March 19, 7:00 P.M. Dinner: A Fork Alumni Dinner Presented by Visit Philadelphia
March 19, 2024 07:00 PM
Celebrating 25 years of Fork with Chefs George Madosky, Melissa McGrath, Omar Tate, Nicholas Bazik, Melissa Pellegrino, Sashia Liriano, and Kate Hughes
25 11th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA
In a city overflowing with good restaurants, it takes something special to become a classic. In Philadelphia, there’s a reason that Fork, the Old City bistro from James Beard Award–winning restaurateur Ellen Yin, has stood the test of time. After recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, Fork has won its place as one of Philadelphia’s most iconic restaurants. But in addition to its current talent, it has cultivated a community of chefs and hospitality leaders who have taken their Fork experience, their integrity, and community forward in their own unique ways.
Join us in celebrating this impactful restaurant during this one-night-only gathering of alumni welcoming current and past chefs including Melissa McGrath (Sweet Amalia Kitchen & Market), Omar Tate (Honeysuckle Provisions), Sashia Liriano (Savinon, new Caribbean Cuisine), Nicholas Bazik (soon-to-open Provenance), Melissa Pellegrino (Heavy Metal Sausage), George Madosky (Fork), and Kate Hughes (Fork).
Dining Table $250 | Internal Chefs Counter $275 | External Chefs Counter $200
MENU:
Hors d’Oeuvre
Chef Melissa McGrath of Sweet Amalia Oysters
Trio of Sweet Amalia Oysters> Raw, Roasted with Potato Leek Butter, and Fried with Aji Dulce Ketchup
Chef Kyle Wood of High Street Philadelphia
Breads and Spreads by High Street
Totus Tuus Cava Reserva NV
Dinner
Omar Tate
“This was supposed to be a grocery store.” > Yamz Toast with Caramelized Onion Soubise in Pear Vinegar, Smoked Pork–Milk Jam, Soft Scrambled Eggs, Périgord Black Truffle, and Chives
Forjas del Salnes Leirana Albarino 2022
Sashia Liriano
Rice, Beans, and Caviar > Crispy Rice Cake with Caramelized-and-Smoked Sweet Plantain, Stewed-and-Sprouted Haitian Beans, Japanese Sea Lettuce, Ossetra Caviar, and Flowers
Naveran Brut Vintage Rosado 2021
Nicholas Bazik
Slow-Poached Monkfish with Braised Granola, Spiced Cabbage, and Beurre Fondue
Berrola Txakoli de Bizkaia 2022
Melissa Pellegrino and Patrick Alfiero
Pig Head Lasagne > Pork Blood Pasta with Pig Head Ragù, Caputo Brothers Ricotta, Coppa di Testa, and Parsley Pesto
Xisto Ilimitado Tinto 2021
George Madosky
Steak and Potatoes > Dry-Aged Happy Valley New York Strip, Potato Croquette, Bone Marrow Jus, Watercress Herb Salad
La Cartuja Priorat 2021
Kate Hughes
Toasted Almond Japanese Cheesecake with Ginger-Poached Apple and Salty Pretzel Streusel
Wines generously donated by Olé & Obrigado
Beef generously donated by Happy Valley Meat Company
Artisan chocolates generously donated by Éclat Chocolate
About Nicholas Bazik:
Nicholas Bazik has spent the past 15 years working in and running some of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants (Fork, Kensington Quarters, The Good King Tavern, Lacroix at The Rittenhouse). In 2024 he will debut Provenance, an intimate restaurant in the historic Society Hill neighborhood. Bazik’s heavily seafood-focused cuisine is rooted in classical French technique with a modern approach with Korean undertones. With the help of Stokes Architecture and Design and Yui Design, he has converted the former 90-seat restaurant into an elegant space that seats 18.
About Kevin Denson:
Kevin Denson is the beverage and Service manager of Fork Restaurant in Philadelphia, the flagship of High Street Hospitality Group. Prior to joining the Fork team, Denson worked in Chicago at the Four Seasons as a sommelier and private dining server, where his love of hospitality and dedication to service blossomed over a two-year course. While enhancing his skills, Denson mastered various roles such as lead bartender, beverage director, and mixologist at establishments such as Tortoise Supper Club, Two Lights Seafood and Oyster, and the Hilton Hotels. Denson relocated to Philadelphia in 2020 and knew that his professional journey would lead him to High Street Hospitality Group after dining at the flagship restaurant, Fork. Denson’s role at Fork is to create a sense of community while introducing guests and his team members to fun, yet accessible wine and food pairings.
About Kate Hughes:
Kate Hughes is the pastry chef behind Fork and High Street Philadelphia who is elevating the pastry experience with exciting, creative desserts. Prior to joining the group, Hughes was pastry chef at Wilder Philadelphia, but earned her stripes at various properties for the Four Seasons including Philadelphia, Denver, Vail, and Jackson Hole. She has a passion for exotic flavors and loves using savory elements in her desserts. She is a graduate of the Art Institute of Colorado and hails from Broomfield, just outside of Denver.
About Sashia Liriano:
Born and raised in the Bronx, chef Sashia Liriano began cooking at a young age in her family’s kitchen. A first-generation Dominican-American, Liriano cooked dinner nightly for her siblings and parents since both her mother and father worked late shifts. Cooking the traditional Dominican recipes her relatives taught her to prepare, Liriano grew to love cooking and her professional culinary career is heavily influenced by those early days. Liriano was chef de cuisine from 2016-2023 at the critically acclaimed Friday Saturday Sunday in Philadelphia where she led in the kitchen along with chef-owner Chad Williams since its opening. Today, she owns and operates Saviñon, a pop-up dinner series showcasing her unique vision of contemporary Caribbean cuisine.
About George Madosky:
George Madosky is the chef of Fork Restaurant in Philadelphia, the flagship of High Street Hospitality Group owned by Ellen Yin and Eli Kulp. Madosky built his career from ground up starting as garde manger cook before working his way up to sous chef and eventually chef de cuisine, a post he has held since May 2020. Prior to his residency at Fork, Madosky got his start after graduating from Johnson & Wales University in 2014 on the opening team of Bank and Bourbon in the Loews Philadelphia Hotel where he also worked his way up the ranks. Throughout his near five-year tenure, Madosky has played a major role in the evolution of Fork — bringing fresh ideas, dishes and ingredients to the 25-year-old concept named on Esquire’s list of “100 Restaurants America Can’t Afford to Lose.” Rising to leadership amid the pandemic, Madosky and a small team of cooks prepared and packaged over 10,000 meals for front line workers and local food pantries. In 2023, Madosky was named to the Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Philadelphia Chef Council Members.
About Melissa McGrath:
Melissa McGrath is chef of Sweet Amalia Market & Kitchen in Newfield, New Jersey where she cooks seasonal American cuisine showcasing Lisa Calvo’s Cape May oyster farm. McGrath helps curate the abundant offerings of Jersey grown produce, aquaculture, and bespoke artisan ingredients. Sweet Amalia Market and Kitchen was named one of Craig Laban’s top 10 Restaurants in 2021 and 2022, and one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2022. McGrath was nominated as a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic in 2022.
About Melissa Pellegrino and Patrick Alfiero:
Heavy Metal Sausage Co is an all-local, specialty meat producer, butcher, deli and restaurant dedicated to supporting a community of local farmers that raise animals, grow produce, and craft items sustainably and ethically.
After many years of experience in Philadelphia restaurants, Heavy Metal Sausage Co. began as a pop-up in March of 2020. By 2022, Heavy Metal Sausage Co had evolved into a butcher shop/deli by day and a fourteen-seat, Italian-inspired restaurant by night. Patrick Alfiero is the chef, butcher, baker, and pasta maker, while Melissa Pellegrino is the general manager, server, sommelier, and designer. In 2022, Pellegrino and Alfiero were named Rising Stars by Craig Laban of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 2023, Heavy Metal Sausage Co was a James Beard Award semfinalist for Best New Restaurant and was featured by Bon Appétit magazine as one of their 24 Best New Restaurants.
About Omar Tate:
Omar Tate is a chef, artist, and cofounder of Honeysuckle Projects, a multifaceted food company that focuses on the nuanced cultures and cuisines of the Black diaspora. Tate has emerged as a visionary and a leading thinker on the restaurant industry’s cultural development as a whole. He specifically focuses on race and ethnicity to tear down structural barriers through his practice in Honeysuckle, his pop-up cultural concept. In 2020, Honeysuckle was named pop up of the year by Esquire Magazine in 2021, Time Magazine named Tate as one of the 100 innovators to watch as part of their Time100 Next list. In 2023, Honeysuckle Provisions was named one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants, a Bon Appétit Best New Restaurant and in 2024, is a semifinalist for the James Beard Awards.
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