Virtual Chef Experience

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and have all cookware and ingredients ready prior to the start of the experience.

• Each item should be left in the packaging/wrapping that it came in.

• Spoons
• Small bowl
• 1-2 qt. Saucepan
• 6-12 qt. Saucepan with lid
• Large sauté pan
• Roasting pan or deep oven-proof dish with lid (or aluminum foil)
• Meat thermometer
• Casserole dish or wide saucepot
• Serving dishes

Your meatballs have been shipped frozen and may arrive partially thawed. Please allow them to fully defrost before cooking.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Place meatballs in a deep oven-proof dish or roasting pan and cover with the sausage ragù.
2. Add 4 ounces of water to thin out the sauce slightly, and cover with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil (shiny side down).
3. Place in preheated oven and heat for 40 minutes until the internal temperature of each meatball reaches 165 degrees (use a meat thermometer).
4. Remove dish from oven, then remove the meatballs from the sauce.
5. Transfer sauce to a small saucepan and simmer until desired consistency, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
6. In a shallow bowl, spoon 4-6 ounces of sausage ragù in to the bottom of the bowl.
7. Place meatball on top of the ragù and then spoon a little more sauce over the top.
8. Finish your meatball with a heaping spoonful of whipped ricotta, a sprinkle of grated pecorino cheese, and chopped parsley.
9. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Remove the short ribs from the packaging and place them in a casserole dish or a wide saucepot.
2. In a separate pot, bring the sauce to a simmer, then carefully pour the sauce over the top of the beef.
3. Cover the pot of the casserole dish and place it in the oven.
4. Bake for 10 minutes, then add the vegetables to the liquid.
5. Cover again and cook an additional 15-20 minutes until beef is soft and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees (use a meat thermometer).
6. Spoon vegetables onto the plate, then place beef on top.
7. Spoon sauce over the top, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
8. Garnish with 3-4 parsley leaves.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add 2 ounces of olive oil.
2. Place chicken skin side down and reduce heat to low.
3. Cook for approximately 12 minutes being sure the skin does not burn.
4. Flip chicken and heat flesh side down for approximately 6 minutes.
5. In a separate pan, heat the potatoes, adding the sauce once the potatoes are hot.
6. Bring the sauce to a boil and add the chopped parsley.
7. Spoon the potatoes onto the serving dish and place the thigh on top of the potatoes.
8. Place the breast on top of the thigh and spoon the sauce over the top.

Cooking Instructions:

1. Top with sea salt and pistachio.

Pat McGann is quickly rising as one of the sharpest stand-ups in the comedy world.  A relative latecomer to the scene, Pat began stand up at the age of 31 after realizing he was not very good at selling packaging.  He hustled his way to become the house emcee at Zanies Chicago, where he distinguished himself as especially adept at working the crowd. A husband and father of 3 young children, Pat’s appeal stems from his quick wit & relatable take on family life & marriage. In 2017, McGann began touring as the opening act for Sebastian Maniscalco, moving with him from clubs, to theater, and to arenas, including 4 sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden. McGann’s relatively short, but impressive resume, includes performances on The Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Montreal’s famed Just For Laughs Festival, Gilda’s LaughFest, The Great American Comedy Festival, and the Nashville Comedy Fest. McGann still calls Chicago home.

After nearly three decades in the kitchens of the most esteemed restaurants in the world, Ralph Scamardella serves as Partner and Chef of Tao Group Hospitality, overseeing all chefs and concepts in New York (TAO Uptown, TAO Downtown, LAVO Italian Restaurant, food & beverage at Dream Downtown and Dream Midtown, and food & beverage at Moxy Times Square including Legasea, and Moxy East Village including Cathédrale); Las Vegas (TAO Asian Bistro at The Venetian, TAO Beach and LAVO Italian Restaurant at The Palazzo); and Los Angeles (TAO, Luchini, and food & beverage at Dream Los Angeles).

As the son of Italian immigrants, Scamardella developed an affinity for cooking with fresh ingredients early on, enjoying seasonal produce as staples in the family’s cooking within their Brooklyn kitchen.

Scamardella began his studies at New York City’s Technology Institute, learning to master the business of hotel and restaurant management while simultaneously building his culinary skills at The Plaza Hotel’s French restaurant. He then moved on to hone his skills with one of the world’s true master chefs, working under mentor Daniel Boulud at Polo Restaurant.

Paving the way to distinction early, he received a two-star rating from The New York Times at Vanessa’s restaurant, where he served as Executive Chef. Scamardella went on to have a large hand in the success of the opening and driving concept behind Carmine’s, as chef and partner. After nearly 15 years and several successful projects, he left the kitchen to consult for restaurants such as The Strip House, Harrah’s Casino, and Cessca.

Upon joining Tao Group Hospitality in 2007 as Corporate Executive Chef and Partner, Scamardella opened LAVO Italian Restaurant and TAO Beach in Las Vegas. He then went on to open LAVO Italian Restaurant in New York, as well as TAO Downtown in Chelsea, Bodega Negra at Dream Downtown, and The Rickey and Fishbowl at Dream Midtown. Next up in Los Angeles, Scamardella oversaw the opening of the new TAO location, as well as new brand concept Luchini Pizzaeria & Bar. At Moxy Times Square and Moxy East Village, Scamardella opened three more brand new concepts with Legasea, Magic Hour Rooftop & Bar and Cathédrale. In 2018, Scamardella helped open LAVO Singapore, atop the iconic Marina Bay Sands SkyPark, and then in 2019 lead the way on another new brand concept with the opening of Koma, a modern Japanese restaurant. TAO Group’s most recent U.S. expansion introduced TAO Asian Bistro & Nightclub to Chicago, in September 2018.

As the VP of Beverage for the East Region of TAO Group Hospitality, Megan Ardizoni oversees the wine lists and cocktail programs for all Tao Group Hospitality venues in New York and Chicago. This includes TAO, LAVO, Beauty & Essex, as well as the beverage programs found inside Moxy hotels Times Square, Chelsea, and East Village.

A native of Naples, Florida, Megan began her restaurant career 18 years ago as a singing waitress at a local restaurant and shortly thereafter moved to New York to earn a bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in Opera Performance.  Continuing to move up in the hospitality world while simultaneously studying for her degree, Megan became enamored by the stories behind great wines and the parallels between a harmonious beverage and a great piece of music, eventually shifting gears to focus on hospitality full time.

Her adventures in cocktails have landed full-page features in People Magazine, segments on live TV,  gastronomical tours around Peru, and the opportunity to meet some really great humans.

Megan lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 4-year-old son, Leonard, and enjoys long-distance running, binge-watching Star Trek episodes, and building Lego towers.