Cleveland's Top Chefs, on Aug. 20 at ICASI, a benefit for school's scholarships

Aug. 9—Many of the area's top chefs will pay it forward by serving some of their best dishes to raise money for scholarships to the Chester Township-based International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute. The gala scholarship event, which will also include an opportunity to win a tour of Sicily for two, is set for 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 20 at the school, 8700 Mayfield Road.

ICASI has helped restaurants with staffing during the pandemic, and many of them employ ICASI graduates.

Graduates of the school's six-month certificate and two-year diploma programs have helped make Northeast Ohio a culinary destination known throughout the country.

As the late famous chef Julia Child once said, "The more you know, the more you can create. There's no end to imagination in the kitchen."

Although ICASI tuition is lower than that of many other nationally accredited culinary schools, it's regularly named among the top culinary schools in the country, in the company of better-known schools such as The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University, and Le Cordon Bleu.

"We limit our class size to just 12 students," said Loretta Paganini, who opened the professional chef school in 2005 after giving individual cooking classes since 1989 for consumers at her nearby Loretta Paganini School of Cooking.

The two-year diploma program costs $25,940 and requires students to work 200 hours in the industry before graduation. In contrast, a degree program at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America can cost up to $60,000.

"I had an ICASI scholarship for three semesters," said Talia Trovato, co-owner of Coppia Restaurant in Chester Township, who got her culinary diploma from ICASI after graduating with a degree in biology from Ursuline College.

She went on to work at Walt Disney World's five-star Victoria & Albert Restaurant, where she met her partner Hedy Pastran. The two now operate Coppia, which is fast becoming one of the most notable in Northeast Ohio.

"We will be serving an appetizer crab cake with red pepper jam for the ICASI fundraiser," she said. "On our menu, we call it the Chesapeake Bay."

Coppia employs ICASI student Grace Kelchner, who is halfway through with her studies.

"We're so glad to be part of this event," said Trovato. "It's great to help with the education for those who are on our same path."

Here are a few other top chefs who will staff food stations at the Sunday-afternoon fundraiser:

Dante Boccuzzi, who has several restaurants in Northeast Ohio, also employs ICASI students for their required externships and graduates of the programs. He recently opened his first East Side restaurant, Dukes 'n Boots in Downtown Willoughby. After working in top restaurants in Europe, Boccuzzi returned to his native Northeast Ohio, where he is the only Michelin-starred chef.

Dante Boccuzzi's Dukes 'n Boots now open in Willoughby

"I'll be doing cold poached smoked salmon with a fennel puree on a fresh salad for the ICASI fundraiser," he said. "I employ several ICASI graduates and they always work out.

"They get an excellent culinary education."

Zach Ladner — chef at Giovanni's Ristorante in Beachwood, which has earned top scores from rating organizations and has long been considered one of Cleveland's best restaurants — still is developing his dish for the ICASI event.

"My partner Carl Quagliata is an old friend of Loretta, and we have employed several ICASI graduates in our kitchen," said Ladner, a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.

Terry Bell, executive chef for the Cleveland Cavaliers, worked in many area restaurants before incorporating as TGB ProFoods to make and serve breakfast and lunch to 115 Cavs players and employees each day during basketball season.

"Players need to take in a lot of calories, and we work with a dietitian to pay close attention to the nutrition element," he said.

In the 16 years he's been with the team, he's lost touch with many of his restaurant-chef colleagues, so the ICASI event will serve as a networking occasion for him.

"I'll be bringing several one- and two-bite dishes for people to try," he said. "This is a whole new world, and I look forward to giving people a chance to taste what we do."

Paul Minnillo and Matt Mytro are owner-chef partners at the well-regarded Flour in Moreland Hills.

"We'll be bringing poached shrimp with Italian sweet corn tossed with Calabrian chile butter and Pecorino cheese to the benefit," said Mytro.

The restaurant, perhaps best known for its fresh pasta, also makes and packages its high-end pasta to sell at Heinen's and several boutique markets in the area. It's made of semolina flour and processed with bronze dies, he said.

"The heat and friction in the process give it a rough exterior that grabs the pasta and absorbs the sauces used. We can produce only a small amount in an hour," Mytro said. "The quality is all in how the flour is ground."

The restaurant's pizzas all are made with a fine 00 flour.

"It's a better, more expensive ingredient, but the results are in its taste," he said.

These are the kinds of insights those who attend the ICASI fundraiser can gain from the chefs on hand.

Kevin Keough of Burton never intended to become a food professional, but the dessert jars he created took on a life of their own, resulting in Kevin Is Always Mixing, a Chardon bakery.

"I was in advertising sales for 25 years and just came up with the idea while on vacation in Florida," he said. "We did so well I left my day job last year in March."

Keough's desserts layer various ingredients in 8- and 16-ounce Mason jars — or 4-ounce jars for catering orders. He makes more than two dozen kinds, but French Silk, Macaron and Coconut Cream have emerged as the most popular.

"We're working on flavors for fall and winter now," he said.

They're sold at the bakery and at Patterson's Farm Market.

Seventh generation at Patterson Fruit Farm raising chickens

Keough recently gave a class at the Loretta Paganini School of Cooking, teaching others to make dessert jars and everyone made one to take home.

"That's when I signed up to come to the scholarship fundraiser with my dessert jars," he said.

Chef Richy Cunningham from Sara's Place in Gates Mills will bring a marinated corn and tomato salad locally sourced from nearby Eddy Fruit Farm.

"It will be topped with baby scallops and microgreens from Wild Patch (Microgreens in Chester Township)," he said.

Sara's owners Dave and Mary Gromelski have long drawn employees from among ICASI grads, Cunningham said.

He will bring his wife, Gayle, with him to the ICASI fundraiser, where she will share her cookies.

Other restaurants and chefs on hand will include Cleveland Field Kitchen from Chagrin Falls, Cru Uncorked in Moreland Hills and several popular caterers.

Kids' cooking camps in Mentor, Chester Township build kitchen confidence

Specialty cocktails, along with beer and wine, will be available. There also will be a Brix Chocolate and wine pairing, a bourbon-tasting bar and drawings for prizes.

A limited number of $100 tickets still are available to win an autumn 2024 Gastronomic Tour of Sicily for Two. Tickets to win private cooking classes for a dozen people are $50. They'll be given by Paganini at her cooking school, and by Tim McCoy, ICASI education director, in the winner's home or backyard. A fully stocked bar cart is the prize for a $20 raffle ticket, and participating chefs all have donated gift cards to be awarded in a drawing of $20 tickets. Ticketholders for the raffle items don't need to be present to win.

Cleveland's Top Chefs

What: A culinary experience to raise money for International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute scholarships.

When: 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 20.

Where: ICASI, 8700 Mayfield Road, Chester Township.

Tickets: $150 per person ($100 tax-deductible).

Reservations: 440-729-1110 or bit.ly/cletopchefs-23.