Rowers Enjoy Gourmet Carbs

Rowers at this year's Head of the Charles Regatta were pleasantly surprised on Saturday afternoon when they found the traditional Athlete Pasta Party was catered by 10 of Greater Boston's best restaurants.

The event, organized annually by the Head of the Charles staff, took on a new flavor this year thanks to 10 local restaurants who pooled their time and their favorite dishes.

Greg Sullivan, general manager of the Rialto, located in the Charles Hotel, said the chefs wanted to give athletes "a taste of what Boston chefs could put together."

Fred Schoch, executive director of the Head of the Charles Regatta, approached Sullivan a year ago with a proposal to replace the traditional dinner with more gourmet fare.

Sullivan, along with Rialto Chef Jody Adams and Chris Langley, director of public relations for the Rialto, worked together to find restaurants and other sponsors interested in taking part.

"It's really exciting to participate in something that's right in our backyard," said Adams as she stood outside the Rialto tent, stirring a fragrant mixture of herb-roasted ricotta ravioli.

The wind whipped through Magazine Beach as a handful of red-nosed, nylon-clad crew athletes waited outside a roped-off area.

Inside, two rows of white tents connected by a string of white lights housed the representatives from some of the area's most famous restaurants, including Henrietta's Table and Upstairs at the Pudding.

The aroma of fresh pasta, tomatoes and cheese drifted toward the waiting athletes. As the scheduled start time approached, Langley invited them inside.

"There are six pastas to your right, four salads to your left," he said. "Fresh baked bread and ice cream are at the end."

Athletes, their coaches and an assortment of other spectators made their way hungrily from tent to tent.

Tickets to the event were included in each athlete's registration packet. However, for $10, any member of the public was invited to join as well.

Sean Keay, a cook at Ambrose, a restaurant on Huntington Street in Boston, heaped spoonfuls of orrechiete with broccoli rabe and tomato onto the waiting plates.

"We like to do these different off-property events," Keay said. "It lets people know that we're out here and that we have some great food."

Once their plates were filled to capacity, the participants took their seats outside along waiting picnic tables.

"This is the best food I've had in six months," said David Dorio, a senior crew athlete at the University at Albany, as he hunched over a plate of pasta.

His teammate, sophomore Craig Burans, nodded vigorously. "I won't tell my mom," he said.

"This is the best it has ever been," said Carlos Perez, a rower for Roundout Rowing Club. "Usually they just give us a big pot of pasta," he added between mouthfuls of ravioli. "They've really done it up nice this year."

Adams said feeding the athletes well was the driving force behind the chefs' partnership with the Head of the Charles.

"We wanted to give them some food that we've put some time into," she said. "They'll carry it with them on the river tomorrow."