Chef Ross Hanson of Oak & Rye in Los Gatos and Chef Anthony Secviar of Michelin-starred Protégé in Palo Alto are used to sharing things. They were roommates at culinary school 20 years ago in San Francisco and didn’t see each other again until Secviar moved to Los Gatos and their sons ended up on the same baseball team.

Now they share the honor of being co-champions at the Sept. 20 Star Chefs event, the annual food and beverage pairing event presented by Table For Three to benefit Momentum for Health, the 66-year-old organization that provides mental health support services for Santa Clara County residents.

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The event was spearheaded by entrepreneur Brenda Hammond, who opened Restaurant James Randall in Los Gatos in 2006, later selling it to her son Hanson and his wife Briana, who turned it into Oak & Rye.

Over 325 guests roamed the Tuscan gardens and vineyards of Lexington Hills Estate, sampling the culinary creations of 14 chefs from local restaurants, each paired with wine, beer or cocktails. Their mission was to vote for their favorite pairing, which would determine the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

At the same time, a panel of pro judges tasted all the pairings and rated them to arrive at the Judge’s Choice Award. The chefs also get into the action, trying each of their peers’ dishes and evaluating them to determine the winner of the Chef’s Choice Award.

The results were overwhelmingly consistent.

Secviar of Michelin swept all three awards for his Asian-themed shrimp toast canapé paired with a mango-infused, clarified rum cocktail from Bar Underdog. He and Hanson shared the People’s Choice Award, but Secviar took both Judge’s Choice and Chef’s Choice for his knockout pairing.

Secviar has an impressive background, including posts as chef de partie and sous chef at The French Laundry, where he spent six years with Thomas Keller. Before Protégé, he gained culinary cred at Michelin three-star kitchens Akelare and El Bulli.

“Winning Judges’ Choice for Best Food and Beverage Pairing two years running means a lot to us,” says Secviar.  “With all the incredibly talented local chefs, the bar is high every single year. Because we’re pairing across our own businesses, Protégé and Bar Underdog can really dig into the collaboration and push each other, and we spend a lot of time making sure the food and the drink feel like one idea, not two.”

After winning Judge’s Choice last year for a mushroom tart with freshly shaved black truffle, he decided to go the opposite direction and not use luxury ingredients.

“We’ve been really drawn to Southeast Asian flavors lately — fresh, aromatic, balanced — so we landed on shrimp toast as a canapé,” says Secviar. “We made a coconut and lime leaf shrimp mousse, topped with a green mango, mint and candied peanut salad in a lime-ginger dressing, built between slices of Japanese milk bread instead of the usual panko crust.”

For the pairing, Secviar wanted to stay in that same world but build contrast. “Our Bar Underdog bartenders took the concept of mango sticky rice and built a mango-infused, clarified rum cocktail with fig leaf, tonka bean and toasted rice, finished with a warm coconut foam that adds texture and temperature contrast to the chilled drink,” says Secviar. “It came together, and the judges felt it, too.”

For his part Hanson, who won Chef’s Choice the last two years, loved sharing the stage with his former roomie. “Receiving People’s Choice alongside Protégé and Chef Anthony Secviar was a great honor,” says Hanson. “Sharing such acknowledgement with an esteemed chef and restaurant made me proud of what my team pulled off. I can’t thank Brandon Vedder, Chelsea Allen, and of course our captain (my wife) Briana Hanson enough. They all donated their time for such an amazing cause. It’s great to be able to support Momentum for Health; mental health is a serious issue that affects everyone, and it means a lot to know we’re helping.”

For the dish, Hanson created a grilled lamb skewer with a red pepper and preserved Meyer lemon relish. Lucy Neely and Sarah Green of Neely Wines collaborated on the wine pairing, and landed on the 2021 Neely Hidden Block Pinot Noir, which was the perfect foil.

Here’s the dish on the dishes enjoyed by this year’s attendees:

Asa Los Gatos: Chefs Steven Vu & Marcelino Hernandez — Sara Scroggins and Andrew Welch served up a marinated and grilled pork shoulder with summer squash over a Brillat Saviran cheese and tomato reduction, paired with 2023 Kings Mountain Vineyards Clone 13 Pinot Noir, Woodside,.
Bar Zola: Chef Ben Robin— Peruvian scallop crudo with fermented Fresno chili vinaigrette, serrano chiles, green onion and grilled pineapple and toasted coconut foam, paired with a slushy sour from Native Fermentations.
Be.Steak.A.: Chef Andrew Shito Tai— Seared wagyu skewers with pickled ramps, kimchi and black garlic, served with 2023 Bedrock Old Vine Zinfandel.
Forbes Mill: Chef Adam Bortolussi —Black and blue beef short rib with mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, Cabernet demi-glace and blue cheese paired with a 2023 Gali Wines Del Sol blend of Tempranillo and Syrah, from Watsonville.
Il Vigneto: Chef Abraham Torre — Pan con tomate atop chorizo and garbanzo stew with roasted pepper, garlic and rioja tomato jus, paired with 2023 Cordevalle Platinum Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast.
Oak and Rye: Chef Ross Hanson— Grilled lamb skewer with red pepper, capers and preserved lemon radish atop celery root puree, paired with Neely Vineyards 2021 Hidden Block Pinot Noir from Portola Valley.
One Fish Raw Bar: Chef Edalyn Garcia—Shrimp ceviche aguachile with plantain chips paired with 2025 JMC Cellars Riesling, Tondre Grapefields, Santa Lucia Highlands.
Odeum: Chef Sal Calisi—Shrimp saganaki with escarole and white beans paired with 2025 Joyce Albarino from Arroyo Seco,.
Orchard City Kitchen: Chef Michael Maydeck — Beef meatball with tomato and peach chutney, paired with a barrel-aged old fashioned cocktail.
Restaurant Gish: Chef Stan Kwon — Pumpkin mousse with crispy rice chicken porridge, served with sparkling Vouvray poured by Sommelier Ryan Smith of Ancora Vino.
Tasting House: Chef Julian Silvera— Beef tartare with elk garam and housemade tabasco, accompanied by 2024 Madson Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, poured by winegrower Ken Swegles.
The Bywater: Chef Nick Mantia — Fanny Bay oysters pineapple, passionfruit and fresno chii mignonette with 2021 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, poured by vintner Reid Patterson.

Secviar and Hanson are both already looking forward to next year’s Star Chefs.

“These events are always incredibly well run, and the turnout and generosity from the community never disappoint,” Secviar says. “I’m proud of this win, but honestly, I’m already thinking about the pressure of a third. We’ve got work to do.”

Hanson is ready. “Anthony is an incredibly talented chef and person, so humble, so gracious, and an inspiration,” he says. “That said, I’m already thinking about how to beat him next year. I’ll need to bring my best.”