Team GLINT wins Cook Off!

Recently people from New Jersey, New York and elsewhere, packed La Promenade in Tenafly, New Jersey, for a fun and festive charity event, hosted by the Post 21 Club. The competition was for 15 teams, to prepare a food dish, to be judged by a panel of experts based upon Presentation, Taste and Theme (each event has a theme, this year’s theme was GREEN).

The huge kitchen with at least 6 full functional works stations was in full swing.  Two heats compete, meaning the first half of the afternoon consists of half the teams entering the Cook Off, and two hours later, the last half take of the teams take over the kitchen….Sharply at 6:00pm, all work is stopped and the judges huddle until they pick a 5^th place winner, 4^th, 3^rd, 2^nd and finally First Prize…….

The drama built during the announcements of each winner with a discussion of their prepared dishes (each tray consisted of five plated masterpieces, which was presented and served to the judges) While the crowds enjoyed tasting all the dishes as well, each team prepared for an army of hungry guests.  Mr. Leeds (Harvey Leeds of Live Nation) is both co-host and moderator who provided the guests with a full array of wines, beer and soda/water refreshments, to also include a table of delicious appetizers and salads…

As the drama built, I was struck by the intro speech, as Mr. Leeds told the story of a close friend of his, two years ago, suggested he meet “this kid, who had a band” – something Harvey hears all the time.  After a year of pleading and calling by the bands manager, finally Harvey drove to their studio for a quick listen, after all, he couldn’t any longer duck these persistent calls. As the story goes, he sat down in the studio and the band played.   As Harvey says, “the band blew his socks off” and the rest is history in the making, as a coincidence, the first place winner was Team GLINT (the name of the band) and the manager of Glint that made all those phone calls, is now partners with Harvey in the future of Glint and the proud winner the first place winner in the cook off………Adam Blankfort, with his team of Caroline Walker and Tom McArdle, who this time, blew everybody’s socks off with a awesome presentation of baby lamb chops, over mashed potatoes and edamame with asparagus sticking straight up like a forest.