The next time someone asks you, “Hey, do you want to buy a raffle ticket? You could win __________.” Just say yes and buy the ticket. John and I did exactly that and won Chef Chris Palmeri of Naked City Pizza cooking for us and 8 friends in OUR kitchen.

It took a while to coordinate because of all of our busy schedules but we finally got it done. Originally it was supposed to be Palmeri and Chef Christian Dolias, but Dolias JUST got a great job working as Sous Chef for Todd Harrington at Yardbird Southern Kitchen at the Venetian. It’s an incredible opportunity for him and many congratulations. Poor Palmeri had to do everything himself.

A couple of challenges about this dinner:

• Who to invite? We have so many friends who love to eat, so it was hard to choose. It was a weeknight, so that had to be kept in mind (a few of our friends work REALLY early in the morning). I had no control over the menu, so anyone with dietary concerns (vegetarian, gluten intolerant, picky eater) had to be taken off the list. A couple we love to dine with were out of town. We decided on my closest friends Lynn and Laurie, friend Jeff, dear longtime friends John & Holly and new friends and neighbors Melvin & Virginia. (FYI – Melvin is a Chef at Della’s Kitchen at The Delano). And our only son Jack was in town for spring break, so he was able to be in on the action.
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  Friends Laurie and Virginia

  

  Friend John M shows off his appetizer plate

  

  Chef Melvin, his lovely wife Virginia and dear friend Lynn

• Can I really NOT be in my kitchen? Yes, I know he’s a pro, but it’s MY kitchen. I can’t tell you how difficult it was to have someone else in my kitchen and me NOT help them or be The Chick in Charge. Friend John M had an equally hard time with it when I kicked him out of his usual viewing/helping location.

Chef Chris Palmeri in my Kitchen

• Not knowing the menu was dramatic for me. I didn’t know how to set the table. I didn’t know what utensils or serving pieces would be needed. It made me nuts.

Dinner was served family style and the table settings were simple. It was like a holiday or celebratory dinner in any Italian family. Hubby John and I felt transported back to our youth in New York. The menu was as follows:

• Charcuterie, cheese and relish tray with olive oil and bread
  

  Charcuterie, Cheese and Oysters in the background

• Oysters Rockefeller
• Sautéed Spicy Frogs Legs
  

  Spicy Frogs Legs

• Gemelli Pasta with Braised Short Rib Bolognese
  

  Gemelli with Short Rib Bolognese

• Bay Scallops with Mixed Mushrooms and Arugula
  

  Bay Scallops with Mushrooms

• Turtle Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Compote
  

  Turtle Cheesecake with Mixed Berries

Enjoy the pics. We enjoyed the meal, the camaraderie and the thought of knowing we helped out in a fundraiser for a  fellow culinarian with health issues made everything even better.

Next up? Another in the series of Guilty Pleasures from a guest blogger. Be sure to subscribe by hitting the button on the right so you don’t miss a single issue. On Tuesday evening you will get an email with links to all the blogs from the past week. And of course you can follow along with Instagram, FB and Twitter.