01/14/2012 - Out To Eat: Great dishes, drinks and people

From The Buffalo News:

Chefs helping others

When veteran chef Dan Tracy had to leave the kitchen after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, he organized an event that had an all-star list of local chefs competing to outdo each other with fantastic bites.

He called it the Iron Event, and proceeds allowed him to buy adaptive technology to cope with the encroaching illness.

Tracy is doing it again, but this year he's directing the money to the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis program.

" I just couldn't do another event for myself knowing that there are a lot of people out there that can't put together a fundraiser," Tracy said.

Tickets for the IRON EVENT 2, set for 4 p. m. Jan. 29 in BIANCHETTI BY RIZZO'S (550 N. French Road, Amherst) are $25 presale, $30 door (visit www.theironevent.com ).

Tracy has assembled another roster of top-flight chefs, from Bistro Europa, Encore, Curly's, Ristorante Lombardo, Bianchetti by Rizzo's, Atmosphere@62, SeaBar, Torches and Siena. They'll be competing to win a $1,500 Japanese cutlery set, as well as bragging rights.

"I worked at Mother's for six or seven years, and Dan and I worked side by side for at least five of them," said Chef John Gugino of Atmosphere@ 62 (62 Allen St.). "I would do anything I can do to help."