NIGHTLIGHT: Thursday April 5, 2012 University Settlement Champagne Reception Celebrating the Upcoming Gala on April 24th Master Chef Jacques Pepin Guest of Honor - A Bubbly Success!
Kevin Stuessi, VP of FCI Events, Master Chef Jacques Pepin and Marc Bauer, Chef of FCI
On Thursday, April 5 –- board members and supporters of University Settlement attended a champagne reception celebrating the non-profit’s upcoming gala on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Whom You Know was honored to attend and we absolutely loved meeting Master Chef Jacques Pepin and all of the lovely guests! Among those we were pleased to meet include Sharon R. Eglinsky, Kirat Young and many more.
The guest of honor, Master Chef Jacques Pepin, announced plans for the University Settlement's 8th Annual Fine Wine Dinner & Auction at the private residence of a board member on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
The evening’s guest list included: Michael Baumann, Yanna Avis, Mario Buatta, Cece Cord, Scott Carney, Sharon Egilinsky, James Finkel, Michele Gerber Klein, Heather & Ethan Goldman, Marjorie Reed Gordon & Ellery Gordon, Eric Gurian, Cathy Hardwick, Yaz Hernandez, Belle Horowitz, Joel Konigsberg, Princess Kristina Kovalenko, Janice Lee, Kit Luce, Jeannie Mun, Lars Neubohn, Jacques Pepin, Saul Sanders, Benjamin Schall, Katie Sexton, Stuart Shapiro, Emily Smith, John Weiner and Kirat Young.
University Settlement Board Members attending include: Nancy Drosd, Sharon Eglinsky, James Finkel, Heather Goldman and Katie Sexton.
Jacques Pepin and our friend Marianne Fabre-Lanvin,
Executive Director of the Sud de France Wines
Executive Director of the Sud de France Wines
On April 24, the University Settlement will host their 8th Annual Fine Wine Dinner & Auction at 82Mercer-- Master Chef Jacques Pepin and Master Pastry Chef Jacques Torres have designed an unforgettable five-course menu that will be paired with extraordinary wines. The Wine Program will be under the direction of Master Sommelier Scott Carney. Each table at the gala will be directed by a sommelier for the evening -- the guest sommeliers are from some of the best restaurants in New York City. The culinary partner for gala is FCI Catering & Events.
University Settlement has improved America — one family at a time — over its 125 years and our work continues. Our comprehensive social service programs help low-income families and immigrants improve their lives through quality education, decent housing, physical and emotional well being, and opportunities to prosper economically. Each year, over 25,000 New Yorkers find the support they need at University Settlement programs taking place at 21 locations across New York City. Whether it is a high quality day care program so parents can go to work, an after-school program that turns empty hours into some of the most exciting and nurturing of a child’s day, an English class that opens the door to a good job, or an understanding case worker with the know-how to navigate government red tape to secure available housing — these small but critical steps together have real impact. As the benefits ripple across the family, they amplify and create a brighter future for our whole community. And that makes all the difference.
Jacques Pepin and Peachy Deegan
You know we have commended the FCI in the past; just this week we highly recommended ABV and Alexis is a FCI Alum:
& we have highly recommended L'Ecole:
& also we loved Dave Arnold's Lobster Class:
Jacques told us last night he was instrumental in launching Le Petit Cafe in Branford, which was our first entry in Peachy's Picks Connecticut-Roy was amazing:
Jacques is a total peach and we adored meeting him.
Peachy's Picks Connecticut:
With more than 25 years of expertise in hosting spectacular events, FCI Catering & Events is based in New York City and features a diverse team of experienced event planners, highly-skilled professional chefs and Master Sommeliers. Equipped to create unforgettable experiences at any off-site location, FCI Catering & Events is also the exclusive caterer to The International Culinary Center in SoHo with access to state-of-the art kitchens and a beautiful private loft space on the fifth floor. What makes the events so distinctive is the superior quality of food, exquisite presentation, highest quality standard of service, and stunning event spaces throughout Manhattan that are uniquely suited to stage the ultimate culinary experience. By tapping into an extensive network of talent of in-house professional chefs and experts, FCI Catering & Events is able to create a range of food and beverage menus that highlight tastes and flavors from around the world as well as chef demonstrations, wine tastings and hands-on culinary participation that can truly set an event apart.
Master Chef Jacques Pépin
Born and raised in France, Jacques Pépin’s first exposure to cooking was as a child in his parents’ restaurant, Le Pelican. At 13, he began his formal apprenticeship at the distinguished Grand Hotel de L’Europe in Lyon. He subsequently worked in Paris at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée. From 1956 to 1958, Pépin was the personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle.
He came to the United States in 1959 and, after working first at New York’s famed Le Pavillon restaurant, served as director of research and new development for the Howard Johnson Company while attending Columbia University, where he ultimately earned a master’s degree in French literature.
Pépin is known as being one of the best culinary teachers in the world and with his personal warmth, humor, and extraordinary experience and knowledge, has been a powerful presenter and priceless resource at The International Culinary Center since 1988, where he serves as the Dean of Special Programs. He has earned a place in the James Beard Foundation's Cookbook Hall of Fame, captured the foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America, been recognized for Best TV Cooking Segment and Best Culinary Video, and earned the foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Pépin won a daytime Emmy award for a television show he co-hosted with Julia Child and is among an elite group that has received the Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier de L'Ordre du Mérite Agricole, two of the highest honors bestowed by the French government. He is also an adjunct faculty member at Boston University, a founder of the American Institute of Wine and Food and a member of the International Association of Cooking Professionals. Pépin has published 27 books and launched 12 acclaimed public television series. He resides with his wife, Gloria, in Madison, CT.
Master Pastry Chef Jacques Torres
Fondly referred to as Mr. Chocolate, Jacques Torres is the authority on all things related to this confectionery delight.
Torres was born in France, and at an early age, was inspired to start a culinary career thanks to his love for food and making people happy. In 1980, he worked with Michelin two-star chef Jacques Maximin at the Hotel Negresco in Nice. In 1986, Torres was awarded the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France (Best Pastry Chef of France) medal, the youngest chef to earn the distinction. He counts his M.O.F. coach, Lou Lou Franchain, as a role model.
In 1988, he ventured to the U.S. as the Corporate Pastry Chef for Ritz Carlton. In 1989, Torres was invited to work at New York City’s most famous restaurant, Le Cirque, where he worked for 11 years serving presidents, kings, and celebrities.
He fulfilled his American dream in 2000 with the opening of his first chocolate factory, Jacques Torres Chocolate in Brooklyn. His chocolate became an instant success attracting fans from all over the country. In 2004, he opened his second chocolate factory and flagship store, Jacques Torres Chocolate, in New York City and today he has five Jacques Torres shops around the city.
Torres has won numerous awards, including the James Beard Foundation Pastry Chef of the Year, Chefs of America Pastry Chef of the Year, and Chartreuse Pastry Chef of the Year. He is a member of the Académie Culinaire de France, and in 2003 he was inducted by the James Beard Foundation into Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. Torres is the author of three cookbooks and he was the host of two television shows “Dessert Circus” on PBS and “Chocolate with Jacques Torres” on Food Network TV.
Torres proudly serves as Dean of Pastry Arts at The International Culinary Center, where he regularly presents demonstrations to students in New York. He is married to Hasty Torres, a fellow chocolatier who founded her own chocolate shop in Beverly Hills called Madame Chocolat.
Scott Carney, Master Sommelier
Director of Wine Education, The International Culinary Center
Scott Carney was born in Boston and, after graduating from Connecticut College, satisfied his curiosity about wine by taking a sommelier position at the Bay Tower Room in Boston. As his curiosity grew into a passion, Carney moved on to a full-time sommelier position at Harvest Restaurant where he also began a career in restaurant management. Recognizing a need to further his business skills, Carney enrolled in the Stern School of Business at New York University and after a stage in France, graduated with an MBA in Finance.
Carney joined the Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City as business manager and spent 10 years overseeing affairs as the restaurant earned three consecutive three-star reviews from The New York Times. It was during this time that he began his study for the title of Master Sommelier, which he earned in 1991.
Since leaving Gotham Bar & Grill, Carney has worked in operations, beverage, and finance with a number of Manhattan’s leading restaurant groups, including The Glazier Group, Jean-Georges Management, and Les Halles Group. In 1998, he built and operated The Tonic in Chelsea. He also consulted for such notable New York venues as Picholine and Tocqueville, and he oversaw the reopening of the famed Russian Team Room in 2006. Most recently, Carney served as the beverage director at the Michelin-starred restaurant Junoon. At The International Culinary Center, Carney serves as Director of Wine Education overseeing all wine programs at both the New York City and California campuses, including the Intensive Sommelier Training course, which is the first program in the world to be approved by the Court of Master Sommeliers.
