Chef Allen Susser is regional spokesperson and chair of Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Miami.

Speak up!

Average rating based on 3 reviews.

What you said

17

danbrody

Posted on Fri, 07.25.2008 @ 10:48

Thank you SamuRad for your constructive criticism. I know I'm not exactly James Joyce with the word-making up-age, but I believe I have coined a phrase or two in my time and 'celebuchef' (along with more well-known word-like items like 'Sumtain')is one of them. I have more or less beaten it to death over the past year, and it is very gratifying that one of my readers finally freakin' noticed. You are the best! ... Read more

Report Abuse

---

20

MaryFisher

Posted on Fri, 07.25.2008 @ 10:36

Yeah, why can't this guy sound like everybody else?

Report Abuse

---

11

SamuRad

Posted on Wed, 07.23.2008 @ 20:23

Good story but poor word choices. For example, celebuchef? If you are going to coin a word, make it prettier, easier on the tongue, and more logical. And, especially, try to invent it only if necessary. There is already a term in use that would have fit better: celeb chef. You could have said, "laden with celeb chefs" or "heavy with celebrity chefs." "Celebuchef" somehow sounds like a cross between celery, butt, and chef. Also, "... longest-standing chef" sounds like the poor guy needs a chair. "The chef who has been with the event the longest" would have made more sense. And by referring to Chef Vallès as "late" you make it sound as if he died. "Recently a part of..." or "who was executive chef with..." would have been better choices. In brief, the last quote, should have been your guide as well. Keep it simple; avoid the contrived cuteness. Please don't be offended by my critique.... Read more

Report Abuse

See more reviews

Annual events:

Chowing for charity: Taste of the Nation

Member rating:

• Print
• Share
• Save to profile
•  
•  
•  
• Speak up

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Email
• menéame
• Digg
• Yahoo! Buzz
• del.icio.us
• MySpace
• StumbleUpon
• Reddit
• Google Bookmarks
• Yahoo Bookmarks

By Danny Brody

The 21st annual celebuchef-heavy Taste of the Nation takes place July 24th at the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, to benefit Share Our Strength, a charity that fights childhood hunger. More than 35 top Miami chefs, including Michael Schwartz of Michael's Genuine Food & Drink, Dewey LoSasso of North One10, Allen Susser of Chef Allen's and Cindy Hutson of Ortanique on the Mile, will join chef George Fistrovich of the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne's restaurants to care and feed the huge crowds that love to be wowed by great food and wine -- and plenty of both. Of course, there will also be live music and silent and live auctions, but the emphasis, as always, will be on sampling as many different star chefs' dishes as possible. All, as they say, for a good cause.

"This is my third year doing this event," says Chef Fistrovich, who has spent time in Singapore, London, China, Paradise Island's Atlantis resort and South Beach (to help launch the Delano in 1995) and is currently concentrating on Dune Oceanfront Burger Lounge, a new outdoor "cantina" on the Atlantic. "It's always an exciting time. Especially working with Chef Allen," the event's longest-standing chef.

The theme this year is eco-friendly everything, including on-site recycling, biodegradable plates and utensils and free valet parking for hybrid cars. "We've always tried to be a little more on the forefront than more traditional Ritz-Carltons," says Fistrovich. "For example, at Dune, we serve an organic burger with organic gorgonzola cheese from Oregon. We use heirloom tomatoes from Florida and we even fly in our hot dogs from Allen Brothers in Chicago." Another nice touch for the chef that diners may not even notice is his new custom made "smart" grill, which Fistrovich describes as magical. "It is not just heavy-duty, it is also quite good-looking," he laughs about his new gadget.

Fistrovich also has tech-savvy chef Jordi Vallès, late of molecular gastronomy guru Ferrán Adrià's kitchen, as his executive chef. Vallès's own Miami venture, Mosaico, was, many feel, opened (and shuttered) way before its time. "Jordi is pretty phenomenal," says Fistrovich. "But it is really hard on a sustainable basis here in Miami to keep people entertained. You need a real special kind of clientele for support. Do we use the techniques [of molecular gastronomy] as an accent, as an amenity? Absolutely. Those chefs, like Adrià or Grant Achatz of Chicago, are real specialists. I don't know how much experimentation we can do in front of 700 people!" he laughs.

"Simple but well-executed will usually make it every time," says the chef of Taste of the Nation. But that doesn't mean there won't be any surprises.

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Miami, July 24th at the Ritz-Carlton, Key Biscayne, 455 Grand Bay Dr, Key Biscayne

Published: 7/08