Dinner with Thomas Arvid

Thursday, May 29 - 6:30 pm

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

$175 per person ($50 tax deductible)

Call 615-329-1760 for reservations

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Grand Events

Vintner’s Tasting - Vanderbilt Marriott Hotel

 Thursday, July 10, 2008

 Tasting 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. 

A tutored tasting featuring the wines of

Chateau Palmer, Hugel & Fils, MaisonLouis-Jadot and Champagne Pol Roger

with

commentary by the Guests of Honor

and

moderated by Robin Kelley O'Connor

(see bio below)

Attire: Business

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Le Grand Dîner  - Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Friday, July 11, 2008

Reception 6:30 p.m.

Dinner to follow

A private dinner arranged expressly in honor of our very special

Grand Patrons and Sponsors

Featuring the cuisine of

Chef Grant MacPherson

(see bio below)

Attire: Black Tie

Available only to Grand Patrons & Sponsors

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Grand Auction - Loews Vanderbilt Hotel

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Symphony  Ballroom

Hors d’oeuvres will be served from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Bidding on Silent Auction from 5:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Live Auction to begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. 

Dinner followed by dessert and cheese will be served

at guests’ tables during the Live Auction.

Wines from Château Palmer, Hugel & Fils, Maison Louis-Jadot and Champagne Pol-Roger

will be poured throughout the evening.    

Attire: Party Festive Attire 

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Wine on the River

6th Annual Wine on the River

Saturday, September 20, 2008

3:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge

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Thomas Arvid

With his monumental compositions that capture the delicate beauty of wine and the evocative pleasure of its consumption, Arvid has become synonymous with the wine lifestyle. Inspired by the grace and hospitality of the southern culture in which he lives, Arvid’s compositions are an invitation to take the time to appreciate sharing a great bottle and good conversation with friends. Named one of the top "25 Artists You Should Know" by US Art magazine, Arvid receives critical acclaim for his ability to portray century old traditions in a startlingly fresh style. His images astound viewers with their intricate details and his mastery of light, depth and reflection.  With his iconic portrayals of the wine experience in over 50 exclusive galleries in North America and a four year wait for his original works, Arvid has revived the everyday appreciation of wine by capturing the beauty and essence of easy living. 

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Chef Grant MacPherson

Chef Grant MacPherson, a native of Scotland, has been a chef on five continents and was a gold medalist at the 1992 Culinary Olympics in Frankfurt.  He has cooked for Margaret Thatcher, George H. W. Bush, Princess Diana, Nelson Mandela, Robert Mondavi, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Stewart, Morgan Freeman and Julia Roberts, as well as for Wolfgang Puck on Chef Puck’s 50th birthday.  He has cooked numerous times at the James Beard House in New York and at other charitable events around the world.

Chef MacPherson had worked in such prestigious hotel kitchens as the Regent, the Ritz-Carlton, the Four Seasons, Malaysia’s Datai Hotel and the super luxurious Raffles Hotel in Singapore before being recruited by Las Vegas casino tycoon Steve Wynn in 1998 to head culinary operations at the new 3,000 room Bellagio, where he was on the opening team and oversaw the creation and operation of 18 restaurants and was responsible for over 800 culinary employees.  Steve Wynn then took MacPherson with him to the new Wynn Las Vegas, where Grant developed concepts for 24 new restaurants and headed all culinary operations.  He also was responsible for establishing and overseeing the culinary operations of the new Wynn Macau, where he served on the opening team.  Chef MacPherson has also represented Viking Range Corporation at various culinary events over the past six years. 

After 10 years in the Steve Wynn organization and a lifelong career in the hotel and hospitality field, Chef MacPherson recently made the decision to leave the casino industry in order to spend more time with his wife and two young sons.  He will now serve as a culinary operations consultant with resort and luxury hotel properties around the world.  Grant will also continue his relationship with Viking Range Corporation, serving as a product design consultant and representing Viking at high profile food and wine events. 

Chef MacPherson graduated with honors from the three year Culinary Program at Niagara College in Niagara Falls, Canada.  In 2006, his alma mater awarded him an   Honorary Bachelor of Applied Studies Degree for outstanding professional and personal achievements in the fields of culinary arts and hospitality.

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Robin Kelley O'Connor

For the last 20 years, Robin Kelley O’Connor has been passionately involved in every sector of the wine and spirits trade: marketing, educating, and tasting wines and spirits from throughout the world. His experience spans all aspects of the business: sommelier, importer, marketer, wine writer, wine judge, and spokesman.

For the last 17 years, Mr. O’Connor has traveled the United States, Canada, and Mexico as the tireless ambassador for the Bordeaux Wine Bureau, representing the Bordeaux Wine Trade Council. He aims to explain the diversity, quality, and accessibility of Bordeaux wines to all sectors of the wine trade including university and culinary school students, as well as consumers.

Subsequent to his university studies, he worked for two years as a student winemaker for Ets. Jean-Pierre Moueix at various Châteaux in Saint-Emilion, Pomerol and Fronsac regions including Ch. Pètrus, Ch. Trontanoy, and Ch. Magdelaine. He also produced champagne with the House of Krug.

Mr. O’Connor has written a weekly wine column for the The Trenton Times, holds a diploma (DWS) from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust in London, has passed the Society of Wine Educators Certified Wine Educators (CWE) and Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) exams and is now the Society’s President. Recently he passed the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Certified Sommelier exam. He sits on several wine magazine tasting panels (including Wine & Spirits Magazine), is on the board of The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Wine & Food and served on the program committee of the James Beard Foundation. He is an active member of several sommelier societies, and has been inducted into the Commmanderie de Bontemps Médoc et Graves-Sauternes et Barsac, Commmanderie de Bordeaux à New York, Jurade de Saint-Emilion, and Les Hospitaliers de Pomerol.

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