Lawn party throwing in the linen napkin
The shocking cancellation of the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne summer charity gala — revealed by sources and first reported on nypost.com on Wednesday — stunned and saddened leading food-world professionals.
Veteran Hamptons restaurant marketing specialist Steve Haweeli said, “Twenty-nine years is a long run, but things change within organizations let alone markets. It was a great event. I’m surprised at this development.”
“Everything has a natural life cycle and it’s good to leave the party when it’s at its height,” said Rotisserie Georgette owner Georgette Farkas, who’s had a table at the glamorous event under a tent in Sagaponack, LI, for several years.
The Beard Foundation “is putting their brain power in the right place,” Farkas said of Chief Executive Clare Reichenbach’s new focus on food-industry issues such as sustainability, treatment of women and childhood nutrition.
Chefs & Champagne, known as C&C, was a July institution and a “must-attend” for Big Apple and East End restaurant-goers. Even some pencil-thin Hamptons socialites broke their lettuce-only regimens to sip cups of gazpacho.
Celebrities such as Richard Gere, Kim Cattrall, Star Jones and Martha Stewart and top toques, including Daniel Boulud, Bobby Flay and Thomas Keller, flocked to the bash, where New York-area chefs whipped up tasty morsels for guests who paid $200 to $375 for tickets.
Last year’s event at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard was guest-hosted by Padma Lakshmi. Participating Manhattan restaurants included the Rainbow Room and Bar SixtyFive, Aquavit, Untitled at the Whitney, Sen Sakana, Don Angie and Benoit.
Although no money changed hands between the foundation and participating restaurants, the event raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Beard-designated charities and brought the eateries precious exposure.
James Beard Foundation reps didn’t return calls.