On Saturday, July 26, the James Beard Foundation toasted James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and celebrity TV personality Bobby Flay at the annual sold-out Chefs & Champagne® event. Flay, accompanied by his wife actress Stephanie March, was fêted by more than 40 chefs at the Foundation’s annual tasting party and fundraiser at the Wölffer Estate in Sagaponack. Hamptons foodies feasted on a menu from Celebrity Cruises’ award-winning chefs, but instead of aboard one of the stunning ships, they treated their culinary tastes beneath a series of elaborate tents at Wolffer.

Flay joined the ranks of such gastronomic giants as Julia Child, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck, and Emeril Lagasse, with this honor. His career includes receiving the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award at the start of his career back in 1993 and being inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2007. As Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation, has noted: “Not only has he starred in over a dozen hit national cooking shows, co-hosted the James Beard Awards, and taught President Obama how to grill on the White House lawn, but the native New Yorker also manages to maintain the integrity of each and every one of his projects along the way.”

Over 1,200 guests attended the sold-out benefit, which featured flowing Champagne Taittinger, wines and cider from Wölffer Estate Vineyard, beer from Stella Artois®, and culinary offerings from a select group of chefs, many from JBF Award–winning restaurants. The James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne is considered the East End’s premiere culinary summertime event. A silent auction consisting of fine dining experiences, wines and spirits, cookware, and culinary travel packages raised over $65,000, to support the James Beard Foundation’s mission and educational programs, including culinary student scholarships and the organization’s annual food conference on sustainability, public health, and nutrition.

Carrying on its long tradition of supporting culinary education, the James Beard Foundation was proud to announce Samantha Whitlam as the recipient of the 2014 Christian Wölffer Scholarship. Established in 2006, the Christian Wölffer Scholarship assists students in their study of food and wine, and with this honor Whitlam is enrolling in the Intensive Sommelier Course at the International Culinary Center (ICC). Also in attendance were 2014 MY China Scholarship recipient Alexis Sicklick, 2013 Christian Wölffer Scholarship recipient Jhonel Faelnar, and multiple James Beard Foundation Scholarship recipient Christina Cassel.

Celebrity Cruises’ Chef Steve Van der Merwe dazzled the audience of foodies using local ingredients and presented an amazing made-from-scratch menu, including: Za’atar-grilled lamb chops with Tabbouleh and Greek Yogurt, inspired by Celebrity Cruises’ popular Lawn Club Grill and the array of global flavors that are represented on board the ships.

“Envision having your own BBQ yard party while overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, sailing out to the Black Sea or while anchored at Santorini,” Chef Van der Merwe offers.  “We wanted to bring together those flavors at the same time represent the live grilling aspect of our open deck restaurant at this event.” Celebrity Cruises’ iconic “X” is the mark of modern luxury, with its cool, contemporary design and warm spaces; dining experiences where the design of the venues is as important as the cuisine. Celebrity Cruises’ 11 ships offer modern luxury vacations visiting all seven continents.

Celebrity also presents immersive cruise tour experiences in Alaska and Canada. Celebrity is one of six cruise brands operated by global cruise vacation company Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE, OSE: RCL). For more information,  dial 1-800-437-3111, visit www.celebritycruises.com, or call your travel agent.

Chefs & Champagne participating chefs included:

• Lindsay Autry, Palm Beach, FL
• Franklin Becker, The Little Beet and Cast Iron (opening in 2015), NYC
• Philippe Bertineau, Benoit, NYC
• Jamie Bissonnette* and Ken Oringer*, Coppa, Boston; and Toro, Boston and NYC
• Devin Bozkaya, Campagna at Bedford Post Inn, Bedford, NY
• Chad Brauze, Rotisserie Georgette, NYC
• PJ Calapa, Campagna at Bedford Post Inn, Bedford, NY; and Costata, NYC
• James Carpenter, Page at 63 Main, Sag Harbor, NY
• Pastry Chef Stephen Collucci, Colicchio & Sons, NYC
• Ben Del Coro, Fossil Farms, Boonton, NJ
• Coby Farrow, BLT Prime, NYC
• Tom Fraker and Marco Zapien, Melissa’s
• Yuhi Fujinaga, The Sea Grill, NYC
• Lisa Giffen, Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY
• John Greeley, Crystal Springs Resort, Hamburg, NJ
• Steven Devereaux Greene, Herons, Cary, NC
• Alex Guarnaschelli*, Butter Restaurant, NYC
• Jason Hall, The Fourth, NYC
• Chris Jaeckle, All’onda, NYC
• Brian Loiacono, db Bistro Moderne, NYC
• Jean Paul Lourdes, Restaurant Latour, Hamburg, NJ
• Hugh Mangum, Mighty Quinn’s Barbeque, NYC
• Shane McBride, Balthazar and Schiller’s Liquor Bar, NYC
• Jeff McInnis and Janine Booth, Root & Bone, NYC
• Pastry Chef George McKirdy, Astor Bake Shop, Queens, NY
• Marc Meyer, Cookshop, Five Points, and Hundred Acres, NY
• Todd Mitgang, Crave Fishbar, NYC; and South Edison, Montauk, NY
• John Mooney, Bell Book & Candle, NYC; and Bidwell, Washington D.C.
• Seamus Mullen, El Colmado, and Tertulia, NYC
• Pastry Chef Deborah Racicot, Narcissa, NYC
• David Santos, Louro, NYC
• Jesse Schenker, The Gander and Recette, NYC
• Bryce Shuman, Betony, NYC
•Dan Silverman, The Regency Bar & Grill, NYC
• Pastry Chef Miroslav Uskokovic, Gramercy Tavern*, NYC
• Steve van der Merwe, Celebrity Cruises®
• Florian Wehrli, Triomphe Restaurant, NYC
• Pecko Zantilaveevan, The Four Seasons Restaurant*, NYC
• Erin Zircher, CRU Oyster Bar and Restaurant, Nantucket, MA

In addition to VIP after-party sponsor Sysco Metro NY, LLC, and exclusive Champagne from Champagne Taittinger, 2014 event sponsors included: Audi of America and the Tri-State Audi Dealers, Badoit® Sparkling Natural Mineral Water, Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, Celebrity Cruises®, Dacor, Delta Air Lines, Desserts That Matter©, Empire City Casino, evian® Natural Spring Water, Forever Cheese, Fossil Farms™, Hamptons magazine, Le Soleil D’Or, Melissa’s, Royal Cup Coffee, Stella Artois®, Tabasco® Brand, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Valrhona, VerTerra Dinnerware, Wölffer Estate Vineyard, and WVVH. Supporters were Chefwear, Koppert Cress, Party Rental Ltd., and Sag Harbor Florist. For more information, visit jamesbeard.org/chefsandchampagne. To become a member of the James Beard Foundation, click here.