Once again, Mario Batali will generously offer his otherworldly cooking skills to the Leelanau Conservancy’s annual Summer Picnic auction. It’s your opportunity to be coddled and fed by the great clogged chef himself in a private Leelanau County dinner for you and eleven friends. What’s it worth? Based on numbers from the last couple years, the winning bidder will pay upwards of $50,000. Check out http://www.theconservancy.com/2008picnicauctio.html for more details. Long live the Leelanau Conservancy.
Mario participated in the Epicurean Classic two years ago and put on quite a show. For all the fanfare around him, his restaurants, books, etc., he is unquestionably one of the world’s great culinary talents. I say this based on my conversations with dozens and dozens of nationally acclaimed chefs that have participated in the Classic. Almost without exception, they cite him and his books as heavy influences. He’s the real deal.
Speaking of Italian chefs, one of the 08 Classic headliners is Santa Ynez, CA chef, Leonardo Curti, owner / chef of Trattoria Grappolo. Leonardo recently authored a superb cookbook based on his restaurant. He’ll demonstrate some favorite Italian dishes at the Classic, participate in the Grand Reception on Saturday night, September 13, and also play a guest-chef-of-honor role in a Great Chef Dinner at Trattoria Stella in Traverse City, on Friday, September 12.
