Team Gleason

Last year some Chef friends and I donated a five course dinner as a charity auction item to benefit Steve Gleason, a friend of my husband's and former New Orleans Saints Safety/Special Teams player. Two years ago at age 34, Steve was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This devastating neurodegenerative disease affects the body's nerve cells controlling the body's muscles and moves at a rapid pace, leaving patients unable to talk or walk. Two weeks ago my Chef friends and I were able to cook that dinner for the auction winner and their friends and I have to say it was one of the best times I've had cooking.

The best part of the dinner was knowing that the proceeds went to provide Steve with technology and equipment that allows him to move and talk using the movement of his eyes, allowing him to communicate with his wife, Michel, and son, Rivers.



The second best part was the food, of course! And the company. Chefs Colin Sako, Mitchell Frieder, Andy Pastore and I cooked a mean meal together and the guests were a blast. Here's the menu:

The night started off with the dumplings and hamachi which was gorgeous. With a bun in oven I'm forbidden to eat raw fish so I was weeping inside knowing I couldn't taste the dish in full. I mean, don't Japanese people eat raw fish while pregnant, like Europeans eat soft cheese? 

The second course of seared scallops and truffle puree, milk skin and salsify. Prior to this night, I had never prepped or eaten salsify (I'm a sweets girl, you know?) and two seconds into peeling it, I knew why my "friend" had asked me to prep it. It's disgusting, sticky and my fingernails were black all night. Look it up - it doesn't look delicious. But when prepped and cooked (by someone else), I could eat bowls of it. It's like a cross between an artichoke and a tender potato. The truffle purée that went with it wasn't too shabby either. 

Next came squab with a bellini sauce, corn pudding, oyster mushrooms and cippolini onion. You can't see the corn pudding which is a crime because it may be my favorite food of 2013. You think you've had corn pudding before but you haven't until you've made Grant Achatz's version. Seriously, I'm making it every time guests come over. And don't even get me started on the bellini sauce. It's like grown up apple sauce....except that it's made from pears.  

Then came the Surf 'n Turf - roast veal, soft shell crab, sweetbreads and fava bean succotash. I'm not really a veal lover, (ethics and all you know?) but that went out the door because this version was insanely delicious and tender. Maybe the best I've ever had. 

At this point, our guests were maxed out on meat (one even said she may go vegetarian after the night's dinner) so a light dessert of olive oil citrus cake, compressed melon and cucumber sorbet was served. Just enough sweetness and fruitiness to act as dessert and a mild palate cleanser. 

Mignardises followed which is a plate of small dessert bites to end the night with and I totally forgot to take a picture of it. It was full of sweets, but just little bites so the sugar wasn't overwhelming. Chocolate shortbread, blood orange pate de fruit, fleur de sel caramels, a honey bourbon marshmallow and pigmints. 

The night was so special and we would do it all over again a million times. When you have the time, please hop over to Team Gleason's site and watch some footage on the amazing spirit Steve is. Some people, when faced with adversity and a devastating diagnosis, choose to surrender. Steve, on the other hand, has found a light and beauty in the situation and he and his family are truly inspiring. 

A huge thank you goes out to the vendors that donated all of the food we cooked that evening - Premier Meats, International Marine Products and West Central Produce. An even bigger thank you to the winners of the auction item, Brooke and Jimmy, for not only bidding so generously but opening their gorgeous home to us. And a big thanks to the coordinators of the auction and dinner - Bart, Tom, Rachel, Sarah, Kimmy and Brooke (and many others) - we made it happen! And of course, my Chef friends, who volunteered without even blinking an eye. I'm humbled and honored to have such talented and generous friends. Can't wait to do it again!