Symphony of Chefs Fine Dining Event will Fund Children’s Music Therapy Initiatives in North Texas.

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb. 1, 2013 - The KidLinks Foundation – a nonprofit that has been improving the emotional and physical needs of children by directly funding therapeutic music programs in North Texas for more than a decade– is hosting its third annual “Symphony of Chefs” fine dining event on February 25, 2013. Symphony of Chefs is pleased to announce that award-winning chefs John Franke (Velvet Taco, Whiskey Cake) will be returning to the event for a second year and Patrick Russell (MAX’S Wine Dive) will join the event for the first time. These chefs, along with many others from Dallas and Fort Worth, have agreed to donate their time, talent and food to this worthy cause.

Symphony of Chefs attendees will experience an evening of fine dining with each chef preparing a five-course dinner tableside exclusively for a table of 10 guests. The chefs will create their own menu, select complementing wines, and interact with table guests while preparing their gastronomical masterpiece. Music for the evening will be provided by the Dallas Chamber Symphony.

All proceeds from the event will be used to fund several North Texas therapeutic music programs for children that are critically ill or have developmental delays. These organizations include Children’s Medical Center Music Therapy Program, SMU/Hugworks Music Therapy Program, Cook Children’s Medical Center, Ft. Worth, and Hurst-based Hugworks. Co-chairs of this year’s Symphony of Chefs are Bonnie & Nathan Shea and Kaari & Jim Wicklund.

Chef John Franke’s first culinary position in Dallas was as the Sous Chef for the Zodiac Room at Neiman Marcus’ flagship location, later becoming the Chef de Cuisine of the Fresh Market Café on street level. John then moved to Chicago to work as the Executive Sous Chef for the high end seafood restaurant Nick’s Fishmarket.

John moved back to Texas in order to take on the role of the Concept Chef for Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen. He oversaw the new menu item rollouts and food production for their Dallas restaurants, and others across the West and Southwest United States. He also served as their Research and Development Chef in Houston. In 2008, John moved back to Dallas to join forces with Front Burner Restaurants as the Corporate Chef. In the past 3 years, John has led the menu development for Twin Peaks (15 locations), Ojos Locos Sports Cantina (4 locations), The Ranch at Las Colinas (Irving, TX), Whiskey Cake (Plano, TX), Red Dog Right (Southlake, TX), and Velvet Taco (Dallas, TX).

Chef Patrick Russell is the Executive Chef of MAX’S Wine Dive. Chef Russell is a Dallas native that got his start as a line cook at Craft Dallas and ended as a renowned sous chef in just a few short years.

MAX's Wine Dive opened to much fanfare in Houston, December, 2006, and has been an award-winning hit ever since. Now with additional locations in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas, MAX's is setting the bar for the quality of food, wine and service across Texas. Designed to be a laid-back and comfortable restaurant, MAX's blends a casual, industrial feel with a top-notch food and wine program. Serving "gourmet comfort food" and wines from around the world, MAX's mantra is "Fried Chicken and Champagne? Why the Hell Not?!"

A Symphony of Chefs will be held at the Petroleum Club, Dallas on Monday, February 25, 2013. It is open to the public with tables for 10 ranging in price from $5,000 to $25,000, and a limited number of individual seats are available for $1,000. For more information about the event, visit www.symphonyofchefs.com.

For more information regarding these therapeutic music programs and chefs:
www.kidlinksfoundation.org
www.hugworks.org
www.childrens.com
www.cookchildrens.org
www.smu.edu/meadows
www.Velvettaco.com
www.theranchic.com
www.whiskey-cake.com
www.Maxswinedive.com/Dallas
www.dallaschambersymphony.org