CHAMBER GALA BRINGS TOP CHEFS TO HILTON HEAD
The stars of the culinary world will be out in force on Feb. 1 for the 2020 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce Ball, to be held at the Marriott Hilton Head Island Resort & Spa. The nationally recognized chefs will prepare tapas-style dishes alongside Lowcountry chefs.
Some of the notable names that will be on hand include Marc Murphy, executive chef of Landmarc restaurant in New York who also is a judge on the TV show “Chopped” and the former chef of Windows on the World; Florian Bellanger, the former pastry chef at Le Bernardin in New York and a judge on the TV show “Cupcake Wars;” and George Masraff, a Michelin-starred chef and the former culinary director at Windows on the World. Other top chefs in attendance: Arnaud Briand, Instant Eats owner and former Windows on the World chef; and Martin Doyle, chef at Suilan at the Borgata and former Windows on the World chef.
Former Windows on the World wine director Kevin Zraly also will attend the gala; his “Windows on the World Complete Wine Course” wine guide has sold more than 3 million copies. Tom Roston also will attend the gala — he is the author of “The Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World: The Twin Towers, Windows on the World, and the Rebirth of New York.”
That many guest chefs are connected to Windows on the World — the restaurant on the top of the North Tower of the original World Trade Center complex — is no coincidence.
“Chef Philippe Feret [owner of Social Bakery on Hilton Head Island] planted the seed and gathered his friends and former chefs from Windows on the World who have gone on to great success following their stints there,” said Charlie Clark, vice president of communications at the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. “These chefs have been part of some of the leading restaurants of the world.”
Feret once worked at Windows on the World but today is chef of Hilton Head Social Bakery. He will be joined at the gala by fellow local chefs Cesar Acevedo of Marriott Hilton Head Resort & Spa, Chaun Bescos of WiseGuys, Brian Coseo of Sea Pines Country Club, and Clayton Rollison of Lucky Rooster Kitchen + Bar.
This year, instead of a traditional seated dinner, guests will have less formal options including lounge-style seating for 10 with couches and chairs along the dance floor, or table groupings where chefs will continuously offer different tapas dishes to sample. The wine bar will be overseen by Zraly, while cocktails will be overseen by George Delgado, who served as the head bartender at Windows on the World.
A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit hunger relief in The Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian. To purchase tickets, go to www.hiltonheadchamber.org.
