Chefs Serve Up A Feast For SunFest Crowd

Beef filet by “The  Meat Men ,”  braised short ribs with burgundy snails by Kovel, salt crusted halibut by English and squid salad by White were among the offerings at Mohegan Sun WineFest’s Celebrity dine Around. And the chefs like LaFrieda, Pastore, English and White did not disappoint when it came to showing off how good they are at what they do.

It was another sold-out event Saturday night as the Mohegan Sun WineFest held its Celebrity Dine Around with a who’s who of famous chefs serving up specialty entrees and desserts with wine pairings and more.

“I’ve been part of this for nine of its 10 years,” said Kim Canteenwalla, co-founder of Blau & Associates, who was preparing wasabi pea and ginger crusted tuna for the enthusiastic crowd. “It’s fun, it’s a way to show diners your best and it’s a way to run into other chefs. It’s a nice blend of social and professional.”

New to this year’s dine around was someone with West Hartford roots. William Kovel, who recently opened Boston’s famed Catalyst Restaurant, was happy to participate.

“It’s a great event,” he said as he put the finishing  on his short ribs being served with Ciroc French martinis. “And it’s for the kids, a good cause,” referring to a portion of the proceeds that was donated to the Channel 3 Kids Camp.

It wasn’t just about the food  but also about the celebrity. Chefs including Food Network’s Robert Irvine and Tuscany’s Todd English  had long lines of fans waiting to have their pictures taken with the two.

There were also plenty of fans who had heard that actress Sandra Bullock’s sister,  pastry chef Gesine Bullock-Prado was at the dine around, serving Gateau St. Swanaré Cream, a puff swan floating on a cloud of maple cotton candy.

“You can tell  they’re sisters,” said Betty Reynolds as she watched Bullock-Prado set up her display. “She is so sweet, they both are.”

For more pictures of the WineFest go here.