DETAILS: Indulge in a fabulous French-inspired cuisine with a New England flair, paired fine with wines from SAMsARA–considered one of the top Syrah producers in California. Owner Joan Szkutak will present the wines and her share insights into her highly exclusive wines and sustainable winemaking process. As you sip and explore each small-batch wine, enjoy delicious dishes made from local ingredients prepared by Chaval’s acclaimed owners, Chefs Damian Sansonetti and Pastry Chef Ilma Lopez. Seats are extremely limited. Book your table before it’s too late!
PRICE: $129 plus tax and gratuity
LINKS: Chaval
RESERVE: Via email reservations@chavalmaine.com
Portland Wine Week is Presented by Wine Wise with Partner Sponsors Bangor Savings and Buoy Local.
BIOS:
Before Chef Damian Sansonetti was the acclaimed chef de cuisine at the uber-French Bar Boulud in New York, co-owner Damian Sansonetti grew up savoring his mother's and grandmother's cooking from handmade pasta to grilled fish to learning how to cure meat and make sausages with his grandfather. A career in food was practically his birthright. After graduating from the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Sansonetti worked at Nantucket’s Brant Point Grill and Pittsburgh’s Steelhead Grill, moving to New York to open Heartbeat in the W Hotel. Sansonetti met Daniel Boulud while working at Shallots in Midtown and eventually took a position at Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne. Sansonetti was a 2022 finalist for the James Beard Award, Best Chef Northeast.
Chef Ilma Lopez has worked in some of the most demanding and rewarding kitchens in the industry, such as DB Bistro, Corton, Tailor, El Bulli, Café Boulud, and Le Bernardin. When she left New York City to the quieter reaches of Maine, Lopez found a new terrain she couldn’t resist. Arriving with a mastery of colors, flavors, textures, and spices—and a seasoned ability to work under pressure—Lopez makes classic dishes her own, with attention to micro-detail and thoughtful twists. For her work, Lopez earned a 2014 StarChefs Coastal New England Rising Star Pastry Chef Award, Has been a multiple-time James Beard top-Chef finalist, and you may have seen her name in the September issue of Bon Appetit Magazine highlighting her incredible talents when naming Portland, Maine as their pick for Restaurant City of The Year. You can find her daily at their new bakeshop and luncheonette The Ugly Duckling.
Joan Szkutak | Hailing from Maine, SAMsARA Wine Co. owner, began her career as engineer in the corporate world before she translated her talents into a boutique winery owner. Using low-intervention methods, SAMsARA produces limited releases of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Grenache and Chardonnay from carefully selected micro-sites around Santa Barbara.
