Chefs Raise More than $140,000 for Advancements in Heart Care

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. - May 14, 2013 - PRLog -- More than 500 food, wine and beer enthusiasts turned out to sample gourmet delights showcased by Long Island restaurants at the 20th anniversary “An Evening of Good Taste” held at the Crest Hollow Country Club on March 4.  The event raised more than $140,000 to support South Nassau Communities Hospital’s Center for Cardiovascular Health.

South Nassau executive chef Stephen Bello, C.E.C., C.C.A., A.A.C., who co-founded An Evening of Good Taste in 1992, was the event’s honoree.  “Since its founding 20 years ago, An Evening of Good Taste has been one of Long Island’s premiere culinary extravaganza fundraisers,” said Chef Bello.  “It is gratifying and humbling to be the honoree because there are so many outstanding individuals who have contributed just as much as I have to the event’s annual success.  This includes generosity of the sponsors, the commitment to quality and excellence of the participants, the selfless efforts of the event volunteers and the support of South Nassau’s board of directors and administration."

A talented culinarian, Chef Bello supervises the dietary staff of South Nassau and its employee cafeteria, serving 1,200 meals a day, as well as catering and makes daily donations of food to Meals on Wheels.  He has won numerous awards during his career including the Gold Medal at the Les Amis d’ Escoffier Society at the Culinary Exhibition in Cologne, Germany; the New York Guild of Chefs Humanitarian of the Year Award; and two national Presidential Medallions from the American Culinary Federation. He was also inducted into The Chef De Cuisine Society of New York and the prestigious American Academy of Chefs®, which represents the highest standards of professionalism in the organization, society and industry.

This popular fundraising extravaganza also provides the region’s culinary leaders with a venue to showcase their creations and serves as an official competition to determine the top participating culinary artists, as judged by a team of certified executive chefs from the tri-state region as well as the attendees who determine the winner of the event’s People’s Choice Award.  The competition has divisions for restaurants, bakeries, culinary schools and ice sculptors and awards are given for appetizers, entrées, desserts, overall table presentation, bread, pastries and special occasion cakes.

The results of this year’s competition are as follows: People’s Choice Award – STAR Career Culinary Academy; Restaurant Division – Appetizer: The Hamlet Golf & Country Club (Corn & Lobster Fillet); Entrée: LN2 Productions (Ribeye); Dessert: Insignia Steakhouse (Chocolate Cage Cake); Overall Table Presentation: Crest Hollow Country Club; ACF Gold Medal Restaurant – LN2 Productions; ACF Gold Medal Bakery – Spiga Bakery; Bakery – Bread: Spiga Bakery (Eggplant Parmesan Bread); Dessert Pastry: Sweet Karma (Mini Ganache Tart); Special Occasion Cake: Dortoni Bakery (Wedding Cake); Breakfast Pastry: Spiga Bakery (Nutella Panini); Student Division – Appetizer: Joseph M. Barry Career & Educational Center (Jerk Pork); Entrée: Eastern Suffolk BOCES (Duck Breast); Dessert: Joseph M. Barry Career & Educational Center (Chocolate and Plated Dessert); Outstanding Student Display: Eastern Suffolk BOCES.

South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 1,000 physicians and 3,000 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.  In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® Perfexion radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.  For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.