We had the best time at the C-CAP Benefit when they celebrated their 25th Anniversary. At the benefit they had 43 Restaurants each serving different dishes. They had little and delicious portions. Some examples of these dishes were Chef Maria Loi’s of Loi Estiatorio‘s dish which was a salmon tartar in a light pastry, Chef Bryce Shuman‘s goat milk with beets, Chef Cesar Gutierrez’s salmon with a black rice seaweed chip and Sea Grill’s make your own sushi cup and another’s sliced apple with a cashew cream and cardamon and “hit me cake.”
The founder, Mr. Richard Grausman, let us interview him recently so we got to learn all about C-CAP and then meet many famous chefs and restaurants who support it, C-CAP graduates and C-CAP students and teachers. If you would like to learn more about C-CAP, go to Kitchen Twins YouTube page to watch or go to ccapinc.org. Why? because “C-CAP transforms lives by working with underprivelaged high school students and gives them an opportunity to get a cooking scholarship, or to work in a restaurant and to become a chef.” We had the chance to meet some of the C-CAP graduates at the benefit, they all were so nice and their dishes were delicious. This was an amazing experience and we can’t thank the Grausman family enough. Mr. and Mrs. Grausman are lovely people and so nice to us.
We feel very lucky to have tasted the most delicious food and were surrounded by many amazing chefs, students and people who love food like us! Look below for lots of fun photos and captions to explain.
Here we are enjoying apples with cashew cream, beets and cardamon.My mom took this photo of us from another camera with Mr. Grausman.This is our family just arriving at the benefit.
The beets and goat milk dish from the chef Bryce Shuman at Betony. (look for a Kitchen Curiosities interview with Chef Shuman coming soon!) This was really delicious.Here we are talking to Chef Shuman of Betony about his dish (not a great picture but this was fun)This is me and Lyla talking to Mr. Grausman and Chef Boulud of Daniel. Very exciting to meet Chef Boulud.An egg custard dish with sea urchin and asparagus. It’s served in an actual egg. So pretty.This was a scrumptious sweet custard pistachio brittle served in an egg. So unique and delicious.This was a blue crab soup from Le Cirque that was SO good.Surrounded by chefs!
With Mr. Stanley Zabar
This is us with Carmine Guglieino a graduate of C-CAP I think he said 17 years ago!Here are shrimp and avocado and pomegranate wrap up in a soft corn tortilla. Yum.With Mr. Grausman and Chef Boulud. We can’t wait to try one of his restaurants we already looked at all the menus!Here we are with Mr. Tim Zagat. We understand he loves restaurants!!!This is a plantain with smoked trout on the inside. So pretty.This is us and the very nice Chef Sarabeth of Sarabeth’s of New York! She was so nice and friendly!Here is Sarabeth’s dish- a banana cream with slivered almonds served in pretty little jars. Yum yum yum.
Here we are with the wonderful Chef Maria Loi. She is an expert on Greek food and Greece and we are going to lunch at Loi soon.
Chef Maria Loi’s salmon dish. Yum (we may have had a couple of these!)Chef Maria Loi’s cookbook
Enjoying a Meyer lemon cheesecake.
This is Chef Cesar Gutierrez of Lexington Brass’ salmon with with the black rice chip and mango slivers. Really good and pretty. Chef Cesar is a C-CAP graduate and we got to see a special video on him at the event.
Lyla and our mom enjoying Sea Grills make your own sushi.Lyla enjoying a scallop dish.With our dad.With Chef Marcus Samuelsson, Chef Maria Loi, Maurice Dubois and us.With Mr. Grausman and Chef Boulud hearing some French cooking tips.Here we are with Chef Bill Telepan, who owns Telepan and runs a program in New York called wellness in schools. His restaurant is right near where we used to live.This was yellow risotto with salmon and yellowtail and caviar with seaweed on top. So “buttery” good.Left to Right: Maurice Dubous, Richard Grausman, Lyla, Daniel Boulud, Emily (me).Enjoying Sarabeth’s banana cream dessert.
Before you sign off, watch these 3 fun videos – the “Hit Me” Cake, Sea Grill’s Sushi Bar and Lyla eating sushi.
