Yea, I was lucky enough to grab a $500 ticket to Saturday's posh, celebrity-studded affair set up on the astroturf at Tropicana Field. Very well organized, I must give kudos to the people who were able to transform a ballpark into an elegant venue featuring 38 dishes from chefs all over the country. Each creation was paired with a different wine from Gallo Family Vineyards and, as a not-so-side-note, an NFL player.
Reportedly – and I might add, not surprisingly – less attended than other years, there were no lines, no waiting for the food and wine samples. But people ate up the NFL players – current and retired players signing autographs, taking pictures, chatting people up. Some bigger names:
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2009.