Last night I went to watch the "Date Night" auction, in which the French Culinary Institute pimped the chefs of today to raise funds to educate the chefs of tomorrow. What is the going rate for a date with a chef these days? According to the Friends of the French Culinary, it’s $1000 to $6100. Good to know.

I was also curious to see who would buy the chefs? Turns out it was a pretty even split between men and women. Okay, there were actually a few more women, with a few people buying the dates as gifts for someone else. Honey, guess what I got you for your birthday!

There were 15 chefs on the auction block, each offering an activity-specific date (as opposed to buying a Friday night where anything goes). Each chef walked down a sort of runway through the crowd of potential buyers and up to the podium where auctioneer George Duran (from TVFN’s Ham on the Street) and emcee James Oliver Cury (Epicurious.com) were waiting to get it started.

The complete recap on dates and dollars after the jump.

First up Jacques Torres, who bounced up to the stage to the retro Bow Wow Wow classic "I Want Candy." His date: "Bring your sweetie for a chocolate lesson with the renowned chef and walk away with your creation." During bidding Torres upped the ante offering half the winners weight in chocolate. Sold for $1150.

Ariane Daguin’s date: "An over-the-top foie gras hop: you’ll hit five restaurants to taste the best foie gras in the city!" Sold for $1000.

David Chang’s date: "Roll into Dave’s favorite dive bar for beers, then head to wd-50 for dinner with Dave and a tour of the kitchen." Sold for $1000. Note his runway anthem was James Brown’s Sex Machine and he "guaranteed a good time."

Jean Francois Bruel’s date: "Enjoy a romantic six-course dinner for two with wine pairing at Daniel, then join the chef for a tour of the kitchen." During the bidding frenzy he added on dinner for two at the opening of Daniel’s Wine Bar later this year. Sold for $1600.

Melissa Murphy’s date: "Appear in an episode of Simply Baked with Sweet Melissa, then join her for lunch at the bakery." Sold for $1000.

Wylie Dufresne’s date: "Train in the kitchen with the chef, then grab a late diner with Wylie at one of his favorite spots Momofuku Ssäm Bar." Sold for $1800. When George spurred Wylie on to "do a little cat walk" Wylie got down on all fours and…well did a cat walk.

Lee Anne Wong’s date: "Explore Chinatown with Lee Ann, then finish off the tour with dinner for two at one of her favorite local spots." Sold for $1500 twice to two separate winners. The very svelte Top Chef strutted to the podium to "She’s a Brick House" where she promised pork 20 different ways, and added in room for a friend for a menage à trois.

Alain Sailhac’s date: "Treat 11 friends to a cooking class at FCI, then eat your meal with the chef." Sold for $5800. When George pressed him for details on how his date date would be, chef Sailhac simply answered "marvelous." Nuf said.

Johnny Iuzzini’s date: "Let this sugar daddy buy you a drink at one of his favorite bars, then hit the lanes for bowling and a pile of sliders." Sold for $1600. In the heat of the bidding, Johnny explained "We’re not going to the Greenmarket. We’re not going in the kitchen. And we’re not going to see Dave Chang. I love Dave Chang, but I don’t want to see him on a date. We’re going to get to know each other."

Dan Barber’s date: "Explore the Greenmarket with the chef, then bring your own date to Blue Hill and enjoy a chef’s tasting for two with wine pairing." Sold for $1500. And Dan wasn’t even there. A lovely volunteer paraded his photo up and down the catwalk.

Cesare Casella’s date: "Join Cesare for a private Italian cooking lesson for eight, plus dinner – paired with Italian wines at Maremma." Sold for $3900.

Julian Alonzo’s date: "Browse the Greenmarket for the best produce, then take our goods – and the chef – home for a private cooking lesson. Sold for $1800. As the bidding slowed George noted that Julian is the only chef you actually get to take home, and he’ll show you his tattoos. The promise of which heated the bidding up anew.

Aaron Sanchez’s date: "Spend the afternoon touring a Latin market in Spanish Harlem, then grab tacos at Aaron’s favorite spot." Sold for $1700. When he rejoined the spectators, Aaron noted a lady had bought him for her daughter. "She’s a roller because she bought the foie gras for her husband."

Andre Soltner’s date: "Bring a date to one of the legendary chef’s cooking demonstrations at the FCI, then join him for dinner at L’Ecole." He threw in dinner for four during the bid. Sold for $3400.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Date: "Dine with the world-famous chef and restaurateur at his favorite sushi restaurant. Which is it?" Sold for $6100. When JGV announced his favorite sushi spot is Masa bidding started at $1500. Then he added dinner for two at every single one of his restaurants. The he added dinner cooked at his home. When you run the numbers, $6100 is a relative bargain. I almost bought it. But then I had to leave, because I had a date with a chef.

2 responses to “hotsnack: so you want to date a chef? got $6100?”

  1. Grub Street - New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog Avatar

    Hearth Spawns a Wine Bar in the East Village

    East Village: It looks like Hearth may spawn a wine bar. [Eater] A date with <a href=”http://nymag.com/listi…

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  2. john doe Avatar

    bargin. guess you are rich beeatch! ….dave chapell.

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