PA Eats was a proud media sponsor of Meals on Wheels Delaware’s 16th Annual Meals from the Masters Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch.
Meals On Wheels Delaware is a nonprofit organization working with five meal-providing agencies and thousands of volunteers from corporations and civic, religious and community groups. Together, the program provides and delivers meals every day to almost 4,000 homebound seniors. On Sunday, April 21, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m., the 16th Annual Meals from the Masters Celebrity Chefs’ Brunch unfolded at Hercules Plaza in Wilmington, DE.
Hercules Plaza was recently renovated and the Meals on Wheels Celebrity Brunch was the first event to take place in the new space. This office building’s atrium was the perfect setting for such a grand affair, especially with the glorious morning sunlight streaming through the 12 story windows.
The brunch featured 25 acclaimed chefs from Philadelphia, the United States and Canada, each presenting a singular dish to dazzle party-goers. Each chef not only conceived a plate for the event, but also was in attendance preparing every bite in plain view. These chefs did not disappoint, all putting forth delicious and intriguing bites, while putting on a show behind their culinary stations. Every so often the chefs lifted their heads up from the hard work to appreciate the satisfied looks on our faces and rewarded us with a smile.
Standout dishes of the day included Colorado lamb breakfast sausage with red pepper jam and ricotta served in a sweet potato biscuit prepared by Brandon Foster from Vesta Dipping Grill and Drew Hardin from Lola, both based in Denver, Colorado. This creation combined multiple taste sensations: sweet in contrast with savory and creamy versus crunch, all put together on one plate leading to complete satisfaction.
Also representing Denver were Wolfgang Puck–trained Jeff Osaka from Twelve Restaurant and Top Chef contestant Tyler Wiard representing Elway’s Cherry Creek. They were among the hardest working chefs, manning an immersion circulator to cook a perfect 147 degree egg that was served with duck confit hash, bacon red onion conserva, and topped with a foie gras Hollandaise sauce. This was easily my favorite dish of the day, combining the artistry of intricate chef skills with a straight up delectable dish. Don’t tell, but I had seconds.
Hometown chef Daniel Stern of R2L composed a dish that was a play on perennial Philly favorite, scrapple. The scrapple was not traditional at all; rather, it was made of seasoned vegetables, barley, grits, oatmeal and berries and was topped with lump crab meat in Louis dressing and a pepper jelly. This highly refined yet whimsical dish was certainly not your typical PA Dutch breakfast.
Also representing the Delaware Valley was Matthew Ridgway of PorcSalt fame. Chef Ridgway took his popular red wine bacon from his charcuterie and rendered the fat along with onions to include in a housemade brioche. This smoky yet light and airy bread hid a surprise poached egg in the center.
When I surveyed PA Eats team in attendance, easily the favorite dish of the day was the dessert conceived by Francois Gagnon from Lunch Insolite in Montreal, Quebec. He presented an oat and cinnamon fry dough with currant jelly, smoked Quebec pork belly, served with a peanut butter and maple sabayon and Meyer lemon marmalade coulis. It doesn’t get any better than bacon and doughnuts!
Of course we had to wash down all of these tasty dishes with the requisite brunch Bloody Mary concocted at the make-your-own bar with all the fixings. Additionally, refreshing grapefruit crushes, Bacardi mojitos and Moscato strawberry lemonade were served. For the brew lovers there was a beer station presenting local favorites like 16 Mile Brewing Company’s (Georgetown, DE) Harvest and Old Court Ales and Twin Lakes Brewing Company’s (Greenville, DE) Greenville Pale Ale.
It was a sincere honor to be able to eat so well at an event designed to raise funds to feed those who aren’t as fortunate. Please consider attending one of the many yearly Meals on Wheels Delaware events so homebound seniors will know that a freshly prepared meal will be delivered daily.
Photographs credited to Nina Lea Photography. View more scenes from the celebrity brunch here.
