Willard A. Gortner

At its annual business meeting in 1993, the Naples Bailliage elected Willard Gortner bailli. Will’s interest in food preparation began at the early age of twelve when he entered four cakes in a county fair competition, winning three first prizes and one second prize. A retired executive and philanthropist, his continuing interest in the culinary arts was manifested not only in his dinner planning abilities but at board meetings which were punctuated with his own creations.

Will’s well-honed organizational skills and a fine analytical mind, coupled with a genial disposition, sense of humor and ability to delegate responsibility, along with committed board, resulted in a bailliage that not only continued to thrive but also to grow. The induction dinner held in March of 1993 found the bailliage with 18 additional Naples Chaine members and 19 more Mondial members, making the Naples Mondial chapter one of the largest in the nation.

Christmas dinners continued at The Registry Resort each December, with the varying themes of “Un Reveillon de Noel,” “Christmas in Manhattan,” and “A Traditional New England Christmas.” Gala induction dinners were held at The Ritz-Carlton each spring, and during the rest of the year there were theme dinners, some celebrating the culinary delights of a particular season and some reflecting a specific focus. Of special note was a caviar tasting held at The Ritz-Carlton in 1996.

The Harmon-Meek Gallery hosted fund raising events to benefit the bailliage’s scholarship program, one called “The Italian Palette and the Italian Palate” and the second “A French Valentine of Food and Wine.” At these special events, hors d’oeuvres were prepared by the bailliage’s professional members. In 1993, The Bay Colony Beach Club executed a dinner featuring Spring’s bounty from asparagus to wild boar, which it followed in 1994 with a dinner called “Fare: Game,” spotlighting abalone, quail, squab, partridge and antelope. The next year it mounted an event called “At Monet’s Table.”

Successful Ordre Mondial events were held as well, including a Bordeaux tasting and supper, blind Merlot tasting, double-blind, comparative tasting matching two wines from each of five vintages, and a blind tasting of eight red Zinfandels.

The Naples Bailliage was in the national spotlight in 1995 when it hosted a combined national Board of Director’s meeting and Regional Assemblage at The Registry. Friday found the hotel’s ballroom transformed into a nightclub for an evening of Florida and Caribbean specialties with a Cuban emphasis. Daytime activities included a coffee tasting or cupping, boat tour and a visit to a member’s private art collection. “Un Grand Tour de France” was the weekend’s culinary finale Saturday night.

At the conclusion of a term that produced outstanding events and wonderful conviviality, Will elected not to seek higher office, though both he and the bailliage’s accomplishments were well known at the regional, national and international levels. It was a time when “Travel Chaine” had become a popular motto, and Will exemplified this concept because of the friends he made for the Chaine and for the Naples bailliage during his travels in the USA and abroad. Those who attended the National Chapitre in Carmel will never forget the imaginative sardine costumes he and his wife Bettie concocted to wear to a Steinbeck costume party there. Their attire was a symbol of Will’s sense of fun and his eagerness to participate fully in all aspects of the Naples Chaine.