Tuesday, April 4, 7:00 pm
Members $90, guests, $115

In his former post as executive chef of the Delegates Dining Room at the United Nations, Edward Lake had to satisfy the palates of a remarkably diverse crowd—he was, after all, feeding a world’s worth of dignitaries. Now, as executive chef at Chakra, his focus is on New American cuisine. But make no mistake, Lake hasn’t gone provincial—the ethnic influences he mastered at the UN are evident in a winning menu that showcases line-caught fish, handpicked organic greens, and other locally sourced foodstuffs. Chakra invites guests to embark on a culinary journey, so it seems only fitting that the restaurant has a UN chef as tour guide.

Trained as a pastry chef at the French Culinary Institute, Lake focused on sweets at New Jersey’s Paris Dessert before joining the UN in 1999. There, he served as personal chef to the Secretary General and various heads of state and had the opportunity to collaborate with a number of Michelin-starred chefs. That experience fueled Lake’s creativity, and when he moved to Chakra, everyone was impressed. “Its pleasures turn out to be unexpected and many,” raved David Corcoran in the New York Times. New Jersey Monthly’s Valerie Sinclair awarded Chakra three stars, calling Lake’s menu “excellent,” and singling out an “unbelievably tender octopus entrée” and “absolutely luscious port-braised short ribs.”

“Dinner in New Jersey has never been so interesting,” wrote the New York Times’ Karla Cook in a roundup of the Garden State’s best eateries, in which she called Lake’s cooking “impressive.” We couldn’t agree more, which is why we’ve invited Lake to the Beard House to showcase his brand of New American cooking.