When you walk into the Tournament Players Club of Jasna Polana, the
former estate of John Seward Johnson I (Jasna Polana means "bright
meadow" in Polish, so-named by Johnson’s former Polish maid and wife,
Barbara Piasecka), now an elegant country club and PGA tour facility,
you are struck at once by the ornate architectural detail, sweeping
grand staircase, and well-appointed club rooms overlooking immaculate,
lush gardens. In fact if someone told you the American Heart
Association was holding a fundraiser there to draw attention to
important health issues like lowering cholesterol and eating
heart-healthy food, you might chuckle and say, "Here? I don’t think
so. Pass the chocolate mousse."
But, in fact, last year the inaugural Chefs with Heart fundraiser at
Jasna Polana, hosted by the American Heart Association, drew more than
300 guests. The event, which this year takes place on Thursday, June
1, is designed to raise funds for cardiovascular and stroke research
and for the AMA’s initiatives to educate the public on how healthy
food habits lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and weight – the three
main risk factors for heart attacks and stroke.
Peter Cary, director of communications for the New Jersey chapter of
AHA, says the AHA also seeks to raise awareness about what he calls
"little-known heart facts," for example, almost 40,000 babies are born
every year in the United States with heart defects. "People think
we’re just about old people. We’re not," says Cary.
Every year the Chefs with Heart event names a "survivor ambassador,"
and this year it’s Brittany Hasili of Yardville. Hasili was born with
multiple life-threatening heart defects, one of only eight children in
the world with that particular combination of defects. Given only a 15
percent chance of survival, she underwent two open-heart corrective
surgeries, among other procedures, and is now a happy, healthy
nine-year-old.
Some of New Jersey’s finest restaurants will give tastings at the
Chefs with Heart event, including central Jersey landmarks Tre Piani,
the Ferry House, Mediterra, the Frog and the Peach, Rat’s, the
Lawrenceville Inn, TPC at Jasna Polana, Villa Barone in Robbinsville,
and Marsilios in Trenton. Also participating are the Ebbitt Room at
the Virginia Hotel in Cape May, Le Petit Chateau and the Bernards Inn
in Bernardsville, the Grill in Pittstown, the Manor in West Orange,
and several others.
Apparently focusing on heart-healthy food is not only a great idea for
a fundraiser, it’s also a savory marketing tool. Salt Creek Grille,
which is coming to Princeton Forrestal Village in the fall, has chosen
the Chefs With Heart event to premiere its menu to Princeton foodies.
According to figures provided by Salt Creek Grille, close to 80,000
cars go down Route 1 every day. "The wood pits are one of the first
things people notice, and they will smell them before they see them.
People sitting in traffic on Route 1 are going to smell that mesquite
burning and they’re going to want to see what’s happening," says Steve
Bidgood, operating partner of the Salt Creek Grille in Rumson, which
breaks ground this week on its newest location in Princeton Forrestal
Village (there are Salt Creek Grilles in Dana Point and Valencia,
California). Set to open in the fall, the company’s fourth restaurant
will perch where the Westin flagpoles currently sit, directly facing
Route 1.
"Because it’s often the unique Arts and Crafts architecture of the
restaurant that pulls people in – that and the smell of mesquite – we
did not want to be hidden in the back of Forrestal. If a site doesn’t
allow us to stand out, it’s not for us," says Bidgood.
In addition to the restaurant’s signature Craftsman-style architecture
– free-standing wooden buildings and natural settings reminiscent of
Frank Lloyd Wright’s turn of the century masterpieces – Salt Creek
Grille’s patios with open fire pits make for a novel dining concept.
According to Bidgood, every three to four months, the company
transports mesquite in tractor-trailers (holding 16 cords) from Texas.
The wood, which is so pervasive that Texans consider it a "weed," is
stored in a warehouse in Middletown. These days, due to rising costs
at the gas pump, it nearly costs more to ship than to purchase the
wood. But, Bidgood says, the difference in taste is worth it.
Designed by DAS Architects of Philadelphia, the 11,000 square foot,
275-seat facility will be constructed by Designline Construction
Services of Eatontown. All on one level, with a porch around the side,
the restaurant will contain both interior and exterior fire pits that
will be visible from the highway.
Founded by Tim McCune and Pete Truxaw upon leaving long-time
restaurant management positions in 1995, the first Salt Creek Grille
opened in Dana Point, California.
Bidgood, who turns 50 in August, is a Jersey boy who joined the
company after a 16-year career with Chart House restaurants. He grew
up in Middletown and started his restaurant career at the Molly
Pitcher Inn in Red Bank when he was just 15. As he tells the story, he
was introduced to the restaurant business through his father, Tom, who
was national sales manager for Monsanto and who knew the owners of the
Molly Pitcher. The Bidgoods often ate dinner there (Bidgood is the
second youngest of five siblings), and Tom Bidgood once said to the
owner, "If you need help, there’s always my boy," to which the owner
replied, "I need him tomorrow." His mother, Jane, was at one time the
volunteer coordinator for Marlboro Mental Hospital and then headed a
New Jersey foster grandparents association.
Upon earning a bachelors degree in restaurant management at the
University of Missouri, Bidgood lived all over the country while
launching new facilities for Chart House restaurants. Upon joining
Salt Creek Grille, Bidgood returned to New Jersey and currently lives
with his wife, Lynn, and their two young daughters, Megan and Shauna,
in Eatontown.
The Princeton location beat out several other possible venues. "We’ve
been looking for four and a half years and considered both Bethesda
and Annapolis, Maryland, as well as Bergen county," says Bidgood. What
does Princeton have in its favor? According to Bidgood, the answer is
a highly populated corporate corridor, which guarantees lunch traffic,
and a high-income, upscale dinner clientele who typically appreciate
award-winning cuisine and wine, accompanied by attentive and
knowledgeable service. Additionally, the area has year-round traffic.
Bidgood says the Forrestal site fit the bill. "It’s perfect." Better
yet for the restaurant’s partners, another new Princeton Forrestal
Village tenant, Can-Do, a high-end, 65,000 square foot spa, which
replaces the former Forrestal food court, will drive even more lunch
business their way.
When asked if they worry about competing with other area restaurants,
especially their highly-successful neighbor, Tre Piani, Bidgood says,
"Tre Piani does a great job. But they have a totally different concept
than ours. We’ve met with them and agree it’s healthy to have other
establishments around because their guests may try us out, and those
who are familiar with us from Rumson can now discover Tre Piani.
They’ll grow from us and we’ll grow from them. There’s plenty of
business for everyone."
Chefs with Heart, Thursday, June 1, 6 to 9 p.m., American Heart
Association, Jasna Polana, 8 Lawrenceville Road, Princeton. Second
annual food and wine tasting event. Music and silent auction. $175.
732-348-3044.
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