Celebrity Chefs Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Geoffrey Zakarian & Michael Schulson Celebrate Savor Borgata
By Veronica Dudo
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBS) - Savor Borgata mixed together the perfect recipe—luscious libations and fantastic food served by some of the most well known chefs in the culinary world. Fans got to "sip, savor and celebrate" with their favorite world-class chefs and restaurateurs at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City.
The event showcased the resorts famous chefs and their restaurants including Wolfgang Puck (Wolfgang Puck American Grille), Bobby Flay (Bobby Flay Steak), Geoffrey Zakarian (The Water Club), Michael Mina (SEABLUE), Michael Schulson (Izakaya), Stephen Kalt (Fornelletto), Thaddeus DuBois (Borgata Executive Pastry Chef) and restaurateurs Greg and Marc Sherry along with Chef Romeo DiBona (Old Homestead Steak House).
PHOTOS: Savor Borgata At Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
From cooking demonstrations to book signings to intimate food and wine events, guests had the opportunity to spend some up close and personal time with the celebrity chefs. Even Zakarian admits the annual event—in its fifth year—is a foodie's dream come true.
"I think it's really nice! There are not a lot of events like this where you can actually say hi to a chef, take a picture, have some food and then go to their restaurant; so to have this here, is really very fortunate. It's almost like a little mini-food festival," Zakarian said.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Flay's cooking demonstration focused on holiday dishes. He showed the audience how he likes to make Turkey, Pumpkin soup and Brussels sprouts.
"I made a soup, I roasted the Turkey and the whole thing with the Turkey was that I didn't really pay that much attention to the Turkey and I wanted to make that point--it's like stop over thinking it! Just get it in the oven; it's going to be fine and then we made the Brussels sprouts which became the big deal of the day," Flay said adding, "I had a lot of people come up to me and say I picked up a lot of things for my Thanksgiving that I'm going to implement."
Schulson also had the chance to mingle with guests when he taught a sushi class at his restaurant, Izakaya at the Borgata.
"It's the second time we did it. I did it one time in Philly--it was a sushi class, the same thing and it was a good time and I always enjoy it because it's really interactive and everyone gets to learn something," he said.
"A lot of times for us chefs, you're in the kitchen, you're working, you're slaving away, but every once in a while when you get to be out front and to speak with the people and make the food right in front of them it's a totally different experience," Schulson said about the event adding, "It's really nice and you can connect with everybody so we all love it."
While at the Jersey Shore, Puck hosted a book signing in which he donated a portion of the proceeds to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. The legendary chef also spoke about a special organization that sparked his love of traveling after visiting London.
"When I was 11 there was an organization called, Save the Children which takes care of underprivileged kids and I did not grow up that rich obviously, so I was one of the kids who went there through that organization," he recalled.
"It was the most amazing experience--even for food because it was the first time I ate Cornflakes, the first time I ate a hotdog on an American Air Force base with some baked beans and I still remember the flavor of that."
While the 2012 Savor Borgata has come to a close, these famous chefs' bites are still available in their restaurants at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa.
Veronica Dudo is an award-winning journalist covering everything from breaking news to red carpet celebrity interviews. Follow her on Twitter @VeronicaDudo and Facebook.
