Fottocini

A good friend of mine and fellow Chef Jean Luc Royere, Executive Sous Chef at the AAA-Five Diamond, Mobil Five Star, Lodge at Sea Island, Colt & Alison, Oak Room Bar) invited me to join him at the Loews Miami Beach to photograph the event. Jean Luc previously worked as Chef de Cuisine at the Loews and several high end kitchen’s in France including the St. James Hotel & Relais et Chateaux, One Star Michelin in Bordeaux, France.

Eric Ripert (left) of Le Bernardin, NYC with Jean Luc Royere, Sea Island Resorts

I jumped at the chance to photograph this event, so I packed my camera, sunscreen, and flip flops and headed down to South Beach.

My first impression of the kitchen was like a hurricane of chef coats just landed on the beach. I counted about 4 iron chefs, a  few dozen “celebrity chefs”, a handful of Michelin stars. I first met the Loews Executive Chef Gordon Maybury, the culinary wizard who kept all this madness in check for the weekend. He really had a tough job, imagine overseeing at least 5 different crews from kitchens all over the country. Not to mention producing food for your own hotel in the mean time. Congrats Chef Gordon!

Down in the kitchen making things happen.

So after the tour of the kitchen I set up my camera and starting running. One of the 1st photos I got was of the plate presentations. First up was Charlie Trotter, Charlie Trotter’s, Chicago, IL with a simple vegetable terrine. Then we move into the appetizer course of Norman Van Aken, NORMAN’S at the Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Grande Lakes. Followed by Bobby Flay’s grilled lamb with a dual red pepper sauce. Mario Batali with the assitance of Mark Ladner, OTTO, New York, NY plated up Orecchiette with Broccoli rabe. Le Bernardin was in the house for dessert, Michael Laiskonis and Eric Ripert knocked out a couple hundred chocolate masterpieces.

Plate presentations - Bobby Flay, Michael Laiskonis with Norman Van Aken and Charlie Trotter's crew

The ballroom was holding some of the most notable people in the food industry, Emeril of course, and some of his food network buddies, he was seated next to Martha Stewart. I even heard about the King of Spain having his own table and various A-list celebrities. ($550 a plate).

Mario Batali's entree

Bobby Flay's lamb dish

Flay, Laiskonis, Trotter, Batali, Van Aken

Flay plating up his dish with Gordon Maybury on the scene

Eric Ripert plating dessert

The plate up was extremely well organized. We had 700 people, 5 courses, from 5 different crews, with the Loews crew of cooks assisting each course. I would say about 50 – 70 total chefs in the ballroom to help plate up. Keep in mind that 700 people x 5 courses=3,500 plates! Wouldn’t want to be in the dish sink that night. Not to mention other chefs behind the scenes, including April Bloomfield of the Spotted Pig, NYC, among others.

The Ballroom at the Lowes, plating up for 700 people

After dinner Emeril came back to the ballroom and thanked all of the chefs, he is a really classy guy. A true chef and business man who I admire. Each chef then received an award from the event promoters and surprise a marching band blazed its way through the ballroom playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. It was unreal. Check out the cool painting of Emeril by artist Romero Britto.

The marching band making its way through the ballroom.

Emeril thanking everyone for the dinner

Norman van Aken likes to take photos

Mario, Jean Luc, Bobby, Matthew, Gordon

So at the end of the night Jean Luc opens a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, Ponsardin, 1995, Vintage Reserve. Pops it open just in time for Mario Batali to walk behind the scenes and have a drink with us. I decided not to join everyone for the after-after party, but I hear it was quite the scene.

Veuve Clicquot, Ponsardin, 1995, Vintage Reserve

- William Torrillo