You could say it was an historic event as four chefs from National Trust Historic Hotels of America properties collaborated on a dinner in early March at New York's prestigious James Beard House.

Theme of the meal was History is Hot, and the chefs drew on their own training, tastes and the regional specialties of their properties. Each chef prepared a single course for the meal:

• Executive Chef Abigail Hutchinson of the Jekyll Island Club in Georgia combined local flavors to create the appetizer, blue crab and lobster cakes over Vidalia Dijon pepper relish with sweet marsala beurre blanc.

• Ulrich Koberstein, executive chef of the American Club Resort Hotel in Kohler, WI, relied on his European culinary training to create a second course of roast chestnut and winter truffle soup, game bird and foie gras terrine with quail egg toast.

• The entrée course belonged to Executive Chef Jon Dornbusch of the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. He used produce of the season as the basis of the dish, mustard-crusted leg of lamb with baby herb and root vegetable salad with caramelized garlic vinaigrette.

• For dessert, the Waldorf=Astoria's Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Claude Perennou used opal basil, an unusual ingredient known for its dark purple leaves. His offering was a citrus combination grapefruit ice cream with lemon cake, basil gelee and caramelized orange segments.