James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour returns to Ravello this week

No doubt the James Beard Foundation’s annual Celebrity Chef Tour dinner at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando is one of the more highly anticipated events on the culinary calendar.

Now in its fourth year, the 2018 rendition may not reach the rarefied heights of the inaugural event in 2015 (which put the “astronomic'” in gastronomic), but it promises to be a gourmand’s delight nonetheless.

On Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 chefs, including visiting culinarians Chad Johnson (Haven Tampa and Élevage at the Epicurian Hotel), Rich Rosendale (Roots 657, Leesburg, Virginia) and Angel Betancourt (The Ocean Club, Bahamas) will fashion a formidable feast at Ravello, the resort’s high-end Italian restaurant, serving small bites at four appetizer stations, followed by a four-course dinner with wine pairings and a two-course dessert.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of the offerings:

APPETIZER/RECEPTION STATIONS

Ryan Schelling (executive sous chef, Four Seasons Resort Orlando)
-Selection of oysters
-Tequila/pickled watermelon/arbol
-Sake/green tea/tapioca
-Bloody Mary vodka/celery and lemon/cracked pepper

Will Johnson (chef, Ravello)
-Culurgiones (potato, pecorino pepato)
-Parmesan sformato (pear, mustard, walnut, balsamic)

Gabriel Massip (chef, Capa)
-Jamón ibérico de bellota
-Pan con tomate (manchego, jamon)
-Pintxos (olives, guindilla peppers, white anchovies, manchego, onions, Spanish olive oil)

Erhan Kor (banquet chef, Four Seasons Resort Orlando)
-Grilled lamb and beef meatballs (yogurt mint sauce)
-Vegetarian red lentil (Bibb lettuce, parsley, lemon)

FOUR-COURSE DINNER

Chad Johnson (executive chef, Haven Tampa and Élevage at the Epicurian Hotel)
-Hokkaido scallop (lily ash, Hubbard squash, aji verde, hazelnut consommé)

Yuhi Fujinaga (executive chef, Morimoto Asia)
-Kona kampachi “pho” (Hudson Valley foie gras dashi, shiso)

Fabrizio Schenardi (executive chef, Four Seasons Resort Orlando)
-Raviolone cacio e pepe (topinambur cream, artichoke chips, Malabar pepper)

Rich Rosendale (executive chef, Roots 657, Leesburg, Virginia)
-“Aged Beef Symphony” (aged beef, five sauces, sous-vide potato)

DESSERT

Angel Betancourt (executive pastry chef, The Ocean Club, Bahamas)
-Violet pavlova (pink peppercorn, sable and bergamot gel, violet espuma, violet veil, shiso)

Rabii Saber (executive pastry chef, Four Seasons Resort Orlando)
-A taste of Chef Rabii Saber’s chocolate creations

The Celebrity Chef Tour dinner goes from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1. Cost for this year-end gastronomic free-for-all is $235. Tickets can be purchased here.

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This article appears in Nov 21-27, 2018.