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—Here's an inside look at the special collaboration dinner between Chef Robbie Felice and Hell's Kitchen winners Alex Brew and Ryan O'Sullivan
When you talk to Chef Robbie Felice about food, you can hear the passion in his voice. The accomplished restaurateur is always gushing about the Japanese-style noodles at his famous Pasta Ramen or the salumi program at his flagship restaurant, Viaggio, but it's his New Jersey farm dinners that perhaps excite the chef the most.
“I shouldn't say it yet, but I'm very excited,” Felice says.
As summer approaches, Felice is planning what will undoubtedly be one of the best dinner events of the year: Farm Dinner. On July 23rd and 24th, Felice will join chefs Alex Bellew and Ryan O'Sullivan at NJ Farm in Glenwood Mountain, Vernon, NJ, for a dinner accented with the incredible produce and ingredients the Garden State has to offer.
Chefs Robbie Felice, Ryan O'Sullivan and Alex Brew
Guests will enjoy six courses infused with New Jersey terroir, featuring produce and proteins carefully selected from within the state.
Bellew and O'Sullivan are well known in the culinary world and each boasts an impressive resume.
Tennessee native Alex Belew made a name for himself as the winner of Hell's Kitchen Season 21. The young chef has risen to fame for his innovative dishes at Caesar's Palace Hell's Kitchen and has traveled the country to showcase his cooking at various pop-up dinners and events. Belew is also an educator and spends much of his time imparting his culinary knowledge to up-and-coming chefs in the industry.
Meanwhile, Ryan O'Sullivan hails from Cork, Ireland and is another champion of Hell's Kitchen (Season 22). His culinary journey took him from Ireland to Palm Beach, Florida, where he now heads up the kitchen at Solstice, a modern Italian restaurant at Mirasol Country Club.
Along with Felice, the three chefs are ambassadors for Hexclad, a modern cookware brand led by chef Gordon Ramsay. The three chefs met during a culinary exchange at the Taste of Lovango culinary festival held in Lovango Cay in the U.S. Virgin Islands earlier this month.
Farms in Glenwood Mountain
Every summer, Felice takes a weekend to cook at Steve McLean's New Jersey Farm in Glenwood Mountain, a culinary-focused farm. “The dinners here are definitely some of the most fun I have ever cooked,” says Felice, “and they get better and better every year.”
Felice has hosted dozens of dinners at the farm in the past, but they've all been boring, so this one is shaping up to be the most exciting yet. “I thought, 'How can I make this dinner different?'” says Felice. “So I decided to invite them over to the farm and cook for two nights using amazing ingredients from the farm.”
He admits to me that it was a kind of love at first sight the first time the three cooked together at Lovango: “They're great in the kitchen and unpretentious. They're just great people to work with.”
Dinner at the farm never disappoints – the outdoor setting and close proximity to the land where many of the ingredients are grown make this a truly unique dining experience in New Jersey – truly a taste of farm-to-table cuisine.
For fans of Felice's restaurants, this will offer a different approach to the culinary prowess that has captured the attention of nearly every patron in New Jersey.
Event details
The dinner will take place on both July 23rd and 24th, starting at 6:30pm, where guests will enjoy a six-course meal made with farm-to-table ingredients.
The Farm At Glenwood Mountain is located at 1801 County Rd 565, Sussex, NJ 07461.
For reservations, please call Viaggio Ristorante directly at 973-706-7277.
The event has yet to be officially announced by Felice, so grab your tickets now before it's too late.
About the Author
Peter Candia is the Food and Beverage Editor for New Jersey Digest. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Peter discovered his passion for writing while there and has been writing ever since. He is a former cook, server, and bartender at some of the top restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to cooking, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports, and all things New Jersey.
