Elements of Time + Taste: A night of inventive food, mixology, and music

A St. Louis native, James Beard Award-winning chef Patrick Connolly is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University’s prestigious culinary arts program, shortly after which he accepted a position at the elite Boston restaurant Radius, where he eventually worked his way up to Executive Chef. While at Radius, Patrick was nominated for the Rising Star Chef by the James Beard Foundation; in 2008, at age 29, he was awarded Best Chef: Northeast – the youngest chef to win the award.

In 2009, Patrick moved to New York, where he was Executive Chef of BOBO, an American farm-to-table restaurant in the West Village. While there, he was honored by Starchefs as one of New York City’s Rising Stars, and took the top prize for his duck dish at the ceremony. In 2012, he left New York to join with the culinary group Concentrics, opening a new restaurant in the landmark Cheshire Hotel in St. Louis. The restaurant, Basso, an Italian gastropub, received critical acclaim, but ultimately Patrick’s dream to open a restaurant of his own brought him back to New York, where Rider, the new American bar and bistro, opened its doors at National Sawdust in March 2016.

“Magos Herrera is the Cassandra Wilson of Latin America. There are similarities in their warm, sultry tone, their bluesy feeling and strong command of the jazz language. Herrera is without a doubt the best jazz singer out of Mexico, and with México Azul she is establishing herself among the best singers in jazz.” This is what jazz connoisseur and journalist Wilbert Sostre penned in his review about the album México Azul for the acclaimed music magazine Jazz Times.

Born in Mexico City and currently based in New York City, Magos Herrera is considered one of the most beautiful voices and most active vocalists in the contemporary Latin American jazz scene. She is known for her beguiling rhythmic scatting and deep, captivating singing. Besides, Herrera is a dazzling accomplished singer-songwriter who is immensely popular throughout Mexico and Latin America.

Yuka C. Honda is a Japanese composer/musician and producer residing in New York City. She is best known for the band Cibo Matto, which she co-founded with Miho Hatori in 1994 and in which Honda created a unique one-man band sound by triggering samples ‘live.’ Honda released three solo albums (on the Tzadik label) and has produced recordings by Sean Lennon, Martha Wainwright, YOKO ONO PLASTIC ONO BAND and Cibo Matto. She has recorded and performed with a wide range of musicians such as Yoko Ono, Bernie Worrell, Esperanza Spalding, Marc Ribot, Laurie Anderson, Sean Lennon, Yoshimi (of The Boredoms), Nels Cline, Zeena Parkins, Kimbra, Thomas Bartlett, and Trixie Whitley, among others.

Allen Katz, co-founder of New York Distilling Company, is one of the nation’s leading experts on distilled spirits and cocktails. He is the Director of the Spirits Education & Mixology for Southern Wine & Spirits of New York and is at the forefront of industry training in New York and around the country. The “cocktail world enigma” (ediblebrooklyn.com) is renowned for his public and professional seminars on topics of America’s food and cocktail heritage, and was previously the host of The Cocktail Hour for Martha Stewart on SiriusXM.

“Putting lightning in a bottle is what Oded Lev-Ari specializes in,” said DownBeat magazine in a feature article on Lev-Ari as a producer. Born in Tel Aviv but a longtime resident of New York City, he released his debut album as a leader, Threading, in April 2015 via Anzic Records, the label he has owned and directed for the past decade alongside iconic clarinetist Anat Cohen. Showcasing his talents as a composer-arranger, Threading hints at diverse sonic worlds, from jazz sound painters Gil Evans and Maria Schneider to tango nuevo king Astor Piazzolla and contemporary classical composers.

Ultimately, though, Lev-Ari has his own, individual soundprint, one of cinematic richness and open-hearted lyricism. His numerous record producing credits include Anat Cohen’s Luminosa, vocal trio Duchess’ self-titled debut, and woodwind sage Marty Ehrlich’s A Trumpet in the Morning. He served as musical director for a Billie Holiday tribute concert starring Madeleine Peyroux, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ron Carter, and others at Brazil’s Tudo e Jazz festival. At the piano, Lev-Ari has performed at such New York jazz clubs as Cornelia Street Café and the Stone, as well as at Boston’s Jordan Hall, Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium, and venues in Canada, Mexico, Russia, France, and the Netherlands.