Chefs, athletes serve up a 'Taste of Tennis' at annual benefit

Nation's Restaurant News,  Sept 10, 2007  

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NEW YORK -- High-profile New York chefs and tennis stars in town for the U.S. Open recently teamed up for the eighth annual Dacor Taste of Tennis, a pretournament charity event held at the W Hotel here.

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The event, which drew more than 400 attendees, featured such chefs as Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit and David Burke of davidburke & donatella as well as professional tennis players including Andy Roddick and Rafael Nadal.

Guests sampled food and drinks from such local restaurants as davidburke & donatella, STK and The Palm steakhouse, and listened to music provided by The Infamous MadLinx of BET's "Rap City."

The evening's feature presentation was a cooking demonstration by Samuelsson and Roddick, the 2003 U.S. Open champion. Later, Nadal also put his cooking skills to the test before a crowd of observers.

Additionally, dozens of collectibles from such current and former professional athletes as Peyton Manning, Don Mattingly and Maria Sharapova were offered in a silent auction.

A final count of funds raised at the event was not available at press time, but 30 percent of ticket sales and 100 percent of silent-auction proceeds will go to the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The organization supports community initiatives that aim to combat social problems through sports participation.

Dacor, a manufacturer of kitchen appliances, presented the event.

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