On July 1st, Martha’s Vineyard is going to see a culinary event unlike any other — Summer Bounty. Chef Scott Cummings is bringing six award winning chefs to Down Island restaurant in Oak Bluffs, for a chef’s dinner that will be unforgettable.
Summer Bounty features seven courses, with two seatings. Each course has been selected by the guest chef, and highlights ingredients from the chef’s home restaurant location. These chefs each bring something special to the kitchen, their own cooking techniques and flavor combinations.
To have six talented visiting chefs and chef Cummings, all cooking in one kitchen, is sure to produce culinary magic. These are chefs that have been mentors or inspirations for Cummings, and what an honor to host them, here on Martha’s Vineyard, in his kitchen.
Chef Cummings believes this is the time to bring such a special dinner to the Island. There is a “food explosion” happening here. Where once there might have been one or two notable chefs, now there are several, and these chefs are working together to create an elevated food scene. They’re working hard to break the stereotype of a fried food and “chowder slinging” Island.
In case you are not a chef geek, let me break it down, and hopefully impress you and make you hungry.
What this means is that Certified Master Chef Rich Rosendale (only 67 certified master chefs in the country), who has worked with Michelin Star chefs around the country, and chef owner of Root 657 in Leesburg Virginia, will be cooking for you 48 hour short ribs with beet, orange, carrot, boo choy, shiitake peanut brittle and miso jus (6th course). You may have seen this chef on the Today Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay and CBS This Morning.
A fan of the good ole New England Clam Bake? Chef Anthony Cole, executive chef at the restaurants at the Chatham Bars Inn Restaurants in Chatham, MA, has an impressive culinary career, including a 12 year career with the Ritz Carlton Company.
His favorite food to work with is fresh sea food from Cape Cod, and his take on the Clam Bake with lobster, little neck clams, smoked ale, linguica, sapphire, and onion is sure to be memorable. A lot different from the Sunset Dinners you find in Menemsha.
Wondering if one of the chef’s will bring something a little more exotic to Summer Bounty? Well, chef Drew Garms, recently named 2017 American Culinary Federation’s Southeast Region Chef of the Year, will be cooking up frog legs.
Crispy Loxahatchee Frog Legs, from Loxahatchee, FL, will be served with summer squash and nasturtium vinaigrette. Now I myself have not had frog legs since the 1990’s, what a treat to have this classic southern dish prepared by an award winning chef. Chef Garms is the chef de cuisine at The Palm Terrace Restaurant at The Everglades Club, Palm Beach, Florida.
Chef Matthew Peters, who just recently won the gold medal for America in the Bocuse D’Or, the culinary olympics, held in France. This is like the olympics in the culinary world, and it’s the first time America has one. WOW!
Chef Peters has also worked at Per Se in NYC. He will be presenting the 5th course, Heritage Chicken. This carefully raised chicken will be wrapped in brioche, served with mixed seeds, cucumber, wild mushrooms, and onions. If he can win the Bocuse D’Or, I can only imagine what his food will be like.
Those are just four of the courses from the list of incredibly talented chefs, a tease of what to expect. In addition, Brandon Carter, the executive chef and partner at FARM, Bluffton, SC, Robert Sisca the executive chef of G Hospitality, RI & MA (including Garde East in Vineyard Haven, also Scott’s good friend, and of course our host, Scott Cummings, the executive chef at Celestial Restaurant Group (Down Island & 20byNine), will be in the kitchen creating signature, inspiring dishes.
The goal is to have Summer Bounty be an annual event, showcasing the talents of award winning chefs and the talent of Martha’s Vineyard. This event gives foodies the opportunity to experience incredible food with an intimate setting, a truly special, memorable meal.
Might some say that it has a pricey ticket, $165 per person, not including drinks, yes, but it is almost a priceless evening because of all of the talent found in one kitchen. Also, it is quite the undertaking for Scott and Celestial Restaurant Group to host five of the chefs.
Seating is limited, to get your ticket to this incredible event, click here.
You can learn more about the host of Summer Bounty, Down Island, on Facebook. And don’t forget to “Like” us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Linked In, Google+, Pinterest and Youtube.