Guests sipped cocktails as they relaxed on contemporary furniture on a Downtown rooftop. Tree sculptures with twinkling light “leaves” faced a background of dark skyscrapers. Nearby, crystal glasses on outdoor tables sparkled beneath chandeliers as dusk approached. Tables set with gold flatware, white orchids, and 76 wine glasses glowed against a wall of purple and gold lights.
It looked like a scene out of a movie, but it actually was the Celebrity Chef Tour, which was held September 21st on the roof of the FedEx Logistics global headquarters, formerly the Gibson Guitar Factory.
“It is where we bring in chefs from across the United States, as well as two or three local chefs and we do a dinner that benefits a mission,” says Tim Dalfiume, who, along with his wife, Cathy, hosts the annual event.
Their mission this year was FedExFamilyHouse, which, according to its website, is “a home away from home for out-of-town families with children receiving treatment at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital.”
The Dalfiumes have hosted six Celebrity Chef Tour dinners, along with Jeff Black of Jeff Black Productions in Boulder, Colorado. Tim finds the venue, organizes the event, and recommends chefs he’d like to include in addition to the chefs Black assembles to prepare the five-course dinner.
“The common language among all people is food and wine,” says Tim, who “having a strong interest in food and wine,” came up with the idea for the dinners. “I wanted to do something in Memphis that elevates the culinary environment, if you will.”
About 150 people attended the recent Celebrity Chef Tour dinner, which began with champagne and caviar at 6:30 p.m. and ended about 9:30 p.m. following the cinnamon brioche toast crunch dessert prepared by chef Alex Seidel of The Mercantile Provisions in Denver, Colorado.
Kelly English from Restaurant Iris and Jimmy Gentry and Jessica Lambert from The Lobbyist were the Memphis chefs who participated in the event. English prepared the second course: New Orleans east shrimp Creole with rice grits; and Gentry, the third course: gnocchi with pea harissa, celery root, and beurre noisette.
Tim couldn’t say how much money was raised, but 100 percent of the proceeds go to the FedExFamilyHouse.
“It was a tremendous success,” he says, adding, “The views were stunning. And all night long we saw the red Le Bonheur heart in the background.”
Though it’s miles away, the glowing neon heart, which is on top of Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, was visible to guests. “We were all there for FedExFamilyHouse. And all evening long this wonderful red heart illuminated the top of FedEx Logistics. It created a magical evening.”
Also magical was the use of the color gold in the lights and flatware. “Gold, in my opinion, reflects light and creates a sense of happiness amongst people.”
When he visited the rooftop last February, Tim knew the direction he wanted the dinner to go. “It sort of popped into my head. Create an elegant, unique experience on a rooftop like no other in Memphis.”
Asked what he thought about the evening, Black says, “I thought it was awesome. I’m so glad we weren’t there the night before. That rain storm came through and just pummeled the top of that building. It was a crazy storm.”
Black was at Central Station Hotel looking north at the time. “The two storms merged. One was coming from the east and the other coming from the west. I’ve never seen anything like that. It dumped rain for about an hour on the roof.”
But the evening of the Celebrity Chef Tour dinner was another story. “It was a perfect night. And with the weather — you couldn’t have done it better.”
