Chef Mat Vacharat, center, and his staff are all smiles after winning the night’s best entreé and best dessert categories during the annual Rotary Club’s Flavors fundraising event.
Mat Vacharat of Mathayom Private Chefs and St. John Catering — named best entree and best dessert of the evening — was the big winner at Flavors on Friday night, October 28, at the Westin Resort and Villas.
St. John Catering was one of about 15 local restaurants and caterers who came together in the Westin ballrooms for the annual Rotary Club of St. John fundraiser. The event supports the group’s scholarship fund, which helps local teens cover college tuition costs, and brings the island’s best chefs and mixologists together under one roof to go head-to-head vying for title of best dishes and drinks.
Starfish Gourmet and Wines won best appetizers for their selection of fine cheeses and cured meats while St. John Catering’s Surf and Turf Roulade — braised short ribs tucked inside a roll of lobster atop a parsnip puree — took the entree round, hands down.
St. John Catering also won honors for their chocolate, banana and passionfruit tart while the bartenders at High Tide walked away with best drink for their island concoction which packed a punch.
St. John Brewer’s Tap Room crew, who served up Cuban sandwiches and potato leek soup along with their tasty suds, took home best bar food of the night.
The night drew a crowd which included Lieutenant Governor Greg Francis and his wife Cheryl who enjoyed tasty fare from Ted’s Supper Club, Spy Glass, Island Livin, Castaways, Lime Inn and more and sipped wines from Bellows International and West Indies Ltd. Guests even kept the ballroom crowded after dinner, dancing the night away to the band Ish. See next week’s edition for a full story and more photos.