07 Sundance Film Festival Celebrates Day One with An Artist At the Table Benefit For Sundance Institute

Park City, UT - Sundance Institute revealed the program elements for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival's annual Day One celebration, An Artist at the Table, to be held on Thursday, January 19.The seated dinner will feature entertainment from Kenny Loggins, a multi-course gourmet meal from the James Beard Foundation's Celebrity Chef Tour and a celebrated Sundance Institute artist at each table.

An Artist at the Table provides a unique opportunity for attendees to engage with Sundance Institute artists while contributing to the Institute's mission of championing the bold vision of those creating independent film and theatre. The evening will feature a screening of the Festival's Day One film, An Inconvenient Sequel - the follow-up to watershed environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth - at the Eccles Theatre, followed by a private reception including a cocktail hour and dinner, prepared in partnership with the James Beard Foundation's Celebrity Chef Tour, at the DeJoria Center.

It was also announced that in partnership with the James Beard Foundation's Celebrity Chef Tour, Chef Richard Blais will be joined by preeminent local chefs Shirley Butler-Bordas, Briar Handly, David Mullen and Justin Rogers to prepare an exclusive multi-course gourmet meal menu curated to bring a taste of what happens at the James Beard House in New York City to Park City.

In partnership with Billboard, American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins will perform for the 450 Institute supporters and artists. Loggins, known as the King of the Movie Soundtrack, has a longstanding relationship with the Institute, and will generously donate this performance of his legendary soundtrack hits to support its year-round programs for independent artists. Loggins is also known for his environmental activism, including the song Conviction of the Heart.

For tickets, updates and additional information on the event, visit sundance.org/an-artist-at-the-table. For more information on the James Beard Foundation's Celebrity Tour, visit JamesBeard.org/celebrity-chef-tour. Information on Kenny Loggins and each of the featured chefs is below.

Kenny Loggins: Kenny Loggins has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, has won two Grammy Awards, and co-wrote the book The Unimaginable Life: Lessons Learned on the Path of Love. His songs have been hits over the last four decades, including This Is It, I'm Alright, Footloose, Danger Zone, and so many more. In addition to his string of successful recordings, both solo and as a member of the famed duo Loggins & Messina, Kenny became the first major rock star to dedicate himself to recording music for children and families. His album Return to Pooh Corner remains the best-selling children's album of the last 20 years. In 2016, he released his latest children's project, the book Footloose (Moondance Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA, October 17, 2016), inspired by his 1985 Oscar nominated and Grammy Award-winning Song of the Year. This summer, he was a recipient of the ASCAP Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award at the annual Chapin Awards hosted by WhyHunger.

Chef Richard Blais: Maybe most recognizable as the winner of Bravos Top Chef All-Stars, Richard Blais has played an influential role in hospitality and food television for the last 15 years. His wildly creative approach to cooking and cuisine led to the establishment of Trail Blais, his forward-thinking culinary consulting company. He has designed and operated some of the countrys most-popular eateries, including most recently, Juniper & Ivy in San Diego and multiple outposts of Crack Shack and Flip Burger Boutique. Richard appears regularly on the Food Network, Rachael Ray and the FYI network and made his feature film debut in Why Him? this winter.

Chef Briar Handly: Executive Chef/Partner, HANDLE & HSL, Park City, Utah. Chef and restaurant owner Briar Handly has a heart for sustainability, sourcing local food, fostering community and mentoring local rising talent. Chef Handly served as a judge and advisor for the latest generation of young chefs on the televised Utah ProStart Teen Chef Masters, where his team won the final competition. A graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, Handly honed his craft at top eateries in Bermuda, Atlanta and Colorado. After successfully creating Handle in Park City, Utah, Chef Handly opened HSL in Salt Lake City, which is an intimate eatery that shares the same guiding principles of fresh sourcing, frequent foraging, and local loyalty. Handle was named one of Salt Lake Magazine's Best Restaurants, and has also received mentions in The New York Times, Forbes, Food & Wine, The James Beard Foundation and City Weekly's Reader's Choice for top Park City dining.With wife Melissa and their two very spoiled dogs, Handly spends his free time mountain biking, snowboarding, racing motorcycles and foraging in the Wasatch Mountains.

Chef David Mullen: David grew up in Central California, immersed in different cultures, foods, flavors and techniques. After graduating from the California Culinary Academy, Mullen completed his apprenticeship under Julian Serrano at Masas. This began a career path that would see David work with some of the biggest names in the contemporary American dining including, Laurent Gras, Laurent Tourondel, Wylie Dufresne, and Daniel Boulud. In late, 2006 Mullen took the Chef de Cuisine position at the Angle at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, where his exquisite dishes derived from a serious culinary pedigree earned him a 2008 StarChefs.com South Florida Rising Stars Award. The same year, Mullen took over as Executive Chef at Miamis Michael Mina Bourbon Steak. Prior to Sundance, Mullen was Chef de Cuisine of the prestigious Montage Deer Valley Resort where he received Forbes Four Stars for Apex restaurant.

LINK:	http://www.sundance.org/blogs/news/2017-an-artist-at-the-table-announc...
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