GrillHampton 2024: Dan’s Top Grill Master Named at Epic Party

GrillHampton 2024 brought together top chefs and food enthusiasts for a fiery culinary competition, where tantalizing barbecue dishes, pumping music, spectacular entertainment and hundreds of thrilled guests made for an unforgettable evening on the East End.

Chef Manny Voumvourakis and the team from Smoke-Haus won the People’s Choice Award and Chef Matt Chappelle from The Clubhouse Hamptons was declared Dan’s Top Grillmaster by the GrillHampton celebrity judges on August 3 at The Clubhouse Hamptons. Over 15 chefs had offered their best grilled dishes in the contest.

“We have been genuinely excited to be here. We love the community here and we wanted to be a part of this family for years,” said Voumvourakis. “We open up our second location in Hicksville in September. It’s a massive 2,100-square-foot commissary kitchen where we can cook for 500-1,000 people. This was our time to come and just make a splash and be in the neighborhood. We are here to stay, we will be catering all over Long Island, especially here, and then hopefully there will be some partnerships and we’ll be doing stuff at The Clubhouse.”

Chappelle echoed the sentiment.

“First of all, this was such a fun event,” Chappelle said. “It was so awesome to have a network and have people come here and just meet each other. Second of all, the team at my kitchen is so together — we just get stuff done. I couldn’t be prouder of them, and have them surround each other with positivity. I had a great time. That’s the bottom line. And I can’t wait until next year.”

The guest celebrity judges included Melissa Ben-Ishay, Texas Rancher Kimberly Ratcliff, News12 The East End anchors Erin Colton and Joe Arena, Chef and influencer Matthew Merril (@mmerril), influencers Carly Ziff of Tastes Better Here (@tastesbetterhere), Amanda Meoli of Mimosas in Stilettos (@mimosas_in_stilettos) and Vanessa Gordon of East End Taste (@eastendtaste).

“We want to be able to integrate with Dan’s as much as we can just because they are the fabric of the East End,” said Colton. “We want to make sure our show supports them and they support us. It’s all about that — local, local, local.”

“I am literally on cloud nine,” chef and influencer Matthew Merrill said. “This is the most incredible experience of my summer so far. It’s so beautiful, the food is incredible, the people are amazing, and it’s honestly just incredible to support so many local restaurants in the area. I’ve only been to the Hamptons a few times, but to see the bustling food culture here is so inspiring.”

The event is the fourth in the 2024 Dan’s Taste Summer Series, which culminates in the Lavish Dan’s White Party at Gurney’s Montauk on Saturday, August 17.

DJ Theo curated live music along with his DJ set rocking the party during GrillHampton and Clubhouse Hamptons curated the VIP afterparty with hot talent and Long Island Natives — PARTY PUPILS, JRiNVENTOR and ROZÉ.

“It was a pleasure to run it back again with Josh, Elizabeth, and all of the Dan’s Papers and my Clubhouse team for another successful GrillHampton,” said Matt Rubinstein, owner of Clubhouse Hamptons. “I want to thank all the vendors, chefs, and guests for making this such a memorable evening!”

Dan’s GrillHampton was hosted by Melissa Ben-Ishay, the cofounder and CEO of Baked by Melissa, the New York-based dessert brand specializing in handcrafted bite-size cupcakes and treats in a wide variety of flavors. Founded in 2008, the brand now operates 13 retail locations in the New York City area and ships fresh nationwide. With its highly acclaimed assortment of flavors, gift boxes for every occasion and innovative packaging, Baked by Melissa has become a go-to treat across the US, making any celebration sweeter.

“I was most excited to try all the delicious dishes from all the amazing chefs here, and to be a judge!” said Ben-Ishay, “Judging really just entails doing my favorite thing, which is eating delicious food. It’s just really awesome, it’s one of those moments where I just appreciate the opportunity to be here.”

Participating grillmasters included chefs from Chef Shawn Osbey, The Clubhouse Hamptons, D’Abruzzo, Endless Summer, Grace & Grit Events, Hill Country, Insatiable Eats, Smok-Haus, Tap Room, The Onion Tree and The Pike. Traveling chef Shawn Osbey from Atlanta teamed up with family-owned Texas ranchers Ratcliff Premium Meats to bring a taste of the South to the Hamptons.

“This is our first competition,” said Osbey “It’s a breath of fresh air…this is your art, it’s getting that instant validation back that is like, they get it, they get what I got.”

“I wanted to do something different, I always do modern American food, I like to take classics that people usually always love and put my own spin on it,” he added. “This is my take on steak and eggs, with teriyaki and kimchi, it’s a cool way to take a classic and put a twist on it.”

“I love working with chefs. It’s really about educating the chefs on where their meat comes from,” said Kimberly Ratcliff. “I’ve had the opportunity to walk around and speak to all the chefs, and understand: Why did you choose this cut? What made you choose this cut of meat? And then I’ll talk back on how we raised it, how it got here, my story, how I’m raising my cattle, it’s about making the connection. It’s more than just buying the meat, it’s about knowing where the meat comes from.”

“It’s wonderful getting to expose my business to people who normally would never know about my business because we are at a destination place,” said Jay Jadeja of The Onion Tree. “It’s exciting getting to meet new people and make new friends.”

Serving sweets and other delicious bites were Baked By Melissa, East Hampton Shuckers, The Biscotti Company, Newlight Breadworks and O’ts.

“I love participating — Dan’s Papers has always been a favorite magazine from childhood,” said John Nichols of East Hampton Shuckers. “I’ve been going to the parties back before I had this company, and now I get to participate so it’s really a full circle moment. I’m here promoting my shuckers device. The lightbulb went off in my head. Why don’t I just invent something so people can open oysters without hurting themselves?”

Sponsoring the event were Acqua Panna, Adamas, Blacklane, Blue Moon, Ciroc Limonata, Cocktail Collection, Corona Sunbrew, Dillon’s Small Batch, Don Julio, Dan’s Papers, DualHeat, East 27 Creative, Great Jones, Grey/Ven, Long Island Ice & Fuel Corp., Loyal 9, Mr. BAR-B-Q, NEC, News12 The East End, Preferred Events, Ratcliff Premium Meats, S. Pellegrino, Suburban Propane, The Room, Wilmington Trust, and Wölffer Estate Vineyards.

“It’s been a very positive experience,” said Albert from Dillon’s Small Batch. “It’s given us the opportunity to get liquid to lips to the right consumer base out there.”

Dan’s White Party X Gurney’s the Lavish Finale of Dan’s Taste Summer Series is scheduled for 7 p.m. August 17 at Gurney’s Montauk. For tickets and more information, visit DansTaste.com.