Chef Todd Villani
A Connection to Greece and a Passion for Fresh, Seasonal Ingredients Unite Two Chefs for a Mediterranean-Style Feast at Terre à Terre on May 19th at 7:30PM.
Todd’s culinary journeys started in Greece when he accepted a cooking post at Sani Resort – a luxury 5-star resort in Northern Greece. The resort is made up of 17 restaurants, four hotels and a marina complex that’s an attraction for Europe’s rich and famous. The resort has a huge private nature reserve that features rare plants, flowers, herbs and other edibles. The 1,000 acres is fringed by pine forests and beautiful beaches. It’s here that the kitchen staff would wander for hours picking ingredients for the evening’s dinner. And the bounty of the sea provided fresh-caught fish each day. Chef Gogo called the cuisine “New Greek” because the dishes featured a lot of fresh ingredients and imaginative ideas based on classic French cooking technique.
One of the first dishes Todd remembers preparing was a culture-bending combination of flavors and ingredients: Salmon and potato cake dressed with Dijon Crème Fraiche, on a bed of julienne carrot with pickled caper leaves and Beluga caviar.
Chef Peter Minaki
Photo Credit: Kalofagas
With these vivid memories of fresh local ingredients and a diversity of tastes, Todd enters the kitchen with chef and cookbook author Peter Minaki for an evening of good food and, in true Greek style, good stories.
Amuse: Yellow Springs Farm Feta cheese in puff pastry – Chef Todd
1st Course: Black Berkshire braised pork “gyro” – Chef Peter
2nd Course: Blue Moon Acres Farm arugula fennel and orange salad – Chef Todd
3rd Course: Charred baby octopus, smoked eggplant in tomato sauce – Chef Peter
4th Course: Elysian Fields Farm rosemary lamb, oregano roasted potato coins, crispy artichokes with mint yogurt – Chef Todd
Dessert: A Chefs’ Collaboration, Mastiha Crème brulée
The cost of the dinner is $79/person plus tax and gratuity.
Reservations can be made by calling Terre à Terre at 201.507.0500.
Terre à Terre – 312 Hackensack Street, Carlstadt, New Jersey 07072.
Cheers,
Veronique
Recent Comments