By GREGORY ZELLER //
Several of Long Island’s top chefs are raising their spatulas to help Long Island Cares battle food insecurity.
Chefs Against Hunger, a unique fundraising campaign organized by the Islip-based Bohlsen Restaurant Group in partnership with several regional wineries, aims to raise $50,000 to help Long Island Cares, Inc.-The Harry Chapin Food Bank address hunger-related issues across the Island.
The unique event will pack tables at Tellers Next Door, a Bohlsen-owned private events space adjacent to Tellers: An American Chophouse in Islip, over eight total nights in October and November. Single-night tickets for the gastronomical experience – which pairs multi-course repasts prepared by nine of the region’s hottest meal-makers with Long Island Wine Country’s finest vinos – cost $195 apiece, with the proceeds supporting Long Island Cares’ important holiday-season and year-round hunger-relief efforts.
Michael Bohlsen: Food for thought.
The event dates back to 2019, when Long Island Cares first partnered with elite Long Island chefs to tackle regional food insecurity.
Lending out the event space for eight Monday and Tuesday evenings – during one of Tellers’ busiest seasons – was a no-brainer, according to Michael Bohlsen, the Bohlsen Restaurant Group owner who noted a “deeply personal” relationship with food insecurity.
Bohlsen, a member of the Long Island Cares Board of Directors, recalls that first Chefs Against Hunger event six years ago – followed soon by the COVID pandemic. The lockdown closed his group’s Long Island and Connecticut venues for 11 weeks, causing disastrous disruptions not only for the business but many of its staffers.
“During that time, we discovered many of our line employees were living paycheck-to-paycheck and could not afford to be out of work for any period of time,” Bohlsen said. “There was so much uncertainty then – but their need and desperation were nonnegotiable.”
In response, the restaurant group launched its own internal food bank to help those strapped employees, with 175 families soon making weekly withdrawals. The experience taught Bohlsen and his managers “how much work and effort goes into feeding so many people,” according to the owner, and encouraged the company to expand its relationship with Long Island Cares.
The chef/winery combos scheduled to revolve through Tellers Next Door for the latest edition of the multi-night fundraiser include Chef John Fraser of the North Fork Table & Inn with Macari Vineyards (Oct. 6); Chef Stephen Gallagher of The Trattoria with Anthony Nappa Wines (Oct. 7), Executive Chefs Ben Hoffman and Julio Genao of Prime: An American Kitchen & Bar with Raphael Wine (Oct. 27); and Executive Chef Thomas Gloster of Trahanas Hospitality Group with Palmer Vineyards (Oct. 28).
Hot stuff: Chef Armond Joseph of Shelter Island’s Léon 1909 is one of the culinary masters heating up the Chefs Against Hunger fundraiser.
Also on the menu are owner/Chef Eric LeVine of 317 Main Street with RG/NY (Nov. 3); Chef Gregg Lauletta of Louie’s Prime Steak & Seafood with Bedell Cellars (Nov. 4); Chef Armond Joseph of Léon 1909 with Channing Daughters Winery (Nov. 10); and Culinary Director Francis Derby of The Halyard with McCall Wines (Nov. 11).
For Long Island foodies and oenophiles, that’s about as good as it gets – and for one of the Island’s busiest regional food banks, it represents “compassion for our neighbors” that cannot be overstated, according to Long Island Cares Vice President of Development and Communications Katherine Fritz.
“All of us at Long Island Cares are deeply grateful to the Bohlsen Restaurant Group and Michael for his incredible leadership,” Fritz added. “His … commitment to helping us fight hunger shines through in everything he does.
“Chefs Against Hunger will turn compassion into funding for thousands of meals across our community.”
