US Open Kicks Off With Star-Studded Taste Of Tennis Charity Event

Last night at the W Hotel on Lexington Avenue, the 15th annual Taste of Tennis Gala kicked off the start of the U.S. Open festivities. The annual gala brought together the worlds of tennis and food with a star-studded evening of culinary delights.

Tennis star siblings Venus and Serena Williams and brothers Bob and Mike Bryan were in attendance, along with a bevy of celebrity chefs.

Hennessy Paradis Impérial hosted a VIP lounge with summer-inspired Hennessy cocktails and chef-crafted small bites in the Heartbeat Restaurant area of the W Hotel, while the main soirée continued upstairs. Over 30 additional chefs and vendors participated in the tasting event, including the evening's culinary host, executive chef of Landmarc Marc Murphy. Chef Murphy crafted a savory take on French profiterole by subbing goat cheese for the usual pastry cream. He noted that these savory profiteroles are perfect for entertaining, because they "work well at a cocktail party as a passed canapé, and they go great with a bottle of bubbles... they're a great vegetarian option. Everyone loves them!"

The evening of tasting and tennis fun concluded with a cooking demonstration of a healthy grilled vegetable salad by Murphy with assistance from Venus Williams and Andi Dorfman of ABC's The Bachelorette.