October 8, 2010 – Chef Davide Pugliese, proprietor and executive chef of the Brandywine Bay Restaurant in the British Virgin Islands will bring his talents to New York City on Friday, Nov. 19, 2010. A passionate culinary ambassador of the islands, Chef Pugliese is invited by the James Beard Foundation to prepare and host a dinner at the prestigious James Beard House. Chefs from around the world present their culinary art to Beard Foundation members, friends and media in much the same way musicians perform at Carnegie Hall. Chef Pugliese has created a varied menu of original recipe dishes that are influenced by his Florentine heritage infused with the tastes of the Caribbean. The menu, which promises to tempt even the most sophisticated palates, will feature a unique take on the Certified Angus Beef® brand and will be accompanied by Pio Cesare wines selected by wine maker, Pio Boffa,

Each course will be paired with selected Pio Cesare wines that have been chosen to bring out the flavors of each dish. Guests will begin the evening with hors d’ oeuvres of Braised Veal Cheek and Johnny Cake Slider; Certified Angus Beef® brand “Smokey” Carne Salada, Cipolline Jam on Crostini; Red and Golden Beet Jelly with Spicy Goat Cheese Budino; Foie Gras and Mango Mustard on Plantain Chip; and Pumpkin Soup Shooter with Lobster Sugarcane “Pop.” Hors d’oeuvres will be complimented by Pio Cesare Langhe Arneis D.O.C. 2008.

The first course of Conch Ravioli with Lemongrass Beurre Blanc and Basil Limon Cress is paired with Pio Cesare Gavi D.O.C.G. 2009, followed by the second course of a Snake River Farm Pork Belly with Chipotle Ketchup and Roasted Butternut Foam served with Pio Cesare Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese D.O.C. 2007.   

The third course places Caribbean seafood as the centerpiece with a Pepita Crusted Tuna with Wasabi Spiced Pumpkin Mash and Cassava Fries nicely complimented by a Pio Cesare Fides Barbera d’ Alba D.0.C.G. 2006. The fourth course will showcase a Spiced Cocoa Nib Crusted Certified Angus Beef ® brand Prime Ribeye Loin, Mango Chimichurri, Minted Christophine with Basil Piros Cress. A Pio Cesare Barbaresco D.O.C.G. 2006 will be paired with this hearty dish.
 
Ending on a sweet note, guests will indulge in a “Sunny Side-Up” Panna Cotta, Mango Yolk with Mascarpone Amaretti Hash and Cenci and Pio Cesare Moscato d’Asti D.O.C.G. 2008.

Born in Turin and raised in Florence, Italy, Chef Davide Pugliese has developed a passion for his mother’s distinctive Northern Italian cooking. Davide transitioned from art and fashion photography in Firenze, Italy and New York City to an epicurean career, learning the trade from one of the city’s finest chefs, Fabrizio Bottero at 65 Irving Place. In 1984, Davide visited the British Virgin Islands and returned in 1985 to spend his future cooking under the Caribbean skies.

During Chef Pugliese’s career, he has brought his particular brand of Caribbean flavor to the United States at the prestigious Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival and thrilled palates at the charitable Celebrity Chef’s Brunch in Wilmington, Delaware. He has served as a regular guest chef for the Certified Angus Beef® brand in the Caribbean, demonstrating his original recipes in Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands and Bermuda. Chef Pugliese was a featured guest chef for Waring® at the 2010 International Chefs Congress in New York.

Chef Pugliese and his wife, Cele, also own Wali Nikiti, a new culinary retreat on Scrub Island and Capriccio di Mare, a Caffé Italiano, in Tortola. More information on Chef Pugliese and his restaurants can be found on www.brandywinebay.com.

Pio Boffa was born into the wine business and has been fascinated by every aspect of its production from the vineyards to the bottles since he can remember. That curiosity moved Pio to visit the great wine regions in France, California and Australia before training at the Robert Mondavi Winery. Pio is comprehensively involved in the family wine company, Pio Cesare.

Pugliese’s November 19 dinner is open to the public, however, seats are filling fast and advanced ticket purchased is required. Tickets are available for $130 per person for James Beard Foundation members and $170 per person for non-members. Tickets can be booked at 212-627-2308 or through www.jamesbeard.org. The dinner begins with cocktails at 7 p.m. at the James Beard House, 167 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10011.

For more than 30 years, the Certified Angus Beef ® brand has been world-famous for its exceptional quality and generous marbling. Ten strict scientific standards ensure each bite is full of mouthwatering flavor, tenderness and juiciness. The brand is a cut above USDA Prime, Choice and Select, and is proudly featured by more than 13,600 restaurants and retailers around the globe and is now available online.

Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and nurturing America’s culinary heritage and diversity in order to elevate the appreciation of our culinary excellence. A cookbook author and teacher with an encyclopedic knowledge about food, James Beard, who died in 1985, was a champion of American cuisine. He helped educate and mentor generations of professional chefs and food enthusiasts. Today, the Beard Foundation continues in the same spirit by administering a number of diverse programs that include educational initiatives, food industry awards, scholarships to culinary schools, and publications, and by maintaining the historic James Beard House in New York City’s Greenwich Village as a “performance space” for visiting chefs.