The 20th Annual Citi Taste of Tennis of New York
One cannot believe that the Citi Taste of Tennis New York is in its 20th year. The event returned to Cipriani 42nd Street on Aug. 22, 2019. Some of the proceeds went to the New York Junior Tennis & Learning.
Various tennis players and others lent their support, like John Isner, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Coco Gauff, Andy Roddick, Milan Tyson, Gaël Monfils, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger Aliassime, Marc Murphy, Belinda Bencic, Abi Spears, Vania King, Jamie Loeb, Monica Puig, Donna Vekic, Bethanie Mattek Sands, Kristi Ahn, Danielle Collins and more.
Others who gave their support were Mike Tyson, Drew Nieporent, and David Burke. Drew founded the Myriad Restaurant Group, which operates Tribeca Grill, Nobu New York City, Nobu Fifty Seven, Nobu London, Nobu Next Door, Bâtard, Porsche Grille at Citi Field, and Crush Wine & Spirits.
We enjoyed signature cuisine from the city’s leading chefs and appearances by tennis stars. The creamy parmesan brown rice and quinoa along with bourbon maple-glazed pork belly by Chef Ron Duprat of the Bridgewater Club just melted in your mouth. The duck breast by Chef Sani Hebaj of the Dabble at The Conrad was also very tasty. Many do not use salmon for ceviche, but the torched salmon ceviche by Chef Mina Newman was a refreshing change.
Many enjoyed the mini pita surf that consisted of crispy lamb pita along with lobster salad, black caviar, and seven spice, was very different. There was also Caribbean food like the jerk chicken taco, curry pico de gallo, and guava tomato bruschetta by Chef Wenford Simpson.
The mac and cheese croquettes by Chef Suho Lee of Charlie Palmer at The Knick did not taste like typical mac and cheese with hint of truffle and cheddar and fondue. The duck tacos were made by Masaharu Morimoto, a Japanese chef, best known as an Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show “Iron Chef” and its spinoff, “Iron Chef America.” He made the 2012 Culinary Hall of Fame.
Many like to go to Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse for corporate meetings and their fine happy hour. The hand-rolled potato gnocchi with organic mushrooms along with basil and white truffle oil by Chef Annise Hernandez-Scott was not heavy and quite delicious.
VIP guests kicked off the night at an exclusive Q&A that featured John Isner. The VIP holders or Citi members enjoyed lamb chops by Chefs Richard Blais and Scarlett Brida.
To match the fine food, we enjoyed Appleton rum, wines of Daou vineyards and winery, blood orange negroni with Diplomatic rum, others, and a variety of mixed cocktails. We also enjoyed the special live performances by the Rakiem Walker, Potash Twins, Naomi Cowan.
The Rakiem Walker Project is a band coordinated and led by saxophonist Rakiem Walker with with lead vocalist Gloria Ry’ann. The band toured with Chef Marcus Samuelsson for the Red Rooster Harlem Cookbook Tour 2016-2017. They are also the band for Macy’s Department Stores, IBM in Las Vegas, MasterCard, Citibank, Children of Armenia Fund, Red Rooster Harlem Monday nights, and more.
Many would like the “Twin Horns of Joy.” Adeev and Ezra Potash are musicians, entertainers and the hosts of Bravo TV’s “Beats + Bites” and Travel Channel‘s “Southern Road.” Their 2015 release entitled The Potash Twins reached No. 9 on the iTunes Jazz Charts. They were guided at an early age by jazz legend Wynton Marsalis.
If you like reggae, then you would enjoy the talented singer and songwriter Naomi Cowan, Tommy Cowan, OD (reggae music producer, songwriter, and former road manager for Bob Marley), and international reggae vocalist Dr. Carlene Davis-Cowan. She was recognized as the Breakthrough Reggae Artist of 2018 at the 2019 Jamaica Reggae Industry Awards.
She is the former Miss Teen Jamaica, and her passion for philanthropy can be seen through her work with youth in both Toronto and Jamaica. She is currently a speaker on the We Inspire Girls to be Strong Women tour, an island-wide initiative endorsed by the Ministry of Education where women empower high school girls through events and small group talks to maximize their true potential.
It was neat to see Venus and Serena Williams along with executive chef Richard Blais turn up the heat with an onstage cooking competition. Richard Blais is an American chef, television personality, restaurateur and author. He was the runner-up for the fourth season of “Top Chef” and returned several seasons later to win “Top Chef: All-Stars.” “Try This at Home” was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award 2014 in the category of Cookbook: General Cooking. Richard also founded Trail Blais, a creative culinary company that has consulted on, designed and operated some of Atlanta’s most popular eateries.
After dinner, we enjoyed fine desserts like banana pudding by Chef Doc D of Doc’s Cake Shop. Also, there was delicious coconut and mango tennis ball mousse by Chef Rory McDonald of the Chanson Patisserie Desert Bar.
Some of the proceeds went to the New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL). The organization is dedicated to developing the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. All NYJTL community and after-school programs are offered in all five boroughs at no cost. Having served 85,000 youth of NYC in 45 years, today NYJTL is the largest non-profit youth tennis program.
This event was created by AYS– a woman-owned sports marketing agency focused on enhancing the profile of professional tennis. AYS is dedicated to providing exciting, off-the-court experiences where fans, sponsors, media and social influencers can engage with tennis players. Learn more at aysworld.com. The Taste of Tennis event has grown rapidly over the years, taking place each year in Miami, Indian Wells, Washington and New York.
