People

HARVEST attracts the East End’s top talents in winemaking and culinary arts, and benefits treasured regional causes. Below, get to the know some of the people and organizations behind HARVEST.

2011 HONORARY COMMITTEE

Fern Berman
Katherine + Marco Birch
Michael Braverman
Brian Halweil
Louisa Hargrave
Anthony Hitchcock + Jean Lindgren
Edie Landeck + Michael Coles
Stephen Munshin
Eric Ripert
Lettie Teague

2011 MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
CHAIR, THE HONORARY COMMITTEE

An enthusiastic and distinguished voice for local wine and food, WNPR’s Faith Middleton is in her 30th year as the host and executive producer of The Faith Middleton Show. The show airs on Connecticut Public Radio, WNPR, in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York and on the Internet at www.wnpr.org six days a week at 3 p.m., becoming The Food Schmooze Party on Wednesdays at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Saturdays at noon. Faith has twice received the “Pulitzer” of broadcast journalism, The Peabody Award, along with many other honors for her tireless public service.  Faith describes her work as “a never-ending exploration of the richness of life,” inspiring and entertaining listeners with interviews on such wide-ranging subjects as culture, food and wine, sustainability, news, art, politics and entertainment. Photo credit: John Columbus

EVENT CHAIR

Roman Roth is winemaker at Wölffer Estate Vineyards and owns The Grapes of Roth. Born in Rottweil, Germany, he began his winemaking career in his mother land, and has worked in the premier regions of the wine-making world, including California, Australia and, since 1992, the East End of Long Island. He is Executive Vice President and a founding member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance and Vice President of the Board of the Long Island Wine Council.

2011 AUCTIONEER

Charles Antin is Associate Vice President and Wine Specialist at Christie’s, New York. In addition to being a licensed auctioneer, he is a published writer, whose work has appeared in The New York Times, FOOD & WINE and other publications.

2011 HARVEST MOON GALA DINNER CHEFS

One of the most iconic names in East End cuisine, Tom Schaudel is chef and owner of A Mano (Mattituck), Coolfish (Syosset), Ross-Schaudel Catering and Event Planning, the just-opened A Lure (Southold) and forthcoming Jewel (Melville). Chef Schaudel also has his own line of wines, under the label Tom Schaudel Reserve, which is locally sourced and made and served at his restaurants. His book, Playing with Fire, chronicles his experiences as a chef on Long Island, and with a radio show by the same name, he shares the spotlight with chefs, winemakers and other gustatory personalities Saturdays at 10 a.m. on WHLI, 1100 AM.

A native of Nassau County and proponent of farm-to-table fare, Noah Schwartz studied at the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington, Vt. Before returning to Long Island, now on the North Fork, Noah spent years working in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys of California. He and his wife Sunita own and manage Noah’s in Greenport, which opened in January 2010. Photo credit: Greg Nesbit Photography

Chef and owner of the West End Café in Carle Place since 1998, William Holden has been credited with bringing eclectic, upscale and inventive dining to Long Island’s Nassau County. Bill’s resume includes the Carlyle Hotel, La Caravelle, La Cygne, Le Pyrenees and Tucano (all in New York City), plus La Marmite (Williston Park) and the Piping Rock Club (Locust Valley). Photo credit: Lyn Dobrin

ORGANIZERS

The Long Island Merlot Alliance, a nonprofit trade association, was formed in 2005 and is dedicated to advancing the quality in the production of merlot wines and merlot-based blends. We believe merlot is the signature grape of the region. It is the most widely planted grape, consistently performs well in our terroir and, because it’s so often used with other varietals, enriches most red wines of our region.

 The Long Island Wine Council is an industry association dedicated to achieving recognition for Long Island as a premium wine-producing region. Its role is to provide a coordinated effort for the promotion and development of the region’s wine industry. The Council was founded in 1989 and currently has 48 full members.

BENEFICIARIES

East End Hospice is a New York State-certified hospice serving the Eastern Suffolk County townships of Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, Shelter Island, Southampton, and East Hampton. Hospice services are only partially reimbursed by government programs and private insurances. Operating on a yearly deficit of $1,000,000, East End Hospice relies heavily on donations. Eighty-five (85) cents of each and every dollar raised by hospice goes directly to patient care.  No one is denied hospice care or services regardless of ability to pay.

Group for the East End protects and restores the environment of eastern Long Island through education, citizen action and professional advocacy. The organization inspires people to embrace a conservation ethic. The Group was established in 1972 as Group for America’s South Fork.

The Peconic Land Trust was established in 1983 to ensure the protection of Long Island’s working farms, natural lands, and heritage. Since its inception, the Trust has worked diligently with landowners, communities, and municipalities to protect more than 10,000 acres of land, conserving more working farms on Long Island than any other private conservation organization, and securing millions of dollars from the public and private sector for land protection.