great chefs dinner

I woke up to rain and thunderstorms 

on Saturday morning.

John was in Georgia

getting Lyons ready 

for Cross Country Camp

and 

I was firmly

ensconced

on my couch.

I snuggled with the dogs

and watched

"We Bought a Zoo"

which made me cry.

By the time John returned 

in the late afternoon,

I had no desire

 in the world

to go

anywhere.

However,

we had tickets to the

 Great Chefs Dinner

at Hayground School

so

I gently reminded myself 

that you only regret the things

you don't do.

We decided to brave the dark and stormy night

and drove to Bridgehampton.

As so often happens,

I was happy I went.

The night began

under the white tent

where we were treated to

 delicious tasting stations

and an art auction.

I was so excited to meet

Eric Ripert

as we both stood in line

for Wolffer Rose'.

Later,

we made our way to 

the VIP Dinner

in Jeff's Kitchen.

It was so amazing to hear stories about

Jeff Salaway,

the beloved partner

of Nick & Toni's.

Jeff passed away tragically 

eleven years ago,

leaving his wife

and two young children.

Jeff's Kitchen is his legacy.

It is at the Hayground School

where students 

grow their own food

and prepare lunch 

every day.

The Chefs Dinner

raised money to build

Jeff's Kitchen

and supports

the Jeff Salaway Scholarship.

Every year,

the best chefs 

from New York

come out to support this event.

There are too many to list,

but you can see them 

here.

Dinner was amazing ~

from the cheese tray

before dinner ~

to the unveiling of the 

Barefoot Contessa's new 

sticky toffee date cake

for dessert.

We were able to 

watch the chefs

prepare dinner

on large flat screen tv's.

and observe them

in the open kitchen.

We enjoyed getting to know

the group 

at our table.

And
as the evening came to a close,

I was glad

I hadn't stayed 

on the couch.