After a four-year hiatus, the Alzheimer’s Association Rochester Finger Lakes Region Chapter will bring back its unique Top Chef Challenge at its annual gala, An Affair to Remember, on June 5. This year’s Gala will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Rochester. Funds raised will support the full mission of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Executive chefs from seven senior living communities, Rochester Institute of Technology, two BOCES locations and Custom Culinary will team with culinary arts students from Foodlink, Batavia BOCES and Spencerport BOCES to create a fine dining experience with the thrill of a reality-TV chef showdown. The chef-student teams will go head-to-head in an intense competition to win the coveted Top Chef Award from a panel of celebrity judges. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to taste all the culinary creations, vote for their favorite dish and decide who will win the People’s Choice award.
“For years I have participated in the Alzheimer’s Association’s annual spring gala but this year it will be different,” shared Stewart Putnam, celebrity judge and former national board chair. “It will be the first time that we will come together to celebrate the encouraging news of three new Alzheimer’s treatments and that the era of treatment has finally arrived!”
The eleven executive chefs will represent Episcopal SeniorLife Communities (David Watkins), Friendly Senior Living (Sarah Kelsey), the Highlands at Pittsford (Mike Wasylko), Jewish Senior Life (Gene Trotta), St. Ann’s Community (Todd Klugh), Custom Culinary (Mike Speranza), Presbyterian Home (Dan McDonald), Rochester Institute of Technology (Stacy Krebbeks) Heather Heights of Pittsford (Carrie Bardo/Andy Armstrong), Batavia BOCES (Tracy Burgio) and Spencerport BOCES (Jeffery McLean). They all bring to the Clash many years of culinary experience at casual and fine dining restaurants both locally and internationally, and a competitive spirit gained through cooking competitions.
“We as chefs feel that it is important to give back to our community and in the process help junior culinarians learn invaluable hands-on experience,” said David Kasper, Executive Chef of The Summit at Brighton. “It also makes us feel good helping charities that need it.”
The panel of celebrity judges at the event will include: Brian Mattice (executive chef, Rochester Presbyterian Home and Chef of the Year), Dino Kay (radio personality), Paul Guglielmo (Guglielmo Sauce), Amy Riposo (Rochester A List) and Stewart Putnam (past board chair, Alzheimer’s Association).
In 2019, Executive Chef Mark Alberghini from the Highlands at Pittsford and his apprentices walked away with the Top Chef award. Executive chef Debbi Maruke from Jewish Senior Life took home the People’s Choice award. Some $110,000 was raised at the 2019 Culinary Clash gala.
“We are so excited to bring back our Top Chef Challenge to this year’s gala,” said Colleen Lukasik, Rochester Finger Lakes Chapter development manager. “We have some of the region’s most notable chefs competing and we can’t wait to see what they create.”
An Affair to Remember signifies the memories we share with friends and loved ones who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, Lukasik said.
“They and their caregivers are at the heart of everything we do at the Alzheimer’s Association,” Lukasik added.
On May 15, each of the eleven competing chefs will be matched with their student apprentices at a gathering at the Summit at Brighton.
An estimated 6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. More than 11 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. More than 410,000 individuals are affected in New York state and more than 546,000 New Yorkers provide unpaid care to their loved ones who live with Alzheimer’s or another dementia.
The Alzheimer’s Association Rochester Finger Lakes Region serves a nine-county region, including Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates counties. For information, visit http://alz.org/rochesterny or call 1-800-272-3900.
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