On the evening of December 5th, at New York City’s Gotham Hall, leading experience agency, GR8, brought together four of the world’s top chefs for a once-in-a- lifetime culinary experience. The exclusive gastronomic experience featured tastings from chefs at the top of their industry: Massimo Bottura, Joan Roca, Mauro Colagreco, and Christina Tosi.
For the first time ever, these four culinary masters came together under one roof for an exceptional multi-course dinner featuring original dishes inspired by the art and people of the regions in which they are from.
The evening commenced with the ‘Eureka Experience,’ a private wine tasting with world-renowned winemaker, Roberto Cipresso. Attendees were presented with two exquisite wines coinciding with stories from two iconic regions of Italy, Tuscany and Lazio. Serenaded by an accompanying pianist, guests were delighted with the stories and excited for the remainder of the evening in which each dish was paired with an exclusive wine chosen by Roberto Cipresso himself.
Following the exclusive wine tasting, guests were welcomed to a cocktail reception highlighting three unique wines and one signature cocktail paired with hors d’oeuvre creations from each chef.
Massimo Bottura presented a 30-month selection of Parmigiano Reggiano with extra aged balsamic vinegar, along with Mauro Colagreco’s Jerusalem artichoke tartelettes with black trumpets and melanosporum truffle and Joan Roca’s Steamed Truffle Brioche.
Following the hors d’oeuvres, attendees were then seated and addressed by CEO of GR8, Barnabas Carrega and Award-winning creator and host of The Sporkful podcast, Dan Pashman. Pashman was the official host of the evening, presenting the chefs and each of their exclusive dishes.
Throughout the event, each chef prepared two main dishes while guests were able to view the preparations, cooking and plating of each dish, live in action.
Some culinary highlights of the evening came from Osteria Francescana’s Massimo Bottura who presented a “Never Stop Planting” dish paying tribute to Joseph Beuys’ infamous installation planting oak trees and granite columns throughout far reaching locations from Abuzzo, Italy to New York City. The dish was a foie gras custard served with seasonal woodland flavors from truffles to mushrooms
in a mineral broth. Bottura also presented guests with “Psychedelic Spin-Painted Veil,” tribute to English artist Damien Hirst’s spin-painted canvases. The meat was marinated in milk, brushed with vegetable charcoal and dressed with creamy potatoes, puree of orange and yellow peppers, a red beet reduction and extra old Villa Manodori Artigianale balsamic vinegar from Modena.
Mauro Colagreco showcased his undeniable talents through a “Crapaudine” Beetroot cooked in salt crust, finished with a “Ossetra” Caviar Sauce inspired by the agricultural knowledge of producer, Annie Bertin from the small town, Vende, in northwestern France. The dish was accompanied by
Colagreco’s Ragout of Baby Potatoes.
Joan Roca’s exquisite cuisine featured Prawn Marinated with Rice Vinegar drawing inspiration from Salvador Dalí’s “The Persistence of Memory”. The painting, now hanging on the walls of the MoMA, inspired the Mediterranean flavors of the whole prawn in its purest form. Roca also presented a Truffle Soufflé with Veal Oyster Blade inspired by Gaudi’s modernist architecture and the “Melting Watches” of Dalí’s famous painting, “The Persistence of Time.”
Guests were then treated by the creative mastermind and classically trained pastry chef Christina Tosi, Founder, and CEO of Milk Bar, whom presented an exclusive “Apple Pie-ish” dessert topped with a miso butterscotch, brown butter and sour whipped cream.
Following the gastronomic cuisine, all four chefs came to the stage for a final conversation with Dan Pashman discussing their dishes from the evening and the inspirations that created them.
The evening’s beneficiary was God’s Love We Deliver, the leading provider of nutritious and personalized meals to individuals who are too ill to shop and cook for themselves. God’s Love We Deliver creates and provides over 7,000 meals each weekday, delivering them to those with life- altering illnesses across all five New York City boroughs, Westchester and Nassau Counties, and Hudson County, New Jersey. In a surprise moment for the guests, Massimo Bottura created his signature Psychedelic Spin-Painted motif onto a tablecloth in which he then auctioned off to guests with all proceeds benefiting God’s Love We Deliver.
The evening’s sponsors included, San Pellegrino, YPO, Masi Agricola, LaunchMetrics, Bortolomiol, Cantine Europa, Roberto Cipresso, Bueno Wines, Hilton Honors, Urbani Truffles, Corte Captielli, and Rosenthal.
To learn more about GR8’s upcoming experiences or to plan your own dream of a lifetime visit thegr8experience.com.
