Archive for the 'Food Event' Category

White Truffle Dinner at Valentino Ristorante

It used to be that citrus fruits were my favorite wintertime bounty, but that was before I tasted my first white truffle. Only available October through December and priced in the neighborhood of $300 an ounce, this precious tuber is the ultimate indulgence during the cooler months of the year.

I was recently invited to an incredible dinner at Valentino Ristorante featuring an abundance of white truffles. In celebration of Piero Selvaggio‘s 40 years of successful restauranteering in Los Angeles, the finest Italian white truffles were flown in for the event, as well as wines from Beni di Batasiolo, the world’s leading producer of Barolo. Needless to say, it was an enchanting evening of food and wine.

I was greeted by an army of glasses as I sat down at the table. Stefano Poggi, the export manager at Beni di Batasiolo, was on hand this evening to pair each of chefs Luicano Pellegrini and Nico Chessa’s creations with a handsome wine. The carefully marked placemats upon which the wines rested kept diners properly organized throughout the meal.

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Eat My Blog Winter 2011: Sweet Sunny Success!

Published by Gastronomer on December 12, 2011 in Eat My Blog, Food Event and Los Angeles. 11 Comments

It was a scorcher this past Saturday at the fourth Eat My Blog charity bake sale. Even though the weather conditions were chocolate-meltingly hot, the turnout was terrific and we raised $4,323.86 for the Los Angeles Regional Foodbank. It’s really incredible to think that our baked goods have yielded more than $16,000 over the years. That equates to $80,000 worth of food to assist families in our community that need a little boost. Hip, hip hooray!

We moved the party to the east side this time around, setting up shop at Pita Jungle in Old Town Pasadena. The neighborhood proved to be a great fit for our kind of wholesome food and fun.

On the donation front, we had the biggest turnout ever. With over 50 bloggers baking their hearts out and 20 restaurants doing what they do best, the tables at Pita Jungle were lined with an impressive array of delicious and creative treats. Additionally, Crystal Geyser donated water and iced tea, while Intelligentsia provided coffee vouchers.

We were also very fortunate to have Wesley Wong donate his time to capture some beautiful snapshots throughout the day. Here are some highlights of the sweets and savories that made Eat My Blog an incredible success…

Clockwise from top left—macarons from XT Patisserie, cake pops from The Catty Critic and Rock My Palate, chocolate dipped pecan pies from Sarah the Bear, and malted milk cookie tarts from Nosh with Me.

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Dole California Cook-Off 2011: Less Trauma, More Bobby Banana

Published by Gastronomer on June 29, 2011 in Food Event and Los Angeles. 5 Comments

Last year’s Dole California Cook-Off was a little on the traumatizing side. It was supposed to be a cushy gig serving as sous chef to one of the finalists, but my partner Harold from Florida proved to be quite a handful (and then some). Needless to say, it was the longest hour of my life. Even though I was paired with a less than ideal partner, I still managed to have a really good experience thanks to my friend Alice and the team at Dole.

This past weekend, I was invited back to participate in the annual cook-off. This time around, I was promoted to the judging table and didn’t have to chop nothin’ for nobody. Woo hoo!

Fellow judge and Dole culinary ambassador Chef Ben Ford kicked off the event with a cooking demonstration. He prepared a grilled pork tenderloin with a Mediterranean-inspired fruit chutney. Chef Ford imparted a plethora of tips upon the crowd as he worked through the recipe. I learned that brining meat not only keeps it moist, but speeds up the cooking process as well.

After the dish was finished and plated, The Astronomer and I each had several slices. We really liked how the spiced pear and apple chutney paired with the pork. It tasted a little like Christmas time.

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Panda Express’ Wok Star Challenge

Published by Gastronomer on January 27, 2011 in Chinese, Food Event, Los Angeles and Media Event (this meal was free). 26 Comments

Not last night but the night before, I attended the first-ever Wok Star Challenge at Panda Express headquarters in Rosemead. In celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, a small group of bloggers was invited to the company’s test kitchen to meet and greet Executive Chef Andy Kao (a.k.a The Creator of Orange Chicken) and compete in a high-intensity cooking contest for charity.

Joining me at this totally random, but seriously fun event was Quyen of Kitchen Runway, Hong and Kim of Ravenous Couple, Vernon of Stellar Recipes (a.k.a. The Astronomer), Patti of Worth the Whisk, H.C. of L.A. and O.C. Foodventures, and Jenna of Eater LA. We were randomly paired into teams of two soon after we arrived.

The good food gods must have been smiling down on me because I was paired with Eat My Blog baker and all-around fabulous cook Quyen—I couldn’t have asked for a better teammate!

Prior to wokking and rolling our hearts out, we received a lesson on basic knife cutting techniques from Chef Kao. Next, he whipped up a batch of Firecracker Chicken Breast to show us how to manhandle a wok.

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Artisanal L.A.: Five Home Grown Gift Ideas

Published by Gastronomer on December 13, 2010 in Food Event and Los Angeles. 3 Comments

Since I think of gift giving as an opportunity to impose my values upon others, it should come as no surprise that my loved ones usually receive one of three things: a food-related book, a restaurant gift certificate, or something edible. I make adjustments here and there for those not as food oriented as me, but for the most part, these are my go-to gifts.

At this past weekend’s Artisanal LA event, I managed to cross several people off my list thanks to the wonderful selection of local, sustainable, and handmade edibles for sale. These gifts not only taste great, but they also support the local economy and small-scale producers. Win-win, I say! Here’s a list of five fabulous food gifts and the talented vendors behind them…

The first two people that I had the pleasure of meeting at the event were Debra and Stephanie Shaiken. The mother-daughter duo run an up-and-coming pie business in Santa Monica. Crust by Stephanie Jayne specializes in homey and comforting creations that are executed with skill and refinement.

I tasted three of Crust’s pies this afternoon including the Fleur de Sel Caramel Tart (dark chocolate ganache, salted caramel, cracker brittle), the Missouri Butter Pie (a St. Louis classic), and the Campfire S’more Pie (milk chocolate ganache, homemade graham cracker, toasted from scratch marshmallows). All three were terrific, but my sweet-salty loving taste buds couldn’t get enough of the Fleur de Sel Caramel Tart. These 9-inch pies ($25) would be a great addition to any holiday spread and also make fine hostess gifts.

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