Oak & Rye a winner at Star Chefs food and beverage pairing

The second annual Star Chefs food and beverage pairing event to benefit Momentum for Health, held on Sept 21 at the Glass House in downtown San Jose, was anchored by the amazing talent of 17 local chefs from San Jose to Palo Alto. They teamed up with local beverage providers to create an afternoon of convivial culinary competition all to benefit the 65-year-old organization that provides mental health services for Santa Clara County residents.

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For three hours, over 300 attendees got to feast on culinary creativity and vote for their favorites. This was followed by a live auction, largely featuring wine and food items like chef dinners, international culinary trips, wine tasting at local wineries and more. The event raised over $250,000 this year.

Kathryn Williams, board chair for Momentum for Health, and her colleague Brenda Hammond have been producing the Star Chefs event for over 15 years under their Table for Three partnership. For the past two years, they have designated Momentum for Health as the event’s beneficiary.

This year, the People’s Choice award once again went to Jackie’s Place, a soul food restaurant in downtown San Jose that won the same award at last year’s event. This year’s winning dish by Chef Jackie Jackson was a spicy smoked brisket beef and pepper jack cheese Soul Roll served in a fried wonton wrapper, along with a fried chicken version that contained mac ’n’ cheese and collard greens, drizzled with sweet potato glaze. Both were served with Old Hillside Bourbon Whiskey sweet tea, made quite sweet to beat the heat.

A slate of professional judges included head judge Moe Rubenzahl, philanthropist and food blogger; Erica Lockheimer, a vice president at LinkedIn and founder of @humanizeher; Linda Zavoral, food writer for the Mercury News; Dustin David of Dustin David Salon in Los Gatos; Philippe Breneman, executive chef at Joie de Vivre Hospitality; and myself.

Capturing the Judge’s award, Chef Anthony Secviar of Protégé in Palo Alto set forth a rich mushroom and truffle tart topped with shredded parm that looked like snow on a lake. Served with a bright 2023 Eye Candy Pinot Noir, San Benito County, it was an excellent, sophisticated pairing.

Declared Chef’s Choice Winner for the second year in a row, Chef Ross Hanson of Oak & Rye prepared a succulent gruyere-stuffed arancini atop celery root puree, topped with Calabrian chile aioli, paired with the 2023 Common Thread Brut Rosé, Central Coast, a delightfully refreshing sparkler of Pinot Meunier and chardonnay made by local winemaker David Baird and poured by Curtis Cooke of The Champagne Bar at Tasting House Los Gatos. This acid-driven sparkler showed Champagne-level complexity in the pairing, which was also among the top six vote-getters in the People’s Choice contest.

Rounding out the top vote-getters in the People’s Choice balloting were Chef Nicola Cavicchini of Il Vigneto at Cordevalle, Alter Ego’s Chef Roberto Mendoza and Chef Adam Bortolussi of Forbes Mill.

Because Goodtimes Bar and Tasting House paired up to create a fabulous two-part tomato dish, people were unsure of how to vote. And when people get confused they often vote for something else.

Other participating Los Gatos and Saratoga restaurants included:

ASA – Chef Marcelino Hernandez and the team served up a hot, crunchy corn croquette with a fresh tomato skewer paired with a 2023 Albor Blanco by Orike Sotelo, a Spanish-style white blend of Albariño, Godello and Treixadura from Calaveras County, provided by Joseph George.

Bywater – Chef Nick LaMantia cooked up a dark creole gumbo with spicy andouille sausage that gave the 2023 Madson Wines Gamay Noir, Central Coast a run for its money.

Forbes Mill — Chef Adam Bortolussi served a tasty mole poblano made with pork cheeks, topped with queso fresco and micro cilantro on a creamy polenta cake and served with a 2022 Vaughn-Duffy Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley.

Plumed Horse – Chef Peter Armellino created a short rib and mushroom tartlet, which was paired with 2012 Doctor’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands. Poured out of magnums and showing the warmth of the vintage, it was custom-made for the Plumed Horse by winemaker Bill Brosseau of Testarossa Winery. This dish really wanted a big fat cabernet.

Tasting House — Chef Julian Silvera whipped up a foamy tomato espuma and sweet tomato sorbet to top off Alex Whiteman’s tomato carpaccio. Paired with the 2021 Mount Eden Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, a barrel-fermented lemony and savory wine that harmonized well.

In spirited bidding, the night’s winning auction item was the “Experience Italy in Saratoga – A Private Culinary and Wine Journey for 20.” Chef Ross Hanson of Oak and Rye will craft a multi-course menu inspired by Italy’s rich regional traditions, thoughtfully paired with fine Italian wines. The party will take place at Williams’ elegant hilltop estate in Saratoga.