Tickets On Sale for All Greenwich Wine + Food Celebrations
2022 Event Benefits Jacques Pépin Foundation and Wholesome Wave
Greenwich Wine + Food today announced its final schedule of weeklong festivities and participants that will comprise its 10-year anniversary celebration this October, with tickets on sale for all events. Beneficiaries include two national non-profit organizations with roots in Connecticut – The Jacques Pépin Foundation and Wholesome Wave. Premium sponsors include Wagoneer and Greenwich Hospital.
“With the one-month countdown officially ON, I’m thrilled to share the final details for our monumental anniversary celebration,” said Suni Unger, founder and CEO of Unger Media, the parent company behind Greenwich Wine + Food and Serendipity magazine. “We are especially thrilled to be co-hosting more than ten events throughout the week, on-location at our favorite restaurants and bars in our local communities. These carefully curated, intimate celebrations are truly allowing us to applaud local talent in the area, and paired with our Gala on October 7, I am so proud of the programming we’re offering this Fall and our partner beneficiaries.”
The GWF 10th Anniversary Celebrity Chef Gala presented by Coterie on Friday, October 7, honoring legendary chef Jacques Pépin, will include renowned chefs cooking and mingling with guests throughout the evening. The evening will begin with a 6:00pm VIP meet-and-greet reception with Pépin, Michel Nischan (Wholesome Wave), Maneet Chauhan, Rocco DiSpirito and Spike Mendelsohn (for special ticket-holders only), with all guests joining the reception at 6:30pm. The Chef’s Table dinner will begin at 7:30pm.
Confirmed chefs who will prepare a four-course meal in front of guests at their designated tables include:
- Carlos Baez (The Spread, El Segundo, Magic Pie);
- Jes Bengtson (Terrain Garden Café, Amis Trattoria);
- Arturo Franco-Camacho (Camacho Garage, Geronimo Tequila Bar and Southwest Grill, Shell & Bones Oyster Bar and Grill)
- Evans Corrales (The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood);
- Albert DeAngelis (Eastend, Meditteraneo, Terra, Sole);
- Julio Genao (Prime Stamford);
- Michael Kaphan (Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish);
- Geoff Lazlo (Geoff Lazlo Food, The Country Table);
- Stephen Lewandowski (Townhouse);
- Nick Martschenko (South End, SE Uncorked, SE Back End);
- Emily Mingrone (Tavern on State, Provisions on State, Fair Haven Oyster Company);
- Forrest Pasternak (Bailey’s Backyard Farm to Table Restaurant);
- Debra Ponzek (Aux Delices);
- Jared Sippel (L’Ostal);
- Matt Storch (Match, Match Burger Lobster);
- Bill Taibe (The Whelk, Kawa Ni, Don Memo);
- Renee Touponce (Oyster Club);
- Luke Venner (Elm);
- Chad Welch (Coterie Table One).
In addition to this multi-course dinner, the evening will feature special programming to celebrate the incredible contributions that Pépin has made to the culinary world, as well as honor the 2022 class of Serendipity’s Most Innovative Chefs: Steven Chen (MIKU, Greenwich, CT), Will Friedman (Kawa Ni, Westport, CT), Jared Sippel (L’Ostal, Darien, CT) and Renee Touponce (Oyster Club, Mystic, CT). The evening will be capped off with dancing and music from DJ April Larken. Held at Abigail Kirsch The Loading Dock in Stamford, CT, this limited ticket event will allow guests to purchase seats to dine with their preferred award-winning chef. Ticket options range from tables of 10 ($25,000) to a pair of seats ($1,400), with additional benefits included in the ticket packages.
The schedule of one-of-a-kind events includes:
- Seven Course Truffle Dinner: Greenwich-based Rosina’s will host a seven-course truffle dinner, including pasta, meats and vegetables with wine pairings on Monday, October 3 at 6:30pm ($300 per person).
- Mezcal Tasting + Food Pairings: Geronimo Tequila Bar and Southwest Grill’s Fairfield location and Del Maguey will focus on the distinct flavors of Mezcal, offering education on its production, flavors and how it differs from tequila and other spirits, and Mezcal flights paired with a four-course dinner on Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30pm ($150 per person).
- Land and Sea Dinner: Greenwich-based Lobstercraft will host a 5-course “land and sea” dinner from Captain Mike Harden featuring wine pairings from Vergelegen South African Wine Estate on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30pm ($175 per person).
- Wildacre Rotisserie: Cos Cob-based WIldacre Rotisserie will host a multi-course, family-style dinner featuring pasture-raised rotisserie chicken, wine sampling from Horseneck Wine & Spirits, and a chicken trussing demonstration on Wednesday, October 5 at 7:00pm ($100 per person).
- Prohibition Pairing: A nod to the classic 1920’s speakeasy, South Norwalk-based distillery, SONO 1420 will take guests back in time by leading a cocktail master class to mix up prohibition era cocktail classics with a modern twist on Thursday, October 6 at 6:00pm ($120 per person).
- Champagne and Chocolate Master Class: Fairfield’s BE Chocolat will host a decadent tasting of esteemed French Laurent-Perrier champagnes paired with exquisite Belgian chocolate creations from BE Chocolat on Thursday, October 6 at 7:30pm ($130 per person).
- Bougie Dinner: Knot Norm’s Catering Co. will host a four-course elevated coastal dinner with wine pairings at its Norwalk location on Wednesday, October 12 at 6:30pm ($200 per person).
- The Charles Dinner: Darien Butcher Shop and Sipstirs will host a 5-course meal with wine pairings from Master Sommelier and Owner of Sipstirs Dave Wagner on October 14 at 6:30pm ($180 per person).
“The Big Easy” celebration, previously announced to take place on October 1, has been moved to Saturday, March 4 due to a scheduling conflict.
The full schedule of programming, including participating chefs, special guests, and events will be available at www.greenwichwineandfood.com, as well as the GWF’s social media channels (Facebook @Greenwichwineandfoodfestival and Instagram @greenwichwineandfood). Tickets can be purchased at the website above, or by emailing [email protected]. Please note that talent, chefs, and dates for celebrations are subject to change.
Parameters for weather, age restrictions, and health and safety guidelines will also be available on www.greenwichwineandfood.com.
ABOUT GREENWICH WINE + FOOD
Greenwich Wine + Food embraces and honors culinary visionaries in the community of Connecticut and New York, and beyond. A pillar of the brand is creating content, experiences and opportunities to bring together the most incredible chefs, restaurateurs, purveyors, farmers, vintners, industry leaders and guests while giving back to important causes. GWF celebrates community, charity, food, beverage and more in the Connecticut and New York area with multiple events throughout the year, including its flagship Greenwich Wine + Food Festival. The 2022 beneficiaries include the Jacques Pépin Foundation and Wholesome Wave. All proceeds will benefit both organizations.
Previous participants include chefs Daniel Boulud, Scott Conant, Mary Giuliani, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marc Murphy, Adam Richman and Marcus Samuelsson, as well as musical artists Tim McGraw, Little Big Town, Train and Ziggy Marley. Celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year, previous beneficiaries include the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Town of Greenwich Parks & Recreation Foundation, Food Rescue US and Ment’or.
Sponsors to date include Wagoneer, Greenwich Hospital (Premium Sponsors), Blancpain, Compass, Manfredi Jewels, NuKitchens, Tyson, Val’s Putnam Wines & Liquors, Vergelegen Wines by VClub and Westy Self-Storage (*). The event was created by Suni Unger, founder and CEO of Unger Publishing, the parent company behind Greenwich Wine + Food and Serendipity magazine (a women-owned, women-run business), and is supported by a board of advisors including Rob Burnett, Gary Dell’Abate, Icy Frantz, Griffith Harris, Lee Milazzo, Holly Parmelee, Jenny Prince, Karen Rubenstein, Gerard N. Saggese III, Lara Spencer, Andy Stern and Bill Taibe. For more information, visit www.greenwichwineandfood.com or the event’s social media channels: Facebook (@Greenwichwineandfoodfestival) and Instagram (@greenwichwineandfood), or email [email protected].
(*As of 9/6/22)
ABOUT THE JACQUES PÉPIN FOUNDATION
The Jacques Pépin Foundation supports community kitchens that offer free life skills and culinary training to adults with high barriers to employment, including previous incarceration, homelessness, substance abuse issues, low skill and education attainment and lack of work history. Become a JPF Member to support our educational programs and grants. For more information, visit www.jp.foundation.
ABOUT WHOLESOME WAVE
Wholesome Wave is a national non-profit established on the belief that everyone, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, or income, has a fundamental right to choose healthy food. Wholesome Wave’s mission is to address disparities in diet-related disease and enhance nutrition equity by making fruits and vegetables more accessible and affordable to low-income community members through systems change. Founded in 2007 by James Beard Award-winning Chef Michel Nischan and former USDA Undersecretary of Agriculture Gus Schumacher, Wholesome Wave successfully established the legal framework and advocated funding the doubling of SNAP benefits when spent on healthy fruits and vegetables – a program that has reached millions of community members across the country and has been established as a permanent program in the 2018 Farm Bill, named the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program. Today, Wholesome Wave is leveraging our 15 years of experience and relationships supporting successful fruit and vegetable access programs to advocate for their inclusion as a covered healthcare treatment through government-sponsored health plans.
