Daily News from New York, New York • 457

DISPLAY GOOD A 6 ANTHONY FIORANELLI Prof. Luigi Palomba, Gaetano Urbano, Luigi Cusano, Danilo De Cristoforo and Joey Balzano. TASTE Dash of rivalry adds to Italian banquet By BILL FARRELL DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Gnocchi swimming in seafood sauce, thin slices of tender beef served with arugula and Parmesan cheese, grilled porcini mushrooms, and fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella were only a few of the delights to be sampled during the premiere Taste of Italy event at Brooklyn Borough Hall last week. More than 250 guests attended the gala, sponsored by the Brooklyn Restaurant Association, the Calabria Regional Association and Borough President Howard Golden. Five Brooklyn chefs, each of whom traces roots to Italy, matched their kitchen skills against a group of visiting chefs and students from Italy's Calabria Regional Association for the culinary showdown on Thursday night.

"This is like a dream for me, to be able to bring together the culinary arts of my new country and my homeland," said Joseph Chirico, owner of the Marco Polo Ristorante in Carroll Gardens and Gage Tollner Restaurant in downtown Brooklyn. During the course of the night, Chirico helped chefs from Italy's Instituto Alberghiero Piedimonte as they prepared gnocchi a la Sorrenta, a delicate combination of gnocchi, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and Parmesan cheese. Too many cooks did not spoil the dish. "Just look at all this food -it's fantastic," Golden said as he eyed the tables that lined the walls of the Borough Hall rotunda. "I'm getting hungry just looking at it.

No one, however, was hungry at the end of the evening. "The food was absolutely terrific," gushed Ken Schwartz, general manager of the Brooklyn Marriott Hotel. "Between the fresh mozzarella and the shrimp alone, it was outstanding." While Schwartz raved about the mozzarella, Michael Pesce, administrative judge for Brooklyn Supreme Court, couldn't get enough of the rolled sardines. "It's such a simple dish, sardines with some bread crumbs, olive oil and garlic, but I couldn't get enough of them," Pesce confessed. "That and the veal in lemon sauce.

It was unbelievable." The chefs from some of Brooklyn's finest restaurants including Cucina, Aunt Suzie's and Gargiulo's, as well as Marco Polo and Gage Tollner pulled out all the stops. From the she-crab soup and lobster and crab cakes to the fresh-brewed espresso, it was indeed a feast for all the senses. "The idea was a competition but it didn't work out that way," admitted Chirico. "It may have started out that way, but the final result turned out to be an exhibition." Chirico had plenty of praise for the instructors from the school in Italy, Luigi Palomba and Carlo Irano, and their students who joined them for the event. "The students were great," said Chirico.

"It was such a pleasure to see them work and the love they have for the culinary arts." Chirico witnessed firsthand as the students intricately carved designs into melons and cheeses and prepared leg of lamb, risotto and other dishes. "They worked for two days in the kitchen at Gage Tollner and finished everything off in the kitchen at Borough Hall," said Chirico. "It worked, because nobody wanted to leave." said Chirico. "This was our first event like this and, to tell you the truth, I think everyone including myself is looking forward to the next one." ANTHONY FIORANELLI Whipping up a tasty treat are (from Prof. Luigi Palomba, Carlo Irano and Joseph Chirico..