The Fifth Annual Plates with Purpose—an evening of food, fun, and festivities, will be held October 5, 2024. Master of Ceremony Mar Jennings—television host and actor, and friend of Filling in the Blanks—will take guests on a culinary adventure designed by some of Connecticut’s top chefs.
Get tickets today, because this lineup is a can’t miss!
Hannah Gorman
Revel with DinnerThyme, Chef & Owner
Having trained and cooked professionally at celebrated restaurants from Boston to San Francisco to New York, Hannah’s obsession and passion for great food and parties started early and hasn’t stopped. A permanent student of Food and Entertaining, she soaks up inspiration from the greats around the globe. The end result has been 20 plus years of massive amounts of reveling with her catering business Revel with DinnerThyme. “It is so exciting and always a challenge and joy to bring a great party to life, large or small. Great parties absolutely inspire people and make life great.
Damon Sawyer
29 Markle Ct., Chef & Owner
A Norwalk native and the youngest of six kids, Damon’s culinary journey began when he announced to his parents that he was henceforth a vegetarian. His parents, not inclined to begin changing the repertoire, wished him luck on this new solo endeavor.Damon began studying herbology and figured out how cook out of necessity and his own self-determination. As the creative force at 29 Markle Ct, the former professional keys and trumpet player has developed a diverse and distinctive menu, matched only by the restaurant’s playlist which he also curates.
Luke Venner
Elm, Executive Chef
Born and raised on his grandfather’s farm in rural South Dakota, Luke trained in kitchens from Napa Valley to New York City, where he was mentored by Michelin two-star chef Shaun Hergatt. He first ventured to Connecticut as the opening chef de cuisine of the James Beard Nominated Millwright’s in Simsbury and his style has since been praised by The New York Times, Gotham, Elle, and Wine Spectator. Luke’s approach at Elm is influenced by the culinary traditions of the east coast, with imaginative nods to the travels that brought him here.
Jared Falco
Bar Rosina’s, Chef & Co-Owner
A native New Yorker who came up in Manhattan, Jared cut his teeth at Fortina, Washington Prime, and Amore before debuting Bar Rosina's in Greenwich with partner Coby Blount. The venture has allowed Jared to fully embrace the classic but refined Italian fare he’s been cooking for over a decade.
Anthony Kostelis
The Whelk, Chef de Cuisine
Half Greek, half Italian, and the son of a food purveyor for high end ingredients, Anthony was fated for a culinary life. By age 20, he was working in New Haven as a server and bartender at Ibiza, when he decided to leave college and pursue his real passion, cooking. Anthony worked his way through the Culinary Institute of America before graduating to Le Farm and cooking under The Whelk’s Bill Taibe with whom he would shortly reunite.
Andréa Stevenson
Abigail Kirsch, Executive Sous Chef
Andréa’s culinary journey began humbly in her grandmother’s kitchen, which continues to influencer her cooking. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Andréa often infuses menus with her Southern American and Caribbean roots. Catering and events became the focus of her career after an internship with Blackstone Caterers in Newport Rhode Island, and stints abroad unlocked a passion for travel and exploring the world’s cuisines. When not creating and executing the diverse menu for Abigail Kirsch you can find Andréa chasing the next stamp for her passport and finding new opportunities to bridge her love of cooking with her desire to spread kindness and hope with others.
Rob VanKeuren
Flour Water Salt Bread, Owner
Rob channels his love for feeding people into pushing the possibilities of sourdough. This self-taught baker and owner of Flour Water Salt Bread, a sourdough boulangerie with locations in Darien and Greenwich, focuses on old-world baking and French style pastries.
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