Chez Sophie alums to join for Paul Parker fundraiser
April 29 event for former chef-owner battling cancer
A group of chefs and others who worked over the years at the former Saratoga County restaurant Chez Sophie are getting together for a one-night reunion that will bring back some of the classic dishes from the beloved restaurant.
It is scheduled for Monday, April 29, at Dunning Street Station in Malta, which now occupies that silver diner building that was Chez Sophie’s home in the 1990s and early years of this century.
The dinner will raise money for medical and living expenses for former Chez Sophie chef-owner Paul Parker, whose late mother founded the restaurant in 1969; Parker recently began treatment for cancer of the tongue that has spread to the lymph nodes in his neck.
Cocktails and appetizers start at 5 p.m. Dinner, at 6:30 p.m., will include a menu of Chez Sophie favorites — country paté, crab cake, pea-cucumber soup, veal scallopini, duck breast with apricot and green peppercorns, as well as cheese and dessert. The meal will be cooked by Chez Sophie alums including Dominic Colose, executive chef of The Wine Bar in Saratoga and owner of Yawning Duck Culinary Services; Mark Graham, chef de cuisine at Salt & Char in Saratoga; Dominique Brialy; Nick Yusavage, executive chef at Pasta Pane in Clifton Park; Scott Ringwood of Dunning Street Station and Lake Ridge; and perhaps others who have expressed interest. Dominick Purnomo of Yono’s/dp: An American Brasserie in Albany and wine salesman Joe Armstrong of Winebow will be coordinating the wine, with Diana Murphy of Dunning Street and Chez Sophie alum Jennifer Derby Colose, plus more former servers and bar staff, providing service.
Therewillalsobea silent auction.
The price is $100 per person (add $50 for wine pairing), plus tax and tip. Reservations are mandatory and may be made starting Tuesday by calling Dunning Street Station at 518-587-2000. The restaurant is at 2853 Route 9, just south of Northway Exit 13.
See full details on Colose’s blog, https://chefsday.wordpress.com.
A Gofundme page has been set up to benefit the family — Parker; his wife, Cheryl Clark, a former journalist who previously was the Times Union’s restaurant critic; and their children, Nico, 16, and Leocadie, 13.