One of the things about chefs is that while they always know what’s going on with their fellows, it can be hard for them to take a night off and actually check out the hot new places as guests. So you can imagine that there was a little excitement at the prospect of Curtis Duffy’s newly-opened and extremely hot Grace hosting the Chefs Social in advance of the Jean Banchet Awards, given annually as a benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Upwards of 100 guests including a serious cross-section of the city’s top chefs came out to cast secret ballots for the awards, which will be given on February 8; once that duty was out of the way, they were all about catching up and checking out Curtis’ new pad and eats. Our man Huge Galdones was there; check out all the culinary stars who came out in his slideshow below.
Entering a world of treats.
Photo: ? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Prepping a baby carrot amuse.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Ryan McCaskey (Acadia) and guest.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Gary Valentine (Siebel Institute), Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat), Guiseppe Tentori (GT Fish & Oyster/BOKA) and Ben Shiller (BOKA).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Danielle Pizzutillo and Thai Dang (Embeya).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Cory Morris (Mercat a la Planxa) and guest.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Phillip Foss (EL Ideas) and Paul Virant (Vie/Perennial Virant).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Leigh Omilinsky and Greg Biggers (Cafe des Architectes).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Bites.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Chris Nugent of Goosefoot, and another chef-owner of a small place devoted to his own vision behind him.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
And another: Iliana Regan of Elizabeth.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Andrew Zimmerman (Sepia) admiring the Grace kitchen.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Like at all parties these days, eventually the guests wind up in the kitchen.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Jennifer Petrusky (Yusho).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Team ‘One Off’ sticks together as David Posey (Blackbird) chats with Lynn House (Blackbird) and Anna Shovers (the Publican)
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Matt ‘Choo’ Lipsky (Sumi Robata Bar) and his bearded compatriots never need an excuse to drink bubbly.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
And Homaro Cantu (Moto/iNG) doesn’t need any miracle berries to enjoy the hors d’oeuvres.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Grace-ious host Curtis Duffy and Phillip Foss (EL Ideas) escape the hubbub to chitchat.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Carl Shelton (BOKA) enthusiastic about his and partner Jessica Carney’s pending nuptials.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Relatively new papa Giuseppe Tentori shows off his daughter.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Bill Kim (BellyQ).
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
Chefs Social, at Grace.
Photo: Eugene (Huge) Galdones/? 2013 Galdones Photography // All Rights Reserved
