Celebrating the Chefs of Tomorrow, with the Chefs of Today!

 After three days of impressive humidity, baking heat and record high temperatures, the clouds decided to break just as eager foodies were gathering at Boston's Seaport Hotel for the 15th annual Chefs in Shorts event.  Bringing together around 40 of Boston's best chefs, this event is built to celebrate food while raising funds for Future Chefs, an organization which supports early employment and field opportunities in the culinary fields.  

Right off the bat, I ran into William, aka, The Boston Foodie who introduced me to some of the Future Chefs team.  It was wonderful to meet them and chat a bit about the great initiatives they are working towards...all while promoting some of our current chefs:)

 After our chat, I went straight to the booths where, despite the rain and wind, chefs were producing delicious sample-sized dishes....oh and a larger-than-life pot of hand-made guacamole, as pictured above, by Rosa Mexicano.

 It is always intersting to note the trends of the year.  This time around, it was definitely a tie between tacos (the The Taco Truck even made an appearance..and their food was nice and dry:) ), and sliders. 

 Through the array of burgers offered, my favorite was, without a hint of a doubt, the duck burger with blueberry jam/ketchup and foie gras aioli from Top of the Hub..sound glutinous? Somehow, the savory with the blueberry worked perfectly together...and I was not the only person to think so:)

 A close second in terms of favorite was the shrimp roll from Market at the W. So simple...but so delicious! 

Lucky for me, the desserts had been placed under the archways, so they were saved from the rain and I could not have been happier. Isabelle's Curly Cakes and Kickass Cupcakes both made appearances and it was tough to decide which were better...different would be the more suitable answer.

Funnily enough, it was not the food that blew me away, certainly there were many delicious dishes to have, but it was actually everybody's dedication that most impressed me. The fact that on a miserable, windy and rainy Friday evening, such a crowd both of fantastic chefs and food lovers, would stick out the weather in the highest of spirits is truly heart warming. I saw no surly faces, only happy and enthused exchanges, even during the worst of the weather.  Of course, once the rain cleared and everyone had this view of Boston's skyline to take in...the fight was even more worth it. 

Events like this show chefs at their finest; able to present renditions of their classic dishes under pressure and sometimes, extreme weather conditions.  Events like this are more than just about the food, they are about bringing people together to enjoy what food has to offer, a sense of community, friendship and an overall appreciation of the future of Boston's food scene.