Seattle Art Museum supporters hosted a memorable benefit event Nov. 4. Celebrated chef Mario Batali attended. Batali is the 2005 Chef of the Year Award from the prestigious James Beard Foundation. Today, he has a restaurant empire, several cookbooks, and a line of food products. He is recognized for his passion and respect for all of the great tastes and traditions of Italian cooking.
Mario’s parents Marilyn and Armando Batali, of Seattle, were instrumental in bringing Mario and SAM together. Other special guests were artist Dale Chihuly; Chef Thierry Rautureau, owner of Rover’s and Luc in Madison Park; Steve Pool; and Celebrity Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey, who created a Rosemary Mandarin Sparkle as the evening’s specialty cocktail.
More than 60 Connoisseur guests ($1,000 p.p.) arrived at 5:30 p.m. to mingle and sip with Mario while enjoying Batali-inspired hors d’oeuvers. Patrons could also have their photo taken with Mario, Dale and Thierry. At 6:45 p.m., these guests enjoyed a family-style, seated dinner in the Arnold Board Room. 70 Patron-level guests ($600 p.p.) arrived at 7 p.m. to mingle and enjoy Batali-inspired hors d’oeuvers at bite stations while live music played in the background.
At 8:30 p.m., guests joined Mario and Thierry in the Plestcheff Auditorium for a presentation moderated by Steve Poole of KOMO 4 TV. One of the questions Steve asked the chefs was which food was better, Italian or French? Both proclaimed their country of origin was the best, of course, Mario- Italy and Thierry- France. When Mario was asked by an audience member, “For your last supper, who would you dine with and what would you eat?” Mario proudly said, “My parents, and we would sail all over the world, enjoying fresh fish from the ocean and the labors of the lands whenever we docked.” The presentation was followed by live music, dancing and Dolci desserts that included Biscotti, Pana Cotta, Polenta Docle, and Zeppole.
SAM president, Colette Courtion, was the chair of this successful fundraising event. For more than 25 years, this talented group of volunteers has raised more than $5 million for a variety of programs at the Seattle Art Museum. www.seattleartmuseum.org.
Rose Dennis writes about events in Bellevue and the Greater Seattle area. She lives in Bellevue.
