Inside the food, wine and relationships that have shaped Uncork for a Cure.
I hadn't been talking with Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon for very long when she stopped our interview to go help a customer.
We were sitting with her cousin Flora Migyanka in the wine department at Plum Market, talking about Uncork for a Cure, the annual food and wine event they organize together. Migyanka is the founder of The Dynami Foundation dedicated to breast cancer research, advocacy and patient support. The fundraiser, in its 11th year, was held on Oct. 16 at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac.
It was a week before the event, and Triffon arrived carrying some papers, handing some of them to me. They listed the menu from every participating chef, and the three wine pairings selected to accompany each dish.
“Excuse me, let me make sure this gentleman is being taken care of and getting the attention he deserves,” she said, getting up from the table.
I studied the sheets while she stepped away. It was a small interruption, but I understood it more than she might have been able to explain. For Triffon, service always comes first.
Triffon, the first American woman to become a master sommelier and the second in the world, was bright and quick-witted with a big inviting smile. Her amazing career has placed her in the dining rooms of Metro Detroit’s finest restaurants over the last five decades. Migyanka is equally warm and engaging, quick with a welcoming smile. For her, this journey began with a breast cancer diagnosis in 2012 at the age of 40 while raising two young children. Triffon was one of the first people she called.
“She’s always been very, very upfront about it and I really admire her open heart, courage and generosity. Plus, who’s going to say no to her? Not many.”
—Said Triffon
The Dynami Foundation raises funds for breast cancer with a particular focus on Invasive Lobular Carcinoma, or ILC, the type of breast cancer Migyanka had been diagnosed with. The first Uncork for a Cure was held at the former Bacco Ristorante in 2016 with about 120 people. It was a seated, coursed dinner with one chef, one donated bottle of wine and one ticket, something considerably different from the event it is today.
Migyanka had been living in Boston before coming to Michigan and was impressed by the culinary talent she found here. She saw chefs, restaurants, sommeliers and hospitality professionals she believed could stand alongside those in any major American food city.
“I really didn’t know what I didn’t know back then,” Migyanka said. She remembers getting calls from people after that first dinner asking how they could become involved.
As the event grew, Triffon worked in what she calls the “slipstream” between Migyanka and the chefs, adding restaurants, adapting as the venue changed, and connecting people as Uncork expanded.
“I am absolutely not a promoter. What I consider myself is a connector.
—Said Triffon
And she has plenty of people to connect, from chefs, restaurant owners, sommeliers, retailers, distributors and hospitality experts. Her relationships with them run deep, including the one she has with James Rigato, chef and owner of Mabel Grey in Hazel Park.
The two worked together years ago in the Matt Prentice restaurant group. Triffon followed Rigato’s career, even collaborating on wine dinners after he opened Mabel Gray. She holds his culinary creativity and talent in the highest regard, calling him “one of the most creative chefs I’ve known in my entire career.”
“James spearheaded it and he really is a natural leader. The chefs respect him tremendously and will listen to him.
—Said Triffon
Triffon considers Rigato the culinary “fulcrum” of Uncork. While each chef determines what they want to prepare, Rigato watches the menu overall. He considers what everyone is making and speaks up if something is missing or too many dishes are moving in the same direction. He’s also an invaluable food resource for Triffon when she starts thinking about the wines.
Triffon used the papers she brought for me to explain her process for selecting the wines before tasting any of the food. “That’s because how it reads and how it lives are two very different things,” Triffon told me.
When she received the description of Edgar Torres’s dish from Vecino, tiger shrimp agua chile negro with recardo negro broth, avocado, cucumber and onion, there were elements she wanted to understand better. Her first call was to Rigato because he understands the balance of what she is looking for, like how much fat or acid is in the dish. Next, she called the restaurant for their take, who chose to leave the pairings entirely up to Triffon.
“I actually don’t need to call the chefs, but I do it as a measure of respect. At the end of the day what happens is they help put my mind at rest about the dish’s style.
—Said Triffon
To bring acidity and brightness to the shrimp, Triffon chose a crisp Moreau-Naudet Chablis, a Domaine du Pelican Trois cepages 2023 Arbois from eastern France and Champagne A. Bergere ‘Origine’ Brut Champagne.
Sometimes Triffon makes the selections, for others she offers a little nudge or often she simply gets out of the way. If there’s someone at the restaurant that has strong wine knowledge, she likes to have them engaged. She also leans on a fleet of vendors, distributors and sommeliers for input, many of whom she has either worked for or with for years.
Could I do this in a vacuum? Absolutely, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, I absolutely love to collaborate!
—Said Triffon
She pointed to Chef Doug Hewett’s dish from Chartreuse as a good example, with sommelier Abigail Lido taking the lead and staying closely involved with the wine selections. Hewett was planning a halibut and crab fritter with creamed leeks and mushroom conserva.
You can see it’s a fritter, so there’s a fried element, and sweetness from the crab. It’s got a crispy and creamy character, without acidity, heat or vinegar to worry about.
—Said Triffon
Talking with the Chartreuse team at Uncork, they confirmed Lido’s involvement in the selections and complimented her good taste. Lido picked a dry chenin blanc from the Loire Chateau Yvonne 2023 Sanur Blanc, a round and creamy French chardonnay Dom. De la Cras ‘Monopole 2023 Coteaux du Dijon and a pinot noir Domaine Rougeot Les Vaux 2023 Borgone Cote d’Or, which sliced perfectly through the richness of the dish.
At the Mabel Gray station, Rigato stuck to his Italian roots, serving Nona’s meatballs with a deeply rich Sunday sauce. The comfort-leaning choice was a surprise coming from a chef known for his bold, ingredient-driven cuisine.
“James always goes comfort for this event knowing there will be a lot of red wine in the room,” said Triffon. She explained that when the chunky tannins from the Bramaterra he has meets the protein, fat and salt in the dish, “it purrs.”
When I caught up with Rigato at Uncork, he confirmed his reasoning for the meatball. “You have to go with comfort because it’s the underhand pitch for red wine,” said Rigato. “I just stay out of the way and keep it simple.”
The meatball was served with warm polenta that was light as air, covered by a slow-cooked Italian American red sauce and pecorino cheese for a tangy accent. It was mouth filling, deeply savory and rich, yet somehow light and delicate. It reached a level of delicious that makes you want to get comfortable somewhere with a second helping.
Takoi’s dish reminded me of what Triffon had mentioned about how overt heat, spice or sweetness can make pairings more of a challenge. Each bite was an explosion of festive southern Thai flavors. The Gaeng Khiao Waan Muu had slices of tender pork bathed in green curry and coconut milk. It was so good I stopped to find a place to sit and enjoy it. I chose the Masican ‘Gemina’ (Greco, Falanghina, Fiano) 2023 from California, a bright and complex wine that did a good job of standing up to the heat of the curry.
Among the other food stations was an impressive sushi display by Kazuya Suzuki and Ken Nagao of Shakaru, and an elegant canederi with statiatella, prosciutto and caviar from Jared Gabow of Oak & Reel. Joe VanWagner from Echelon presented an addictive sweet-hot chili-glazed pork belly with fresh herbs, peanuts and pickled vegetables enclosed in tender lettuce. Chef Ji Hye Kim of Miss Kim ladled soy-braised beef short ribs with fall squash and pine nuts, which was lovely with the Raventosi Blanc ‘de Nit brut Rose 2023 Conca del Riu Anoia.
When I found John Vermiglio and Joe Giacomino from Grey Ghost, they were busy ladling a soulful Longganisa gravy over a biscuit with roasted garlic, pickled daikon, egg yolk and puffed rice. Andy Hollyday from Selden Standard composed the inviting rabbit cannelloni-mahon in a creamy bechamel and mushroom conserva, and Anthony Lombardo of Shewolf and Medusa plated a delicate crudo bay scallops served with punchy tomato ammoglio and gremolata. The sommelier stationed at each table donates their time to pour the wines, something they collectively refer to as their “Som Prom.”
For me, just being in a room with so many professionals of this caliber made this event feel like I was in food and wine heaven. Even more impressive was that each chef was there in person instead of at their own restaurants that evening. Migyanka had talked about that willingness to participate when we met before the event.
“There’s just so much energy revolving around this that people want to be a part of it. They want to be a part of something bigger than their individual selves.
—Said Migyanka
In the last year of interviewing these chefs, I’ve heard repeatedly how willing they are to come together as a community for a bigger cause. Earlier this year talking with Anthony Lombardo, he shared that he started getting into volunteering with Jose Andres’ DC Central Kitchen during his time in DC, which ultimately led to a seat on the board. Since returning to Detroit, he’s gotten involved with least seven different non-profits. I asked what drives him to do this honorable work.
Not just me, but a lot of us around town feel the same about our duty as a chef. We have a skillset and talent that’s important to share because we know how to feed people efficiently and are bound to that sense of place in the community.
—Said Lombardo
I heard something similar in my interview with Giacomino and Vermiglio who came from Chicago to open Grey Ghost over a decade ago. They had invested in charity work in Chicago, but found there were even more opportunities to contribute to the community in Detroit.
We always want to give back, which is the nice thing about being a restaurant. You can show up at a charity event which has been important to us from the very beginning.
—Said Vermiglio
Later that evening, Migyanka stood in front of the crowd and talked about where it all began. “Eleven years ago, my cousin Madeline and I had an idea,” said Migyanka. “To bring people together around incredible food and wine, and doing something meaningful to give back to the community we love.”
She continued with details of her story, explaining that her daughter Maggie was five and her son Charlie was three when she learned she had breast cancer. She underwent a bilateral mastectomy, reconstruction and more than a decade of hormone therapy, which left her unable to have more children.
Fourteen years later, Maggie is home from college and Charlie is a senior in high school, and I get to see the milestones I once feared I might miss.”
—said Migyanka
After thanking those instrumental in pulling the event together, she asked the crowd to consider how far the effort had come from its beginning. “It started with a dinner in 2016, one donated bottle of wine, one chef and one ticket,” she said. “And now look around the room.”
I did.
It was filled with chefs, sommeliers, wine professionals, donors, artists, musicians and guests, each contributing something by being there. Eleven years after that first dinner, Uncork has raised more than $3 million. In 2026, Dynami also provided $250,000 in seed funding to establish the Lobular American Research Consortium, the first in the country. Seeing it all play out in front of me helped put those numbers into perspective.
What started as a small dinner had grown into several rooms filled with festive people enjoying themselves, all there pulling for the same cause. The founders may not have known how big Uncork would become, just that great food and wine would give people a good reason to gather.
For more information about the Dynami Foundation, Uncork for a Cure or to donate visit https://www.dynamifoundation.org