Palm Beach Society: Wine, food, and then more wine and food. The best night ever, or what?
A peek at the future of the culinary industry was offered at this season's Ultimate Dinner Party, but one had to be at Susan and Bob Wright's house to see it.
The Wrights' home was one of nearly a dozen venues for the Children's Home Society's signature fundraiser.
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The event took place Nov. 15 and began with a communal cocktail reception for all guests at the home of Jason and Wilder Regalbuto, after which attendees broke up into smaller groups and reported to a 'host home' for a multi-course dinner prepared by a professional chef.
Or chefs for those at the Wrights' home, where the kitchen talent included future chefs from Lake Worth High School’s culinary academy, who followed the lead of professionals Chef Mike Kuckelman of Bush Brothers Provisions Co. and Chef Emmanuelle Suarez of Lake Worth High, in preparing dinner for the Wrights' guests.
"The Ultimate Dinner Party has been an integral part of our culinary program for over a decade, starting when Chef Kuckelman became a mentor for our program." said Suarez. "Our students are always thrilled to participate in this event because it provides them with the opportunity to experience high-end cooking and support an amazing cause," she said.
Other chefs participating in the fundraiser included Fernando Beltran, Marriott Palm Beach Gardens; Daniel Diaz, FineMark National Bank & Trust; Jacob Hammell, Michael Malgas, and Carl Schonacher, Boca Grove Country Club; Javier Laurie, Romel Villafranca and Corry Cascio, Stonebridge Country Club; Marco Lombardini, Admiral’s Cove Country Club; Jose Nieto and David Walker, Nosh Catering, Daniel Sayed and Jarryd Viggiano of The Falls Club; Manfred Schmidtke, president of the Palm Beach chapter of the American Culinary Federation; Chris Spitz, Ed Balboni and Ricky Espiritu; Laura Todd of Laura Ashley Catering; and Joseph Watters of Jonathan’s Landing Country Club.
Home hosts included Lee and Jeff Alderton, Brenda Callaway, Jim and Gaye Engel, Vicky and Mitch Evans, Dr. Ben and Laetitia Han, Jay Keith, Victor Moore and John J. Tatooles, Thomas C. Quick, Meredith Towsend and William Blind, and cocktail reception hosts Wilder and Jason Regalbuto.
Because nearly all those people in the house for cocktails didn't bother the Aubusson one tiny bit, apparently.
More than 150 people attended.
Proceeds benefit the Children's Home Society of Florida's family-strengthening programs in Palm Beach County, including its recently established Community Partnership Schools: Lake Worth High and John F. Kennedy Middle.
Community Partnership Schools strive to remove obstacles to learning for students by bringing together high-quality academics, health care, counseling, mentoring and more — into their own school, where they are the most comfortable.
On the front lines since 1902, CHS is the oldest and largest statewide organization devoted to helping children and families.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Ultimate Dinner Party takes place at nearly a dozen Palm Beach homes
