine wisely avoided bringing in too much decor to cover up the space (after a cleaning crew took care of the layers of dirt—preparations started 19 days before the party). On the walls behind the cooking stations, Boe hired visual artists to paint murals which incorporated portraits of the participating chefs. Rows of palm trees in the center of the room helped to draw eyes up to 30-foot ceiling, where a row of six-foot-long lanterns hung. The room's skylight made the atmosphere change throughout the course of the night, from a daylight-soaked hall at 6:30 PM to a darker spot later in the evening.

To get the crowd's attention for the presentation, performers from the Stomp-style group Street Beats, dressed in chef's whites, wound their way through the space banging on pots and pans—in rhythm, naturally. Host Katie Lee Joel and chef Tom Colicchio from the Bravo reality show Top Chef greeted the crowd and introduced Food & Wine publisher Julie McGowan and editor in chief Dana Cowin. Next was a quick introduction of this year's list of new chefs, including New Yorkers Jonathan Benno of Per Se and David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar.

—Chad Kaydo

Posted 04.10.06

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