Chefs Collective Dinner at Gallerie

Bill Glover, the executive chef at Gallerie, has organized a pretty amazing local chefs dinner next Wednesday at his Hilton restaurant -- and there's still a chance to get tickets.

The first Chefs Collective Dinner will bring eight Columbus chefs together in the same kitchen, where they'll produce an eight-course, farm-to-table-themed tasting menu. All courses will be paired with wines selected by sommelier Chris Dillman, and guests can sip on a special Watershed cocktail during a happy hour reception beforehand.

The dinner, a benefit for the Mid-Ohio Foodbank, also serves as a kickoff to Gallerie's monthly themed wine dinner series, which will be held on the second Wednesday of each month. I chatted with Glover to find out more about Wednesday's dinner.

How did the idea originate?

What I was going for is creating an event that I want to do twice a year, where I invite local chefs--from not only Columbus but from the area-- in an effort to promote the community and the ideas that we all share. We're giving this to the city as an opportunity to try a collection of the city's food in one location.

How did you pick the chefs?

I wanted chefs with a common philosophy on how we approach food. These are all people I have great relationships with, and nobody on this list is a pretentious egomaniac. We're all cooking-from-scratch-type thinkers who really embody Ohio cooking.

What kinds of guidelines did you give the chefs?

I gave everyone a main ingredient and that was it. I pulled names out of a hat to see where they would go in the procession, and wrote the menu from there. So for Matt Litzinger from L'Antibes, he got tuna. Tom Smith from Worthington in got a crustacean. Josh Dalton of Veritas, I asked him to do squab or pheasant. David Tetzloff from G. Michael's got veal. So it wasn't rigid, but gave them a point of reference.

What dishes are you most looking forward to?

Tom Smith is doing a warm Dungeness crab, and David Tetzloff is doing a veal shortrib. Josh Dalton, I'm looking forward to seeing what his is. He sent me his description and it's three words: Pheasant Beet Cornbread.

And what are you making?

I'm doing a trio of lamb. It's sous-vide lamb loin, fried lamb sweetbreads, and a faux lamb bone that's a heart of palm filled with bone marrow.

What can we expect from future events?

Last night I had a beer with Jonathon Sawyer of Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland, and we talked about an idea for the fall where we'd like to do Rust Belt chefs, from Indianapolis, Dayton, Cleveland, Cincinnati. It's about bringing minds together, and bringing attention to our food.

The Chefs Collective Dinner begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 13. It's open to 50 guests, and some seats still remain. Fore reservations, call 614-484-5287.