London Lennies was the pearl inside the oyster at this year’s annual City Harvest Bid Against Hunger event held last Tuesday, October 20^th at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan.

Executive Chef Jeff Baruch and owner Leslie Barnes served up a succulent assortment of fresh oysters plucked from hot spots on the East and West coasts including Hood Canal, Washington; Gidden Bay, Maine; Pipe’s Cove, Long Island; Kumomoto, California; Pemequid, Maine; and Copp’s Island, Connecticut.

In addition to a fully stocked raw bar, London Lennies offered VIP guests and the event’s star studded line up of celebrity chefs a taste of its new Flu Shot Oyster Shooter.  Top chefs including Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert came by the table to sample Chef Jeff’s seasonal remedy and to partake in London Lennies’ opulent oyster feast. Called the “Academy Awards” of the food world, City Harvest’s 2009 Bid Against Hunger event hosted celebrity chefs Eric Ripert, Marc Murphy, Anita Lo, Jean-George Vongerichten, Alex Guarnaschelli, and New York TV personality Kelly Choi, in addition to London Lennies’ own Chef Jeff Baruch.

London Lennies was in great company, joining other popular restaurants such as Le Bernardin, Gramercy Tavern, Per Se, Landmarc, Blue Hill and Convivio.   London Lennies was the only restaurant included in the event’s VIP section, joined by top food and wine purveyors including D’Artagnan, Hudson Valley Foie Gras, Saxelby Cheesemongers, Bklyn Larder, Despana and Valrhona Chocolates.

This year’s event raised over $700,000 for City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization.