Food and mood guru headlines Hope Institute’s

Celebrity Chef Benefit 

The Hope Institute for Children and Families is breaking new ground this year. Their choice of chef for the 20th Annual Hope Celebrity Chef fundraiser isn’t at the helm of a highly regarded (usually Chicago) restaurant, as have been the chefs at earlier benefits. Famous chefs who have previously donated their time and talent to the Hope Institute have included Rick Bayless, chef/ owner of several top Chicago restaurants, winner of – among numerous other awards – the James Beard foundation’s 1995 National Chef of the Year, and host of his own PBS cooking show, “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” for nine seasons; and Stephanie Izard, who opened the wildly popular Girl and the Goat after becoming the first woman to win Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” competition.

Jaime Laurita, the Hope Institute’s Celebrity Chef for this year’s benefit doesn’t have his own restaurant. But he is definitely a celebrity, not least because he has travelled the world as the chef for numerous celebrities and rock bands. Laurita’s list of clients is long and amazing: Madonna, Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, Sting, Placido Domingo, Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, Stone Temple Pilots, Prince, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more.

For many of Laurita’s star clients, he provided more than just culinary experiences that ranged from arranging roses in Madonna’s dressing room, building backstage environments for the likes of Sting and “rocking a fiery barbeque with Aerosmith.” His “ultimate goal is to never disappoint [my] clients and always feed their needs …. Precision matters and sophistication is all about the finer details.”

While working for Sarah McLachlan in 1999, Laurita even co-authored a cookbook, Plenty, with her. Says Laurita in a 2013 interview, “The book came about because I was on the road with Sarah and she was begging me for the recipes of the dishes I was preparing for her. She was shocked when I told her that I don’t write anything down. Dishes just come to me – that’s how I cook. There’s no rhyme or reason. I stay in tune with the season, I find the best ingredients, let them talk to me, and before you know it there are several courses on the table.”

Laurita’s well-grounded culinary education began at home. He comes from an Italian family of 11 children, and his early learning took place in the kitchens of his mother, grandmothers, and other female relatives. Eventually he combined those home cooking lessons with professional training. Laurita attended the Culinary Institute of America, often called the “Harvard” of cooking schools. Afterwards, he was awarded a scholarship from the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners, through which he earned a master’s certificate in Italian Cuisine. It also enabled him to travel around Europe for three years, working for some of France and Italy’s best chefs.

Laurita has been featured on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” for “having one of the coolest jobs in the world.” He has also been on “The Rosie O’Donnell Show,” “numerous” Food Network programs, as well as on talk shows such as “The Today Show.”

But Laurita is perhaps best known to the general public as a recurring cast member of Bravo network’s reality show “Real Housewives of New Jersey.” His involvement with the show came about because two of his sisters, Caroline Manzo and Dina Manzo have been in the show since its beginning, as have his brother, Chris, and sister-in-law Jacqueline. Jaime Laurita appeared in two episodes, buying provisions for an upcoming Madonna tour in one and giving “uncle advice” to Chris and Jaqueline’s daughter, Ashley, in another.

Laurita’s big moments in “Real Housewives of New Jersey” came when the show’s producers agreed to film the rehearsal dinner and wedding of Laurita and his longtime partner, Rich Lane, at their home in a North Chicago suburb for two episodes. “The reason why we decided to do the whole thing is to show America that we do exist, and just like everyone else, we have our ups and downs,” says Laurita. “Bravo was very interested in that because it was a real situation. …. Nothing was rehearsed.”

Laurita’s newest venture has been the creation of his own line of products. “The first wave of products is coming from Italy,” he says in a recent interview. “I’ve connected directly with the growers, the olive oil producers, the pasta production people and I’m doing a very high-end quality for a very fair price.” So far the list of products consists of two Italian sparkling wines, Bello Boy Moscato and The Perfect Prosecco, Outstanding Olive Oil and Pasta Perfetto (made with bronze dies that are universally acknowledged to produce the best-textured pasta). Italy’s finest tomatoes for making sauces, San Marzanos, are coming soon.

A self-described “Food and Mood Guru” Laurita brings a “spiritual energy” to everything he does. And he believes that he can impart that energy to his clients and customers whether through his cooking, decorating or offering provisions.

As his website says: “Chef Jaime Laurita exudes pure, positive energy. He is passionate about the value and integrity of superior organic foods and fierce, über-sophisticated brands. He has an impeccable reputation for blending healthy, spiritual living with memory-charged culinary experiences and over-the-top stylish tabletop décor.”

The Hope Institute for Children and Families’ Annual Celebrity Chef Dinner, which has become a Springfield tradition, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014, at Erin’s Pavilion in Southwind Park, beginning at 6 p.m.

For the 20th Anniversary of the event, there are two ticket options. General ticket prices begin at $150 and include a main reception, dinner, drinks, exclusive raffle and entertainment. A special $250 “Meet and Greet Package” also allows guests to take a photo with the chef at an exclusive pre-party and receive a special gift. Sponsorships are also available. Tickets are available on The Hope Institute website at thehopeinstitute.us. Reservations as well as special requests may be mailed to: The Hope Institute, Attn: Celebrity Chef, 15 E. Hazel Dell Lane, Springfield, IL 62712. Call 217-588-7546 for more information.

Contact Julianne Glatz at [email protected].