A Taste of the Upper West Side will be held Friday, May 20th, and Saturday, May 21st under a tend on Columbus Avenue between 76 and 77 Street, where 80 area chefs and restaurants come together to celebrate the neighborhood’s culinary excellence with proceeds to benefit The Columbus Avenue BID’S WebBeautification Project.

On Friday night from 7 to 10 pm, Dylan Lauren founder and CEO of Dylan’s Candy Bar and Adam Richman, host of Man vs. Food on Travel Channel, will host “Comfort Classics.” With the goal of reinterpreting American favorites, 35 chefs including John Fraser of Dovetail, Ed Brown of Ed’s Chowder House, Ellie Krieger of The Food Network, Magnolia Bakery and Shake Shack turn the classics on their heads with mouth watering twists on comfort food.

Food & Wine Magazine’s Editor-in-Chief Dana Cowin will be honored on Saturday night with a special “Best of the West” event (7 to 9:30 pm)  featuring chefs Daniel Boulud from Bar Bould, Missy Robbins from A Voce in Time Warner Center, Michael Lomonaco from Porter House New York, Bill Telepan of Telepan and Jacques Torres of Jacques Torres Chocolate.

Pricing for Comfort Classics is $85, for Best of the West, $125 general admission, $200 VIP ticket. For tickets of additional information, click here.

– guest contributor