Tru Breaks New Ground With Artist Series

TRU Breaks New Ground with Artist Series Featuring Peter Halley
Renowned Artist and Yale University Art Lecturer Joins TRUs Culinary Team, in Partnership with Alan Koppel Gallery, for an Inspiring Dinner Exploring the Taste and Texture of Color

Executive Chef/Partner Rick Tramonto and Executive Pastry Chef/Partner Gale Gand, in partnership with acclaimed art dealer Alan Koppel, are teaming up with renowned artist and Yale University lecturer Peter Halley for the inaugural TRU Artist Dinner Series on Tuesday, March 11.

The Peter Halley Dinner is based on the concept of synesthesia, a phenomenon in which one type of stimulation evokes another. As such, chefs Tramonto and Gand will create a seven-course dinner that explores their reactions to the emotions and textures of color through their medium of choice: food. For example, the yellow course may have some visual components that are yellow, but more-so it will have flavors, textures and aromas that taste, feel and smell yellow.

Each of the courses will be paired with the reproduction of a Halley painting, allowing guests to see and taste for themselves how Tramontos and Gands interpretation of Halleys work can be experienced beyond the sense of sight.

In addition, wines will be paired with each course by TRU Sommelier Scott Tyree, using the synesthesia philosophy. The selected wines will also inspire the emotion of the color of each course through the flavor, aroma and mouthfeel of each vintage.

The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a Champagne reception where guests can mingle with Peter Halley, chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand and TRU Art Collection Curator and Chicago art dealer Alan Koppel. The Alan Koppel Gallery is the source of each of the pieces in TRUs collection. Each piece is carefully selected with a keen eye towards aesthetics and historical artistic significance. During a pre-dinner tour of the art collection and the TRU kitchen, guests will enjoy little bites of color to whet their appetite.

Following a brief discussion by Peter Halley about the concept of synesthesia and how this came together in the menu, Tramonto and Gand will unveil their culinary masterpieces one course at a time. Halley will actually be involved with the plate presentation of each course using a food paint such as an intense carrot reduction for orange where he will brush stroke each plate before Tramonto and Gand finish plating their dish. The chefs will team with Halley to discuss the inspiration behind each course and provide details about the ingredients, preparation and presentation.

Reception
Little Bites of Color

Grand Amuse-Bouche
Yellow

Seafood Course
Orange

Hot Appetizer Course
Red

Fish Course
Green

Meat Course
Black and White

Dessert Collection
Blue

Mignardises
Technicolor Sweet Dreams

The dinner is a unique opportunity to see TRU artistic collaboration at work. From a creative standpoint, Halley views chefs as artists of the highest degree. Tramonto and Gand view themselves as artists/chefs. Throughout his career, Tramonto has been recognized for his ability to marry art and food, and Gand, who received her bachelor's degree in fine arts, is a former metalsmith and painter who uses her art background every day in her transforming butter, sugar, flour and eggs into sweet, edible works of art.

Also during the event, chefs Tramonto and Gand will break new artistic ground as they blur the difference between food and art, inviting Halley into their kitchen to assist in the physical presentation of each dish where Halley will challenge the chefs to purely express specific colors through their cooking.

The dinner is $250 per guest, inclusive of wine, tax, gratuity and a special limited edition, autographed menu with reproductions of the Halley works that inspi