Peter Chang’s Auction Sneak Peek: A Night to Remember

by Charlottesville29

Peter Chang’s offering in The 2019 Charlottesville 29 Restaurant Auctions is amazing: The Ultimate Szechuan Corkage Dinner — a multi-course feast for ten paired with wines by one of our area’s top oenophiles, Erin Scala of In Vino Veritas. Sounds great, yes. But what would it be like to experience it? This week we had a sneak peek.

Peter Chang’s invited Scala for a preview meal to inform her potential pairings for the auction winner’s experience. Note that this was not the actual menu to be served for the auction winner. That will be designed and prepared by Peter Chang himself specifically for the auction winner – a selection of his favorite authentic, home-style dishes. Instead, to help Scala with wine pairings, she sampled some dishes that might be similar to what the auction winner will enjoy.

The restaurant was also kind enough to welcome a few other special guests, and before we knew it, it was a gathering of some of the top young names in Charlottesville food and drink. In addition to Erin, there was her husband Joseph, GM of Common House, formerly of Fleurie and Per Se; Will Curley, co-owner of The Wine Guild and former GM of Brasserie Saison; Priscilla Curley, co-owner of The Wine Guild and GM of Tavola; and Justin Ross, owner of Parallel 38, formerly of Zaytinya. As fate would have it, Scala was also celebrating her birthday, and, before, during, and after the meal, said that she could not imagine a better way to celebrate.

Thank you to Justin Ide Photography for capturing the images. Thank you to the Scalas and Curleys for the amazing wines. And, thank you to Peter Chang’s for treating us all to such a special evening. The main takeaway: whoever wins the Peter Chang’s auction experience is in for one special night. Wow.

Bid here.