CUAISR ITNE
CHEFS’ SHOWCASE
AT THE FORT HARRISON
By Aaron R. Fodiman and Margaret Word Burnside
Photography by Noraa
The table settings at the sixth annual Chefs’ Showcase at the Fort Harrison were a preview of what was to come at this benefit
for the Children’s Home Network of Tampa and the Clearwater Community Volunteers.
The sixth annual Chefs’ Showcase
at the historic Fort Harrison in
downtown Clearwater to benefit the
Children’s Home Network of Tampa
and the Clearwater Community Volunteers
had an art theme. The dinner began with an
amuse-bouche selected by Chef Ben Rinder
of the Fort Harrison that was paired with
a creation by Fort Harrison sommelier
Luca Biancolini called a Fairy Moon Walk
shot. Entertainers Palmer Miray and Aritz
Ugarte opened the evening by singing “Be
Our Guest.”
The first course of deconstructed chicken
wings, created by Chef Rene Marquis, a
winner of the Food Network’s Cutthroat
Kitchen, was served with a Charles &
Charles Chardonnay, as Wiso Gossett,
Chaz Radle and Cal Henry sang “Foggy
Mountain Breakdown.” For the next
course, inspired by Matisse and Picasso,
170 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | JULY/AUGUST 2018
artists, become her muses as she presented
a combination of roasted duck breast, along
with crispy duck and chorizo meatballs in
ancho cherry port sauce with savory goat
cheese pudding, spinach and mushroom
ragout, zucchini and squash calabacitas and
duck chicharrones. Sommelier Biancolini
chose a 2012 Opaque Malbec to match
the hearty flavors of this dish. This fourth
course was introduced by singers Chaz
Radle and Giancarlo Nanni, who joined
Ugarte and Miray in a rousing rendition
of “Vivir Mi Vida.”
Although at this point in the dinner, the
125 guests were looking for places to lie
down and take a short nap, they listened
carefully, as Chef Bill Brown and Chef
Tim Brown (no relation) of William Dean
Chocolates disclosed how they planned
to top the previous five desserts they had
created for the previous Chefs’ Showcases.
Chef Sean Ragan of the Clearwater Beach
Wyndham Grand and Chef Zoltan Vajna
of the Fort Harrison combined marinated
white asparagus with Iberian ham, truffle
mascarpone and grits mousse, garlic butter
morels, spinach paste, micro greens and
purple asparagus shavings, which was
introduced by singers Ugarte and Miray
with “The Prayer” and enjoyed with a
2011 Chateau Sainte Michelle Meritage.
Then, while Miray performed “Never
Enough,” America’s 2017 Top Young Chef
Kevin Maier and Florida’s Top Culinary
Florida Student Chef Gianna Rivera let The
Greatest Showman inspire them to create
an intermezzo of parsnip panna cotta in
Grand Marnier apricot-orange soup with
micro lemon basil.
For our entrée, Chef Vanessa Marquis of
Core Catering let the late Diego Rivera and
his wife Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican