article by Katherine Sloan

Air Culinaire Worldwide’s Premier Plate Tasting and Art Exhibition in NYC.

One might wonder: where do the owners of private jets collect art? Well, in New York City, of course! Air Culinaire Worldwide hosted an International Celebrity Chefs Tasting featuring a Post-Modern and Modern Art exhibition for Heavenly Harvest, the Wendy English Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry and The Aviation Hall of Fame Museum this October. The gorgeous artful exhibition was a part of the Premier Plate event to raise funds because, as we all know, when one is privileged and lucky enough to have more, one should give more. In the words of Maria Callas: “I don’t need the money, dear. I work for art.” This sentiment seems to ring true for this particular cause as it was done for the sake of art and, most importantly, philanthropy.

In the new neighborhood of Hudson Yards—dubbed a “millionaire’s playground”—in what once was a sort of wasteland for parked subway cars (and partially still is), there is now architecture that the whole city is raving about along with designer shops and shiny skyscrapers.
Top New York City chefs John Doherty and Todd English were both featured at the launch of the New York Lifestyle Menu and this was more than a tasting: it was a culinary exhibition!
Hosted in one of the neighborhood’s brand new skyscrapers, high above the everyday hustle and bustle and surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, this was an event to remember. If you’ve ever wondered where private jet owners eat and what’s on the menu, you didn’t have to look much further.

High up on the 51st floor, there was impressive and nearly priceless art for sale by the likes of legendary modernist genius Pablo Picasso, Vaclav Vytlacil, Ron Ferri and surrealist Salvador Dalí. Along with these coveted legends, there was neurosurgeon-turned-fine-artist, Keith Kattner’s work on display along with much more. If the savory culinary delights prepared on-the-spot combined with fine art wasn’t enough, there was the Gama Signature Lounge for anything pertaining to aircraft management, a magnificent luxury watch showcase presented by A. Lange & Sohne, Petrossian Caviar, O.Vine’s Wine Essence Water, blue hydrangeas from Associated Cut Flowers and the creative artistic talents from Hampton Bishop’s HK Balloons bouquets.

There was also Moët & Chandon champagne, Vias Imports LTD. white wines galore (which Andrija Tadejevic paired specifically with each meal in mind), Buffalo Trace Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey so good it made your lips tingle, 15-year-old Pappy Van Winkle and a 17-year-old bottle of Eagle Rare for connoisseurs. There was also Kona Elite coffee and, to top it all off, a dripping ice sculpture in the shape of an airplane with the words “Air Culinaire” chiseled into its façade. The evening was topped off by sixteen chefs and sous chef teams while Jim, Aman, and John Meeks—along with Meredith Aman and team—created sumptuous outer-space themed décor. To top off the out-of-this-world mise-en-scène the Aviation Hall of Fame Museum presented historic, aviation-themed artifacts featuring the Hindenburg as well as other Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart-related relics in the Space Room. The outer-space-themed features were illuminated by ATD Audio Visual while the main ballroom was turned into a moon-inspired work of art. This was an appropriate design theme as this past July marked the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

Keith Kattner’s featured “Entropy” series oil paintings seemed to explore provincial settings juxtaposed with urban sprawl, the changing seasons and the idea of disorder. His paintings ranged from very straight-forward and focused to an almost chaotic display of images and ideas. For example, his “Classical Study 2 (After Lorrain)” (2016) is a serene painting focused on naturalism. Like life, Kattner’s paintings revealed the notion of inevitable change and growth: in his “City Sublime (Entropy Series)”, 36” x 48”, Oil on Canvas, 2018, we see the idyllic home setting interrupted by man as well as nature. Not only are the construction workers seen in the painting a source of change and upheaval but so are the dark storm clouds in the distance: one may ask whether this is a natural occurrence, a source of pollution or even a threat of climate change. “Twilight Over the Mohawk River Valley”, 36” X 48,” Oil on Canvas, 2019 and “Silhouettes of the Platt River Valley”, 30” X 40”, Oil on Canvas, 2017 were exhibited as Kattner at his best due to the focus on naturalism (in the latter) juxtaposed with man-made change and industry complete with traffic signs and smoke stacks. Other art featured in the exhibit included the brass and nickel sculptures of Robert Lee Morris, black and white gelatin prints by Iran Issa Khan (who recently published a self-titled book of photographs featuring flora and corals with a foreword by Zaha Hadid).

It was beyond surreal to watch John Doherty (a top chef at the Waldorf Astoria for twenty-eight years who now owns and runs Black Barn Restaurant) and Todd English (schooled by Julia Child and top chef at the Plaza NYC) along with chefs Sal Lano, John Detloff, Frédéric Juillet (of Paris) and Aaron Watson (of London) and eleven master chefs plus sous chefs from Air Culinaire Worldwide prepare incredible dishes right in front of us in attendance. It all felt very intimate and exclusive, which is incredibly rare. There was Sous-Vide Black Chicken Thighs, Foraged Mushroom Salad, Cajun Scallops, Olive Oil Poached Asparagus with blood-red cherry tomatoes, Wagyu Shabu Shabu Tacos, Koreatown Fried Cauliflower, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Lobster Risotto to be had.

As we watched on while Doherty prepared the Lobster Risotto, models floated by in gowns designed by Malan Breton (complete with conical hairdos and Siouxsie Sioux-inspired makeup by the Marcello Costa Team). I sat next to a true Broadway veteran, Sharon Moore who has been a regular in Chicago for twenty years. The risotto was incredibly moist thanks to its bisque and was plated with lobster claws and tails dipped in a cream/lobster butter made with vanilla beans.

Chef Sal Lano’s Cajun Scallops were the best I’ve ever tasted as they were seared to a perfect golden brown. English’s Wagyu Shabu Shabu Tacos were a Japanese/Mexican fusion recipe that did not disappoint. With mushroom broth, hoisin mole, roasted peanut sauce, sweet chili aioli, avocado cream, pickled red onions, Wagyu beef and a corn tortilla, the tacos tasted wonderful and were presented beautifully as well. The new NY Lifestyle Menu will not only be featured in New York but in Paris and London as well and in over 1,800 airports. With this event, Air Culinaire Worldwide more than proved that they offer the “finest cuisine served on your private jet.”

Another fusion of ideas was evident in the paintings of young up-and-coming Evan Sebastian Lagache who has already proven to display a unique style all his own. In his “Magnum Opus”, 60” X 48”, Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 2015, imagery that resembled the ocean was displayed while the manner in which the painting was created is comparable to the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Jean-Michel Basquiat. These juxtapositions of ideas are a wonderful example of what made this event so special. There were original creations of art from several disciplines including gourmet cuisine, fine artwork and haute-couture fashion.

Finally, the legacy of masters such as Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí and Vaclav Vytlacil was on full display and helped bring the surreal experience of luxury and decadence full circle in this event co-curated and produced by E.D. Enterprises Luxury Event Productions with CEO, Debbie Dickinson and Ornella Volpatti of the Vanità Gallery on Madison Avenue. With modernist pieces such as Picasso’s 1960 drypoint etchings entitled “Head of a Bearded Man,” “Young Man Marching to Combat,” “Young Man Facing Front,” and “Man with Arms Folded.” The works of Dalí on display included his erotically spectacular “Nude with Guitar”, 24.5” X 17.7”, Pen and Ink, Pencil and Watercolor on Paper, 1967 and his pair of “Corridas”10” X 10” paintings (Gouache and India Ink on Paper, 1960). Vytacil’s acrylic paintings included an image of an abstractly forlorn woman (“Untitled”, 20” X 15”, Acrylic on Board, Undated) along with “Geometric Figure”, 18” X 23”, Acrylic on Board, 1939. If you did not RSVP to this A-list event, make sure not to miss the next. The celebrity chefs showed off their skills while reveling in state-of-the-art kitchens and the guests all agreed that it was a spectacular triumph.