Out of the Kitchen Fundraiser

Joel Menzin, NBA star Ray Allen (far right) and his wife Shannon (second from left), and Event MC Chef Sam Talbot (second from right)
Event Co-chairs Steve and Tammy Klein with their children, Carly Klein, who gave the keynote address, and David Klein
Event Co-chairs Scott and Amy Greenwald
Diabetes research Institute Foundation President and CEO Joshua Rednik, Marco and Vanessa Selva, and Diabetes Research Institute Foundation COO Deborah Chodrow
Event Sponsor Sabrina Ferris and Event MC Chef Sam Talbot
The participating chefs with event MC chef Sam Talbot
Chef Co-chair Dagan Stocks of J & G Grill
Chef Co-chair Dave Hackett of The Biltmore Coral Gables
Chef Adrienne Calvo
Diabetes Research Institute’s Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Academic Programs Dr. Jay Skyler and Mercy Bach
Melissa Grosfeld, Barbara Amolis and CBS 4 Anchor Lisa Petrillo (far right) during the live auction
LILI Lounge at the EPIC Hotel serving a special cocktail and appetizer during the VIP cocktail reception
It was a foodie’s dream night at the Forbes five star St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort where more than 200 South Florida philanthropists gathered for the 2015 Out of the Kitchen Event, which raised more than $175,000 for the cure-focused work of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI). This unique culinary experience took local chefs out of some of Miami’s best restaurant kitchens and into a large St. Regis ballroom, where they each simultaneously created gourmet three-course meals table-side for tables of 12 guests. The event was hosted by Bravo TV’s Top Chef Semifinalist and one People’s 2012 Sexiest Men Alive Chef Sam Talbot, who has been living with type 1 diabetes since he was 12 years old. The event began with a VIP reception that featured fine wines, a specialty cocktail, appetizers from EPIC Hotel’s LILT Lounge and Chef Irie, and a Chef Talbot book-signing session of The Sweet Life: Diabetes without Boundaries. There were also live and silent auctions and a grand raffle for a dinner for 10 at Dolce Italian. Guests were inspired by personal stories and heartfelt testimonies about living with diabetes from Chef Talbot, Tammy & Stevre Kleins’ daughter Carly, and Shannon and Ray Allen, whose son Walker has type 1 diabetes. A sweet ending to the night were family-style trays adorned with an array of sweet delights by St. Regis Pastry Chef Antonio Bachour.
Photos by Andrew Milne