Issue link: http://www.wacmagazine.com/i/112086
Events By Naomi Thalenberg An extraordinary evening Y ou know that feeling of anticipation when you open a fine wine, pour it into the perfect glass, and hold it to the light? Attendees of the seventh annual Taste Washington Winemaker Dinner certainly do. This year���s dinner, set for Saturday, March 16, in the Crystal Ballroom will feature an array of pours from some of Washington���s most-acclaimed wineries. The list of winemakers includes Jeff Gordon from Gordon Brothers Family Vineyards, Martin Clubb from L���Ecole No 41, and John Bookwalter from Bookwalter Winery. Each has been making wine in Washington for more than 30 years, and each will have their wine paired with a dish prepared by some of Washington���s best chefs. ���This is my favorite event of the year,��� WAC Executive Chef Eric Floyd says of the annual Taste Washington Winemaker Dinner. ���It���s an amazing collaboration of great chefs and wineries.��� This year���s list of guest chefs includes Johnathan Sundstrom, chef and owner of Lark, an artisan-focused 10 | Washington Athletic Club Magazine | MARCH 2013 restaurant on Capitol Hill. Sundstrom trained at New England Culinary Institute and worked in some of the country���s finest resort hotels, including the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel and The Lodge at Pebble Beach, and was chef de cuisine at Dahlia Lounge���where he worked closely with Tom Douglas���before opening Lark. He was named Best Chef Northwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2007. Joining Sundstrom as guest chefs will be Pat Donahue, executive chef at Anthony���s, and Jason Wilson, chef and owner of Crush. Donahue honed his skills at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California, among other locations. Wilson was named Best Chef Northwest by the James Beard Foundation in 2010 and has worked from San Francisco to Singapore. ���This is an incredible lineup of guest chefs,��� says Eric, who will work with Sundstrom, Donahue and Wilson on the multicourse dinner. WAC Sous Chef Mark Stelmach and Pastry Chef Roger Rosario will also be in the kitchen. Master sommelier Thomas Price will be the chef du L U K e R U TA N ( 2 ) , B R i A N f R A N c i s , L U K e R U TA N Top chefs highlight Taste Washington Winemaker Dinner