Chef Collab, The Foundry, Hartford, CT
8/12/2025
Tonight, I scored a seat for a culinary jam session between two absolute rock stars: Chef Jesse Powers of The Foundry and Chef Joel Gargano of Grano Arso.
The venue: The Foundry, 20 stories up. Sunset over the city, all gold and pink, made for the perfect backdrop. But let’s be honest, my eyes were glued to that state-of-the-art open kitchen. It was like watching a symphony where the instruments were knives, sauté pans, and the occasional blowtorch. Tables were full, voices humming, glasses clinking, and somehow the acoustics let you chat without yelling. Meanwhile, the kitchen cranked out dish after dish with effortless precision.
The show:
Opening Acts – Assaggi
• Polenta Fritter – Golden on the outside, pillowy within, this fritter cradled molten caciocavallo cheese that stretched luxuriously with each bite, the richness amplified by silky melted lardo that left a whisper of porky decadence lingering on the palate.
• Squash Blossom – Delicate petals cradled sweet Maine crab, so fresh it might have just crawled onto the plate. The blossom’s gentle crunch gave way to the briny-sweet crabmeat, a pairing that sang of summer gardens and ocean spray.
• Wild Mushroom Cannolo – An Italian classic flipped on its head. Earthy mushrooms tucked into a crisp shell, the filling deep and umami-rich, with a texture so creamy it felt almost truffled.
• Parker House Rolls – Clouds in bread form, brushed with butter, crowned with basil seeds and blossoms, and served with tangy house-cultured butter. The kind of roll that makes you consider “accidentally” hoarding the breadbasket.
Main Act – Five-Course Tasting
• Royal Red Shrimp Carpaccio – Paper-thin slices of sweet, almost lobster-like shrimp bathed in a fragrant basil and lemon verbena broth, dotted with jewel-like cubes of heirloom melon and scattered Sicilian pistachios for a buttery crunch. Every bite was a hit of bright, briny, herbaceous freshness.
• Grilled Escarole – Charred just enough to bring out its natural sweetness, draped in a silky pecorino mousse, kissed with the umami depth of colatura, and topped with crisp croutons for contrast. Smoky, creamy, salty, an elegant twist on a humble green.
• Frutti di Mare – A tangle of perfectly al dente spaghetti swirled with razor clams, scallops, and calamari, all cloaked in a rich sungold tomato sugo. The sauce was bright yet lush, the basil cutting through the sweetness, every forkful tasting like the Italian coast.
• Elysian Fields Lamb – Tender medallions of lamb with a deeply caramelized crust, nestled on a bed of creamy braised white beans. A rosemary-infused jus tied everything together, while sweet-tart Tropea onions added a pop of brightness against the meat’s richness.
• Nectarine-Plum Galette – A flaky, golden pastry with ripe, jammy stone fruit at its center, crowned with a quenelle of fragrant olive oil gelato and a scatter of toasted almonds. Buttery, tart, nutty, summer wrapped in pastry.
Final Act – Mignardises
• Rum Baba – Light, airy sponge saturated in boozy-sweet rum syrup, topped with a swirl of cream and a glossy blackberry.
• Parmesan Ladyfinger with Zabaglione – A savory-sweet surprise: delicate ladyfingers dusted with Parmesan, each piped with lush zabaglione for a playful finish.
By the end, it wasn’t just a meal, it was a performance. A masterclass in collaboration, where every course had a voice, and together, they told a story.