Table to Table, New Jersey’s first and most successful food rescue organization will be honoring legendary chef Michel Nischan at this week’s annual Gala. Each year, Table to Table honors a prominent chef based on their culinary excellence as well as support of our mission.
Michel Nischan is a four-time James Beard Award winning chef with over 40 years advocating for a more healthful, sustainable food system. Chef Nischan is an active thought leader encouraging everyone in America to exercise their right to feed themselves and their families well, regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or economic condition.
At the sold-out event, Nischan will be feted by an all-star lineup of toques for the 2022 edition of it Chefs Gala, taking place on Wednesday, September 21st at Edgewood Country Club at 6:30pm. Now in its 22nd year, the chefs will prepare a culinary feast where top chefs and restaurateurs from NYC and NJ prepare a five-course menu just for Table to Table. The menu also includes curated wines paired with each delicious course. Among the highlights of the annual event is a one-of-a-kind LIVE auction conducted by celebrity auctioneer, Nicholas Lowry (as seen on Antiques Roadshow).
This year’s Table to Table Chefs Gala lineup includes several returnees that have given tirelessly of their time and talent:
Internationally acclaimed celebrity Chef David Burke is a trustee and supporter of Table to Table since its inception 20+ years ago and the 2021 Chefs Gala Honoree. A familiar guest on Top Chef, his awards and honors are too numerable to list. The executive chef of NYC’s legendary River Café at just 26 years of age, Chef Burke has evolved as an author, inventor, and businessman. Known as “The Culinary Prankster” for his artful innovation, Chef Burke currently heads Burke Hospitality Management, which owns and operates numerous award-winning restaurants.
TV personality and James Beard award-winning chef, Rocco DiSpirito, has dedicated his life to proving that healthy and delicious are not mutually exclusive. DiSpirito’s love of food began at a young age, learning from Mama who could make magnificent dishes using only a handful of real foods. By the time he turned 20, Chef DiSpirito was working in the kitchens of legendary chefs around the globe. His 3-Star restaurant, Union Pacific, was a NYC culinary landmark.
For nearly 3 decades, Peter X. Kelly has set the standard for dining in NY State, operating critically acclaimed restaurants in the Hudson Valley. Restaurants in his Xaviars Restaurant Group have all received popular praise and the industry’s most coveted awards and accolades. Featured in numerous national publications, and invited to cook at The James Beard House, Chef Kelly will always be remembered for beating Bobby Flay in Iron Chefs America Battle Cowboy RibEye.
Visionary chef John Mooney promotes sustainability in the kitchens and on the aeroponic rooftop gardens of Bell, Book & Candle in NYC and Bidwell in Washington, DC. As a native of Chicago, John Mooney’s early years were spent absorbing the rich diversity of cultures from the restaurants in his neighborhood. This passion for food not only led him into a career in the culinary arts but also on a quest to explore the deeper connection between organic produce and the consumer.
After receiving a Michelin star and 3-stars in the New York Times for his creative, flavorful cooking at Oceana in NYC, Chef Ben Pollinger opened The Hill, closer to home in Closter, NJ. With credits as an author and frequent guest on national TV shows, Chef Pollinger refined his craft cooking in legendary NYC restaurants La Côte Basque, Les Célébrités, Lespinasse, and worked in kitchen management at Tabla and Union Square Café. Previously recognized as one of NYC’s lead chefs and authorities on all things seafood, Chef Pollinger has always found time for Table to Table both at food & wine events and as a former member of the Board of Trustees.
Acclaimed chef and bestselling author Tom Valenti is a former Table to Table Chefs Gala honoree and currently the Executive Chef of Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen. Chef Valenti began working in restaurant kitchens at an early age. After gaining the attention of legendary French chef Guy Savoy, Tom worked at his signature Guy Savoy Restaurant in Paris and later was hired as Sous Chef for Gotham Bar + Grill. Later, Tom teamed up with Alison Becker to open Alison on Dominick, Tom’s breakout opportunity as Executive Chef. Later, he opened his signature restaurant, Ouest and then ‘Cesca. Soon after, Tom became the Executive Chef of Le Cirque.
Table to Table, NJ’s first and most successful food rescue organization, collects fresh and perishable food which would otherwise be wasted and delivers it to organizations that serve people experiencing hunger in Bergen, Hudson, Essex, and Passaic counties in Northeastern NJ. We bring rescued fresh, nutritious food to 200+ partner organizations including, social service organizations, pantries, shelters and fresh produce markets and centralized distribution hubs. Food is provided free of charge. Through this, we touch a diversity of those in need, including families, children, veterans, and older adults, making good nutrition accessible while serving as a stimulus for other longer-term benefits. Table to Table raises all its own funds annually, and last year delivered enough food for 38 million meals. Lear more at their website.
