Your Chance To Cook with Jacques Pépin & Raise $$ For Wholesome Wave

Get ready for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook with CHEF ROYALTY with our friends at Wholesome Wave!

Jacques Pépin is the author of more than 30 cookbooks, host of 13 PBS television series, winner of numerous James Beard Awards, painter, and culinary educator. On March 23rd, 2023, he will also be a Sous Chef, with YOU.

Here at CTBites we LOVE eating good food - and we are here to tell you about an incredible opportunity to COOK great food with Celebrity Chefs.  Our friends at Wholesome Wave have cooked up a very cool event to support their mission - they’ve lined up Celebrity Chefs Rocco Dispirito, Elizabeth Falkner, Michel Nischan, Sean Sherman, JJ Johnson, and Sherry Yard to prepare a 6-course meal and are offering our readers a chance to cook alongside them as Sous Chefs!  Sound too good to be true?  Nope! 

All you have to do is donate $100 to Wholesome Wave and you’ll be entered to win the opportunity to be a Sous Chef to the stars!

Wholesome Wave is a local non-profit with a national presence.  Co-Founded by Chef Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave has been on a mission to make fruits and vegetables accessible and affordable for 15 years and counting!  The Sous Chef Experience is Wholesome Wave’s creative and delicious answer to more traditional giving campaigns.  Cook with them and you’ll see why they are one of the coolest organizations around!

Wait, there’s more! Legendary Chef Jacques Pépin will be an honorary Chef and cooking right alongside you!  

This ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity is ONLY available to Wholesome Wave’s supporters. Please join Wholesome Wave on their mission to make fruits and vegetables accessible and affordable for everyone and cook with the pros at the same time!  

Event details:  On March 23 the Celebrity Chefs and Sous Chef Winners will gather @ The Institute for Culinary Education in NYC to prepare a memorable six-course meal and break bread together at a traditional "Family Meal."  The Chef Line-Up:  Rocco Dispirito, Elizabeth Falkner, Michel Nischan, Sean Sherman, JJ Johnson, and Sherry Yard, and honorary Sous Chef Jacques Pépin. Professional Truffle Shaver appointed: Michele Casadei Massari. Sous Chef winners will be announced on January 1st.

Join us for a ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity to make all of your culinary dreams come true! Click here to donate!  We can’t wait to see you in the kitchen!

About Wholesome Wave & The Sous Chef Experience

Wholesome Wave is a national non-profit founded on the belief that everyone, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, or income has a fundamental right to choose healthy food. Co-Founded by Chef Michel Nischan and based right here in Bridgeport, Wholesome Wave has made fruits and vegetables more accessible and affordable to low-income community members across the country for 15 years!   

Wholesome Crave was created by Chef Nischan in 2018 as a for-profit plant-based food company informed by the Newman’s Own model to help feed the mission of Wholesome Wave.  Wholesome Crave sells delicious, culturally authentic food into large-scale feeding operations like universities, large employers, and healthcare facilities, providing a significant percentage of tax-free gross revenue proceeds to support Wholesome Wave. 

Both entities are intentionally designed to end food and nutrition insecurity as we know it. 

Wholesome Wave wanted to create something fresh to support and celebrate our mission and share our passion for good food.  With our dear friends at Urbani Truffles eager to be a part of sustainability and our cause, it was easy to align and create something refreshing and extraordinarily delicious together using Urbani and Wholesome Crave products in each dish.  Thus, the Sous Chef Experience was born!

On February 10th of this past year, Chefs Michel Nischan, Maneet Chauhan, Justin Chapple, Silvia Barban, Michele Casadei Massari, and Christian Petroni came together graciously to help Wholesome Wave raise funds, and quite a lot of excitement at the Urbani Truffle Lab in NYC for an unforgettable night of cooking and enjoying delicious food.

The day started with our Sous Chef Experience, which was deployed and promoted through social platforms.  Our Sous Chefs each won the experience by supporting Wholesome Wave's with a gift of $100 or more.  Our Sous Chefs enjoyed a full food preparation, plating and photography session with our amazing line-up of Chefs. One of our favorite food and fashion photographers, Eric Vitale Photography, captured the entire day’s events as an in-kind donation.

2021 Menu

1st Course - Pizzette Montanara w/ Veggie Bolognese, Fresh Ricotta, Parmigiano Pecorino Mix, Basil, Black Truffle and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2nd Course - Alaskan King Crab and Avocado w/ Carrot-Ginger Lassi

3rd Course - Parmigiano Reggiano “Pop” Risotto w/ Parmigiano Reggiano Rind Broth and Black Truffle Salt

4th Course - Crispy Porcini Polenta Cake over Mushroom Farro Fricassee w/ Arugula and Hearty Vegetable Chopped Salad, Black Truffle Oil Drizzle

5th Course - Tandoori Cashew Gobi w/ Morel Kitchidi, Caviar Raita, Chana Crunch and White Truffle Balsamic

6th Course - Sheep’s Milk and Morel Mushroom Cannelloni w/ Tomato Basil Sauce, Spinach, Parmigiano Crumble and Black Truffles

Dessert - SURPRISE Gelato with Shaved Truffles 

The Sous Chef winners had a traditional family meal with the Chefs, received beautiful Hedley & Bennett signed aprons, and had their picture taken with the Chefs on the step-and-repeat before we turned over the room for our Auction Dinner. 

At 6:30 pm our, the Auction guests arrived and dinner commenced. With help from our sponsors: Lamole di Lamole, Ca del Bosco, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Aero Farms, we had exquisite dishes paired with unbelievable wines and sparkling, and all the truffles you could ever want.  

Throughout the evening, Celebrity Chefs friends of Wholesome Wave stopped by to shave truffles, top off wine, and join the merriment! Jacques Torres, JJ Johnson, Sean Sherman, Shirley Chung, Roberto Caporuscio and Rocco Dispirito all came to hang with us and close out the night with the energy that we had quarantined inside for so long!  Our Chefs, Sous Chefs and guests had such an amazing time while raising over $40,000 for Wholesome Wave it made sense to  turn this into an ANNUAL EVENT! 

Our unbelievable All-Star Lineup this year: Chefs Rocco Dispirito, JJ Johnson, Sean Sherman, Elizabeth Falkner, and Sherry Yard join Chef Michel Nischan, Wholesome Wave, Wholesome Crave and Urbani Truffles at the Institute for Culinary Education in NYC.

Of course, there is one little addition this year:

Jacques Pépin has tacked himself on WITH the Sous Chefs for the night.  Yea, that’s right, reread that… Chef Jacques will be Sous Cheffing with our five lucky Sous Chef winners. That could be you.

In the words of Jacques Pépin "Do Something Delicious this Holiday Season" - Support Wholesome Wave by making a $100 donation and potentially winning the culinary opportunity of a lifetime! The more you donate, the more chances you have to take part in this magical night. 

A special thanks to all our 2022 event sponsors mentioned above and Gabagool Media, Waring Empowered, Hedley & Bennett