The well-deserved punishments he endured as a child ended up being more productive than he or his parents could have ever imagined.

“When I was a kid, I had a lot of energy, and ended up getting in a lot of trouble,” Chris Calhoun, the Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at The Desmond Hotel, said, beginning the story of how and when he developed his interest in the culinary arts.

“I was about 12, and the only solution was for me to be grounded for weeks on end. It’s not like we had any iPads or iPods back then. So, being confined to my room, I started flipping through cooking magazines. Since I wasn’t able to leave the house, I figured I’d try making some of the things I was reading about.”

Fast-forward a little more than a quarter-century, and the 39-year-old Calhoun – after working at high-end restaurants in Atlanta, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati – is now one of the premier chefs in the Greater Philadelphia area.

The supremely-talented West Chester East High School graduate is the mastermind behind the second leg – the exquisite Winemakers’ Dinner – of Main Line Today magazine’s Food & Wine Affair.

The sumptuous dinner on Friday at 6:30 PM at The Desmond features seven courses – yes, seven – paired with specially selected wines. The evening, which also includes a silent auction, raises funds for the Paoli Hospital Foundation.

“Seven courses is a lot of food,” Calhoun said. “It’s hard cooking for that many (more than 100 people are expected for the dinner). I look at it as seven individual dinners served consecutively.

“My philosophy is that when you’re putting together a menu like that, there’s a lot of (food) categories that you’re trying to hit. Sometimes, you work more with the wine, then decide the menu. Other times, you decide the menu before the wines. This will be a little bit of both.”

Friday’s dinner kicks off with a selection of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, followed by these six courses, with the accompanying premium wine in parentheses:

• Course I: White Tomato Mousse, Last of the Year Heirloom Tomato, Yellowfin Tuna, and Yuzu Pepper (Cline Chardonnay)
• Course II: Seared Scallop and Lobster Crepinette and Corn-Ginger Veloute (Georges de Boeuf Pouilly Fuisse)
• Course III: Onion Tart, Porcini Mushroom Jus, and Prosciutto di Parma (Cline Pinot Noir)
• Course IV: Turbot Fillet, Pinot Noir-Truffle Reduction, and Pecan (Georges de Boeuf Cru Beaujolais)
• Main Course: Filet Mignon Medallion, Sweet Potato, Grilled Artichoke, and Parmeggiano (Donatella Columbini Brunello di Montalcino)
• Dessert: Pear and Fig Claufouti with Vanilla Marquise and Aged Pear Vinegar (TBA)

Last Friday, the Food & Wine Affair commenced with a Grand Tasting at The Desmond. Almost 400 guests sampled wines from around the world and craft cocktails.

Food stations hosted by some of the most exclusive restaurants in the Philadelphia suburbs were also a hit. Calhoun was there to represent his establishment, and the line for his potato risotto looked like the starting line of a marathon.

Classically trained at the Culinary Institute of America, Calhoun apprenticed under the world-renowned Gunter Seeger, the Executive Chef of the first-ever Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Buckhead, Atlanta.

“Out of hundreds of people who pass through my kitchen, in the end, only a handful have what it takes to rise to the top,” said Seeger. “Chris Calhoun was one of the most talented.”

Calhoun then became the Executive Chef at the Orchids at Palm Court Restaurant in the Netherland Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, where he earned instant acclaim, leading the forgotten restaurant to a spot on Cincinnati Magazine’s coveted Top 25 list and earning the publication’s “Dish of the Year.”

But now, Calhoun is back home where it all started, in Chester County.

And we should all be thankful for it.

Click here to purchase tickets to the Winemakers’ Dinner.