CityView hosted the second annual Celebrity Chef Tennis Challenge on August 26 at the Racquet Club.
The Tennis Challenge was established as a fun way to kick off the US Open, which officially kicks off Monday, August 31.The day began with thirty prominent and well renowned chefs battling it out on the Zepp Smash Courts. The chefs were all in good spirits and were seen enjoying themselves. The competition got more intense in the semi-finals. On court 2, Christian Pappanicholas (Resto/Cannibal) and Lisa Goldstein (LI Tennis Challenge Winner) played against Anshuman Bohra (Bulldog Gin) and Andrew Friedman (Toqueland). On court 3, Alfred Portale (Gotham Bar & Grill) and Igram Magdon-Ismali (Kottu House) played against Juan Santamaria and Jeff Lefcourt. In the final game, Pappanicholas and Goldstein played against Santamaria and Lefcourt. It was a close game with both teams playing superbly but in the end Pappanicholas and Goldstein were crowned champions. Although, no one left disappointed. After the championship, Master Purveyors hosted a lunch where all the guests were seen mingling. The champions and the finalists each received prizes to take home. Santamaria and Lefcourt each received a Breville Blender, while champions Pappanicholas and Goldstein received Spa Packages and steak packages. Pappanicholas also won the fastest serve championship and received a RADO Switzerland Watch.
We also got to speak with Justin Warner, Season 8 Winner of The Next Food Network Star.
What brought you out today?
I was invited to participate and I’m a very competitive person and I saw a bunch of other chefs I knew. So I thought, might as well.
What are you been working on these days?
I’m working on a web series called Foodie Call. It comes out on Snapchat which is cool because it’s actually the first original programming from Snapchat. Then my cookbook drops in October, which is pretty cool, I’m really excited about that.
What are you doing for the rest of the day?
I don’t know, I might go to the Semi-Finals, although I don’t think that’s going to happen. I played poorly. Other than that, I’ll probably hang out, watch the game, and eat.