Fiona Breslin reports from Egremont.It was one of the first warm nights of Spring, Wednesday April, 24, and couldn’t have been a better evening to celebrate Railroad Street Youth Project (RSYP) and its spring culinary interns Table Dinner at John Andrews Restaurant . Under the tutelage of chef Dan Smith, five students curated and prepared a creative and mouth-watering tasting menu of house-made ricotta fritters, black olive puree, ravioli with spring greens, meats, cheeses, desserts, and more, which they served to a sold-out house. RSYP helps Berkshire youth by supporting activities to encourage self-worth and responsibility; its culinary apprenticeship program offers students the chance to learn from local top chefs -- gaining valuable work skills or, possibly, a job a with a local business. As guests dined, the young chefs were presented their certificates of completion and a raffle was drawn for dinner at -- John Andrews, of course!
Berkshire Rental Properties Claudia Laslie, Georgia Karbelnikoff, and Rebecca Bruun; RSYP board member Barbara Manring, Cheryl Raifstanger, and RSVP board vice president Gery Rybacki.
RSYP board member and realtor Barbara Schulman with Freddy Friedman and Mary Jo Friedman; Mark and Caren Rosengren.
Builder Lou Boxer, RSYP board member Beno Friedman, and Stephanie Blumenthal; Phil Timpane, Sugar Timpane, and Paul Clark.
RSYP board member Barbara Manring, RSYP executive director Ananda Timpane, and RSYP board member Barbara Watkins, winner of the evening's raffle.
Lyn Yonack, RSYP clerk Eric Bruun, Rebecca Bruun, and Anya Van Wagtendonk; RSYP alumni Kirsten Thorn with Caitlin Harrison.
Lou Boxer, realtor Nancy Kalodner, and Molly Boxer; party planner Amy Rudnick and artist Ben Hillman.
Students from the RSYP culinary apprenticeship program with John Andrews chef/owner Dan Smith.
Written by
Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
