Albany restaurateur showcases mid-valley ingredients tonight at the James Beard House

Restaurant owner Matt Bennett was thrilled when he found out he and his Willamette Valley menu had been chosen for a meal at the historic James Beard House in New York.

There was just one problem. Organizers let him know he and four of his chefs would be preparing the meal for 60.

"Well, I only have one other guy," Bennett said of his Sybaris operation at 442 First Ave. S.W. in Albany, where he is chef.

So he recruited his personal "dream team" of Oregon chefs to go with him:

• Steve Morton of Morton's Bistro in Salem.

• Dave Arguedas, head chef at Clemenza's, the Italian-American cafe opened this year in downton Albany and also owned by the Bennetts.

• Chinook Winds Casino Resort chef Martin Reynolds.

• John Jarschke, faculty for the Culinary Arts Department at Linn-Benton Community College.

The menu will "showcase the valley for this time of year - everything at its peak," Bennett said.

After appetizers, dinner will be dungeness crab rangoon, rustic smoked pheasant broth, lamb loin cabbage roll and gathered greens. That will be followed by black walnut waffles with Oregon black truffle ice cream, pumpkin chips and candy cap mushroom syrup.

"The way I wrote the menu - since I may or may not go back - pays respect to the chefs who taught me, to childhood memories. It gives a nod to people who got me to this point," he said.

Bennett had to submit a menu and press kit to be considered for the honor. He had the menu, but leaned on two friends - authors both - to help him produce the publicity materials.

Matt and his wife and business partner, Janel, who is also the restaurant's wine director, have traveled to New York for the dinner, which will be held tonight.

An estimated 30 hours of prep time will go into the meal.

The dinner is open to both members of the James Beard Foundation and the public. The cost of a ticket to the dinner is $125 for members and $165 for others.

Matt said they already mailed their clothes to New York City, so that they could have room to pack their fresh Oregon ingredients in their suitcases.

"Clothes don't go bad," he said with a laugh.

The restaurant owner said he has received "huge support" from his vendors and encouragement from his customers.

Bennett said Allann Bros. Coffee is holding onto a spare of the intricately butchered lamb needed for the menu. If anything goes wrong the valuable viands will be sent by courier to New York City.

The Bennetts must pay their own way to New York and find their own accommodations.

This their first visit to the Big Apple. While in the city the Bennetts will also serve a group of firefighters and attend a media event for food writers.

James Beard himself was born in Portland, Ore., at the turn of the last century, and eventually settled in New York. The New York Times dubbed Beard "the dean of American cookery."

The James Beard Foundation is regarded by many as the premier culinary arts organization.

Bennett is aware of fewer than 12 other Oregon chefs, most from the Portland area, who have had the honor of preparing dinner for the James Beard House.