Sanford D'Amato knows a thing or two about tradition. His grand-father came to Milwaukee at the turn of the last century and in 1915 opened a grocery store, which was inherited by D'Amato's dad. When "Sandy" and his wife, Angela, decided they wanted to open a restaurant, they converted the family grocery into Sanford. Esquire quickly anointed it as "one of the most exciting restaurants in the Midwest," and Mobil awarded the restaurant four stars.

Not long after the restaurant opened, the D'Amatos started a tradition of their own: they held a benefit for the Beard Foundation. Time passed, and lo and behold, this year makes number nine for this popular event. Among the invited guest chefs is Hubert Keller of Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. In Europe, Keller worked under culinary heavy hitters Roger Vergé, Paul Bocuse, Marc Haeberlin, and Gaston Lenôtre. He came to the United States and in 1986 opened Fleur de Lys, which was quickly named to Food & Wine's top new restaurants. (Keller himself was a Best New Chef in the same magazine).

Norman Van Aken, one of the founding fathers of New World cuisine, will be bringing his delicious blend of the flavors to the party. At Norman's in Coral Gables, Van Aken crafts "sublimely complex harmonies that promise to become...American classics of the next century," as Jason Epstein wrote in Condé Nast Traveler. Jeffrey Buben too is known as a "pioneer of Modern American cooking." So said The Washingtonian, which awarded his Vidalia, in Washington, D.C., four stars. Bon Appétit and Esquire named it among the nation's best new restaurants, and in 1998, Buben doubled his success with Bis, serving classic bistro fare. Also flying in from D.C. for the benefit dinner will be Ann Cashion of Cashion's Eat Place, which serves uncomplicated, flavorful food so downright delicious that readers of Gourmet voted it Best New Restaurant.

At the hip new Radius in Boston, Michael Schlow is likewise stirring the pot, "helping to redefine American cuisine in the late 1990s" according to John Mariani in Wine Spectator. Radius "beckons foodies seeking sanctuary from the clichéd fare of cod and beans," Condé Nast Traveler declared.

Terry Theise of Terry Theise Wine Selections in Washington, D.C., has selected an array of German wines to accompany the dinner. Theise has been called "the most important player" in German wines in America, by no less an expert than Robert Parker himself.