Palm Beach Galas 2018

Palm Beach Wine Auction: All Things Gourmet

PALM BEACH, Fla. – Among the elegant jewelry, rare wines and exciting trips up for auction, it was the “Dinner of the Century” – offered on the spot – that drew the highest bid at the seventh annual Palm Beach Wine Auction benefitting the Kravis Center’s education programs.

Donated by Margareth Henriquez, House of Krug president and CEO, the eight-course meal, prepared by a chef in the winning bidder’s home, and paired with Krug’s finest vintages, was snapped up for $65,000.

The offering was part of an evening featuring gourmet food prepared by prominent chefs, specially selected wines and an auction directed by Michael Troise, retired auction director for NY Wines/Christie’s Fine and Rare Wine Department.

Over the past 21 years, the Kravis Center’s education programs have served nearly 2 million children. Ted Mandes founded and chaired the Palm Beach Wine Auction, which since its inception has raised more than $2 million for the programs.

Among the items up for bid was a Rolex Yacht-Master II donated by Mayors Jewelers, which fetched $15,000, and an 18kt yellow gold Peretti bone cuff and cabochon green jade ring, from Tiffany & Co., which went for $12,500.

In addition to the dinner from Henriquez, the other unlisted lot, which attracted the second-highest amount in “bids” at $55,000, were underwriting opportunities to send area kids to the Kravis Center’s camps and other education programs.

Other popular lots included cases and magnums of rare and special wines as well as tours and tastings at Colgin Cellars IX Estate in Napa Valley; a day with VIP stops courtesy of Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Rudd Vineyards and Pride Mountain Vineyards; a Louis XIII Connoisseur’s Journey with an overnight stay to experience the King of Cognacs at its birthplace; a “best of Montreal” package for four, with a three-night stay at the Omni Mont Royal Hotel; and dinner for 12 at the James Beard House in New York City.

Several prominent chefs were on hand overseeing the gourmet meal.

When guests were seated, they were served an amuse-bouche of sunchoke tart with house smoked Verlasso salmon, pink peppercorn crème fraîche and micro arugula prepared by Douglas Katz, from Cleveland’s Fire Food and Drink.

That was followed by the first course, prepared by Andrew Carmellini, from The Dutch at W South Beach, of Hamachi with muscadine jus, celery, pine nuts and nasturtium. Zach Bell from Boca Raton’s Addison Reserve Country Club and chef Lindsay Autry teamed for the second course, open blue cobia with flavors of Provence and gratin of celery root and Florida stone crab.

The entrée, prepared by Mar-a-Lago’s Aaron Fuller, was a porcini-crusted prime beef tenderloin and burgundy braised beef cheek accompanied by truffle parsnip purée, candied fennel, cipollini and confit tomato. Chicago Omni Hotel’s Joshua Hasho prepared a cheese course with Mindoro smoked gorgonzola profiterole, triple cream panna cotta, beet variations and ursinus major aged sheep’s milk with charred cashew butter.

The dessert was a creation by Mar-a-Lago’s Graham Randall – pistachio and white chocolate pavé with crème chantilly, strawberry gelato and pistachio sabayon. As they left for the evening, guests received a send-off at the valet station from Randall of fried cinnamon doughnuts and a shot of warm chocolate bisque.

The sommelier team for the program was Jenny Benzie, Kirk Baker, Trish Sawyer and Brian Chamis.

Guests included Nicole and Cressman Bronson, Steve Brown and Jamie Stern, Steve Colanero and Mariann Tenaglia, Amos Dare and Maria Marchetti, Yves de Launay, Lesley and Brad Dubner, Margaret and Ed Dudnyk, Ed Fischer, Henni and John Kessler, Judy Mitchell, Monika and John Preston, Justus Reid, Carolyn and Richard Sloane, Rusty Staub, Agnes and Jeffrey Stoops, Kathryn and Leo Vecellio, Lesley and Bruce Zafran.

Sponsors of the Jan. 30, 2014, evening were Madeline and Roderic Fink, Barbara and Jerome Golden, Steven M. Gottlieb and Laurie Raber-Gottlieb, Chris N. Kritikos, Stacey and Mark Levy, Rochelle and Craig Menin with Menin Development, Inc., Jane M. Mitchell, Park Foundation, PNC Wealth Management, Lewis M. Schott, Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein, Tiffany & Co. (Gina and Jeff Sabean), and Classical South Florida Radio.

For information, visit www.PalmBeachWineAuction.org or call (561) 651-4320.

Photos by Corby Kaye’s Studio Palm Beach.