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Chef2chef: Bistro Benefit - Bistro Benefit |
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Written by Erin Frustaci
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Wednesday, 09 August 2006 |
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Page 2 of 6
MEET THE CHEFS
These eight chefs converge in Windsor to prepare an eight-course meal for the third annual Chef2Chef benefit dinner Aug. 15. The event, which costs $150 per dinner, sold out quickly, organizer Florian Werhli said. Though attending the benefit dinner is out, check out the Chimney Park Bistro, open daily, at 406 Main St., Windsor. Make reservations by calling 686.1477.
JENNIFER GORDON
Lancashire, England
Day job: Group development chef
Chef Jennifer Gordon follows in her daddy’s steps by winning prizes in many pastry and chocolate competitions. Gordon resides in Lancashire, England, where she works as a group development chef for a small company. She graduated with honors from Humber College Chef apprenticeship program and completed her training in Ontario’s Relais & Chateaux. Some of her hobbies include rugby and market shopping.
JEAN DENHAM
Foresthill, Calif.
Day job: Chef at Forest Hill Lodge
Chef Jean Denham got a late start in reaching her culinary dream. After 60 years, she realized cooking had always been her passion and it was time to take action. Denham is now the Apprenticeship Chairwoman for the Capitol City’s Chef’s Association, a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, and a member of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs. She cooks at the Forest House Lodge in Foresthill, Calif. She enjoys vineyard/herb gardening and visiting wineries on occasion.
MICHAEL ELSNER
High Points, N.C.
Day job: Executive chef at Radisson Hotel
Chef Michael Elsner, the executive chef of the Radisson Hotel in High Points, N.C., is known for his innovative dishes. He has cooked for five U.S. presidents and many celebrities at the National Black Theatre Festival, The Crosby and The Vantage golf tournaments. He has also appeared on television and radio programs and has been profiled in several cooking magazines. He is passionate about helping prepare the next generation of chefs. In his free time, Elsner likes woodworking, metal working and landscaping.
DAVID NELSON
Colorado Springs
Day job: Founder of Chef2Chef.net
In addition to enjoying a long, successful career, Chef David Nelson is also credited with starting Chef2
Chef.net, a culinary portal with more than 750,000 pages and about 650,000 visitors a month. Nelson knew he wanted to be a chef at a young age. He attended Johnson and Wales Culinary Institute in 1977. As a certified instructor, he has taught courses in resort management at Colorado Mountain College, taught cooking classes and given seminars. The award-winning chef now resides in Colorado Springs with his wife Pamela.
FLORIAN WEHRLI
Windsor
Day job: Executive chef and Chimney Park Bistro co-owner
Chef Florian Wehrli, executive chef and co-owner of Chimney Park Bistro in Windsor, prides himself on the use of both local and international ingredients. He received classical culinary training in Switzerland, where he was born and raised. Wehrli has worked as head chef for top-ranked Zagat Guide restaurants in Las Vegas and New York City and has also worked with Jean-Louis Palladin and Andre Rochat. In 2004, Wehrli won the “Steel Chef” competition at the Taste of Fort Collins. If he could only eat two foods for the rest of his life, they would be chocolate and cheese.
BOB BALLANTYNE
Grand Junction
Day job: Chef de cuisine at Cowboy and The Rose Catering
Chef Bob Ballantyne’s cooking career spans 26 years, running the gamut from pot washing to head chef. Ballantyne, the chef de cuisine, handles menu development for The Cowboy and The Rose Catering of Grand Junction. He specializes in unusual events for couples and groups and often packs whole kitchens into remote locations. He volunteers at a Grand Junction soup kitchen once a month and encourages other professionals to get involved. He recently coordinated the first Chef2Chef fundraising event in Grand Junction and plans on making it an annual event.
JUNE JACOBS
Jersey City, N. J.
Day job: Chef, author, proprietor of feastivals.com, club leader
Chef June Jacobs of Jersey City, N.J., is the proprietor of www.feastivals.com and president and executive chef of Feastivals, food and wine consultants. As an active chef, Jacobs is co-leader of the Northern New Jersey Convivium of Slow Food, corresponding secretary of the New York Association of Culinary Professionals and an active member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of “Feastivals Cooks at Home” and conducts food and wine focused tours wherever her travels take her, including New York City, Napa Valley and Sonoma County, Calif., and France.
MICHAEL POLCYN
St. Louis
Day job: Food Outreach and chef de cuisine
After 30 years in the hotel industry, Chef Michael Polcyn works for Food Outreach, a nonprofit organization that provides nutrition and nutritional support for members of the St. Louis community that have cancer, AIDS or are HIV positive. He also works at the Ladue Racquet Club as chef de cuisine, catering upscale parties and dinners. Polcyn has cooked for President H.W. Bush, August Busch III, of Anheuser Busch, Ray Charles, Billy Joel and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. As a member of the Chefs de Cuisine Association, Polcyn partners with Share our Strength and Operation Foodsearch by teaching nutrition and preparation skills to clients and at-risk teenagers.
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