Top Chef Dinner
Event Ended: Wednesday October 28th, 2020
Top Chefs in the House
If you’re a fan of Top Chef on Bravo, you are going to love this. On Tuesday, October 27th , and Wednesday, October 28th we will be hosting a unique dinner experience with Top Chef alums, Katsuji Tanabe, and Nini Nguyen, and Vidrio’s Executive Chef, Saif Rahman.
Dinner will include a 5-course menu, along with cocktail pairings for $110 per person. Reservations can be made by table, by calling the restaurant at (919) 803-6033.
Chef Nini Nguyen and Katsuji Tanabe will be cooking up and sharing some dishes from their competitions on Bravo TV series, Top Chef.
Our Chefs
Born and raised in the heart of Mexico, the son of a Japanese father and a Mexican mother, Katsuji Tanabe has worked inside LA’s most acclaimed kitchens, from the four-star Bastide Restaurant to Beverly Hills’ Mastro’s Steakhouse.
Tanabe owns MexiKosher Restaurant, the first authentic Kosher Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles and arguably the first of its kind in the entire United States. He recently expanded Mexikosher to the Upper West Side of New York City and soon plans to open Baranda in Los Angeles, a more upscale dining experience, named after his daughters Barbara and Miranda.
Tanabe is proud to serve his community as a personal mentor and celebrity representative for Jewish Big Brothers & Big Sisters, Los Angeles, where he happily offers his time and expertise for fundraising and volunteer drives for the group, as well as regularly working alongside the children that the group supports teaching healthy eating and cooking alternatives. After competing on Top Chef season 12 in Boston and Top Chef Mexico, Tanabe admits he’s addicted to the rush of the competition and is eager to prove he has what it takes to bring home the title.
Katsuji Tanabe is currently the Chef in Residence at Vidrio, and the LM Restaurant family of brands.
More on Katsuji Tanabe: Bravo TV Top Chef Bio and Videos
Nini Nguyen
Nini Nguyen is a New York based chef, instructor, recipe developer and recent contestant on Bravos’ Top Chef All Stars, Season 17. Originally from New Orleans, Louisiana, Chef Nini combines her Vietnamese heritage and NOLA flair into a unique cooking style.
Early in her career, Chef Nini started as a pastry cook at restaurants like Coquette & Eleven Madison Park. She later moved into savory cooking with the touring pop-up, Dinner Lab. She also has a knack for teaching and mentoring other cooks. She expressed this passion through her work at Cook Space, a recreational cooking school in Brooklyn where she developed the culinary program.
As a naturally curious person, Chef Nini’s favorite pastime is roaming through markets in different cities, tasting, smelling and squeezing all the fruits and vegetables she can get her hands on. Since being on Top Chef, Chef Nini Nguyen has kept herself busy by developing recipes, consulting on restaurants, hosting virtual cooking classes and hanging with her dog, Tofu.
Saif Rahman
Vidrio welcomes Saif Rahman as Executive Chef to the Downtown Raleigh Mediterranean Restaurant.
Saif Rahman brings a passion and artistry to cooking techniques, plate presentations and ideation. His understanding and experience in Mediterranean culture allows him to bring forth Mediterranean dishes that explode with flavors, using traditional cooking methods, and his passion for incorporating ingredients that are both local to North Carolina. Chef Rahman takes pride in working with local producers and farmers to incorporate ingredients to his dishes that are local to the area. With a focus on seasonal changes, he works directly with farmers to include produce from the latest bounty of vegetables, greens, and fruits, to bring out their peak flavors in the dish.
For Saif, cooking is not just a skill, but a true artform that he takes great pride in.
Join Us
If you would like to join us for the culinary experience, please call the restaurant to reserve your table – (919) 803-6033.
Seating is limited as we continue to serve at 50% capacity and follow strict social distancing protocols.