Hell's Kitchen Fires Up Bedford Village Inn

While there was no Gordon Ramsay shouting obscenities in the kitchen, there was plenty of drama in the air and delicious food on the plates when two alums of Fox TV's Hell's Kitchen battled for supremacy at The Bedford Village Inn (BVI) in November. A sold-out crowd of 45 people contemplated two types of fois gras prepared by Benjamin Knack, executive chef at BVI and guest chef Jennifer Normant of the Hawthorne Hotel in Massachusetts.

The chefs then took the battle to the entree, with Knack entering the fray with a halibut dish and Normant fighting back with a braised short rib. While Knack was the victor of the culinary war, it was the guests and BVI that ultimately won.  

The dueling chefs' dinner kicked off the Inn's Celebrity Chef Invitational Series and is part of an ongoing effort to keep BVI's offerings fresh and attract new customers. It seems to be working, as 2011 marked a fantastic year for the Inn, says President Jack Carnevale, explaining revenue was up 30 percent from 2010. During the summer, the Inn hired Knack, 36, as its new executive chef, and changed its management and front-house staff. Knack previously worked at Sel de la Terre, L'Espalier and Beacon Hill Bistro, all in Boston. This year, the Inn was named Best Overall Restaurant and Best Service in the Boston/New England Area from the Open Table Diners' Choice Awards, which surveys diners using an online review and reservation site.

We're always trying to bring new people in, Carnevale says, noting BVI opened Corks, a tapas and wine bar, in 2008 and also offers casual tavern dining. Events like the Hell's Kitchen Dinner also help to bring in new diners. These people might be sons and daughters of people who have been coming here for years, or they might be people looking for a different dining experience, Carnevale says.

He says the format of future Celebrity Chef Invitational Series dinners are still being worked out, but will offer unique ways for people to interact with the chefs and the meal. For Knack, the series reminds him of why he is a chef. I don't want food to ever be pretentious, he says. The most important thing as a chef is that you're always cooking for people, and cooking food people will enjoy.

For more information, visit www.bedfordvillageinn.com.