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player ready...There were a few changes in this year`s ”Famous Chef Cuisine” Benefit for Victory Memorial Hospital, but the most important aspects remained. The food was great and the proceeds benefitted a worthwhile cause.
The 12th annual culinary extravaganza, held at the Midlane Country Club in Wadsworth, featured the specialties of 26 Lake County area restaurants. For $35 apiece, benefitgoers feasted on a variety of dishes, from elegant pate and perfect pastas to gourmet cookies, cakes and candies.
Carlos Garcia, chef at Madison Avenue in Waukegan, demonstrated the preparation of Chicken dijonaise. ”This is something very easy to prepare at home, something that only takes a half-hour,” he said.
Maurie Pearson of Chicago Ice Works demonstrated something that probably shouldn`t be tried at home. Using a chain saw, chisels and other tools, he sculpted a four-foot-high Olympic torch, a fisherman and a golfer, all in ice. Perennial favorite Walter Veile of Market Square Pastries in Lake Forest nearly stole the show with his impressive array of luscious desserts. A participant in all 12 Chef`s Cuisine benefits, Veile has developed a loyal and demanding following among benefitgoers. ”I tried to bring different things each year, but people want the same things-the truffles, the petit fours, the mini eclairs. My name is mud if I don`t bring them,” he said.
Midlane manager Lenny Khayat and chef John Warren co-chaired the event, which raised about $20,000. The proceeds will benefit the Victory Adult Day Center at the Lake County YMCA in Waukegan.
The benefit almost didn`t happen this year. Hospital fundraisers had decided to cancel it until Khayat stepped in and volunteered to organize the event. ”Lake County has the best restaurants in the state, but people leave the county because they don`t know that. This is a good opportunity for us to show what we can do,” Kyahat said.
The winners were: for fine dining, chef Daniel Patlak of Bauer`s on the Bay in Antioch; for contempory dining, chef Jerry Reizner of Saluto`s in Gurnee; and for fast food, the deli department at Welton`s County Market in Gurnee.