Kitchens for Good Launching "Dinners for Good"

I've been a fan of Kitchens for Good since, well, before it even launched just a couple of years ago.

Never heard of the organization? Well, top of line, it's a San Diego culinary school designed for people 18 and older with barriers to employment—youths aging out of foster care, veterans or people who were formerly incarcerated, for example. The program, which is free to the students, uses curriculum developed by LA Kitchen and DC Central Kitchen, which together have graduated more than 1,500 students over 25 years and have a 90 percent success rate of full-time employment within three months of graduation. Kitchens for Good teaches both fundamental culinary skills, including knife skills, baking, fish fabrication and plating, and what founder and president Chuck Samuelson called “soft skills,” like anger management, résumé writing and professional social interaction. Students graduate the program with ServSafe certification and job placement assistance.

And it's graduated hundreds of students so far. But Kitchens for Good is more than just a culinary school. It's an advocate and example of reducing food waste. It provides nutritious meals for families in need. And it funds jobs and supports local farmers.

Any nonprofit that is juggling this many projects needs financial support. And Kitchens for Good used the collective smart noggins and came up with a new fundraising program: Dinners for Good.

Dinners for Good is a combination chef demo and tasting series sponsored by Catalina Offshore Products and Specialty Produce (yes, the same folks who have brought us Collaboration Kitchen). It  will be hosted by Catalina Offshore Products' Tommy Gomes. Each event will consist of a five-course tasting menu with paired drinks--all prepared by some of San Diego's best chefs during a live cooking demonstration.

Tommy Gomes

The kickoff event will be held on March 24 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Kitchens for Good. It will feature Gomes, with Hanis Cavin of Carnitas Snack Shack and "Sam the Cooking Guy" Zien of Not Not Tacos.

Hanis Cavin

Here's the menu:
1st course:
Shaved squash / roasted cherry tomato / almond
tapenade / manchego / sherry vinaigrette

2nd course:
Smoked pork stuffed sweet-pepper / corn puree / corn-
pork belly sauté / chive oil

3rd course:
Roasted black cod / mussels / sweet garlic / toasted
focaccia / mirepoix / black pepper butter

4th course:
Seared NY strip / crisp potato cake /
mushroom-onion-lardon hash / port reduction

5th course:
Mini ice cream cookie sandwiches /
white chocolate dipped

Sam "the Cooking Guy" Zien

On April 28, the next Dinners for Good program will feature Gomes with Matt Gordon of Urban Solace and Solace & the Moonlight Lounge and Sam Zien.

On June 30, the program will feature Karen Barnett of Small Bar, Logan Mitchell of Cellar Door, and Coral Fodor of Garden Kitchen.

Tickets for Dinners for Good are $115--remember, the proceeds from the events support Kitchens for Good and their culinary job training program!

Kitchens for Good is located at 404 Euclid Avenue Suite 102, San Diego 92114.




Print Page

To Save A Child's Heart: Celebrity Chef Event for Kawasaki Disease Foundation

I'm a sucker for events that help children. Kawasaki Disease may not be something you're familiar with since it's a rare illness, but it's the leading cause of acquired heart disease among children, with 80 percent of patients being under the age of five. For my friend Beth Avant, it struck her family when her son Lucas was just nine months old. Lucas is fine, but Beth has become an advocate for research to fight the disease and find a cure. And that's what the upcoming Kawasaki Disease Foundation's "To Save a Child's Heart Gala," which takes place on Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. at the La Costa Resort and Spa, will be raising funds for.

Chef Nate Appleman

Chef Nate Appleman of Chipotle, a KD parent and winner of the James Beard Award for Rising Chef, is the gala's "honorary chef." Our own Sam "the cooking guy" Zien will be the Master of Ceremonies. His job will be made a little complicated -- in a very good way -- by the unique structure of the event. Instead of each chef cooking one dish for everyone, each chef will cook an entire meal for a single table, which Sam will be checking in on with commentary and interviews.

The feasting will be a food-lover's dream. Take a look at this line up of local and nationally renown chefs:

Scott Thomas Dolbee of Kitchen 1540 in Del Mar
Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook of Animal in Los Angeles
Neal Fraser of BLD in Los Angeles
Amanda Freitag of New York
Chris Gerwig of Village Idiot in Los Angeles
Matt Gordon of Solace & the Moonlight Lounge and Urban Solace in San Diego

Matt Gordon

David Hernandez of Rubicon Resources in Los Angeles
Gavin Kaysen of Cafe Boulud in New York
Mourad Lahlou of Aziza in San Francisco
Ludo Lefebvre of Ludo Bites in Los Angeles
Joe Magnanelli of Cucina Urbana in San Diego
Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland, Oregon

Naomi Pomeroy

Jonathan Sawyer of The Greenhouse Tavern in Cleveland

Jonathan Sawyer

Michael Solomonov of Zahav in Philadelphia
Chad White of Counterpoint in San Diego
Tandy Wilson of City House in Nashville
Tony Quartaro of The Bristol in Chicago

Each of these chefs will prepare a stunning five-course meal. The proceeds will benefit the KD Research Center at UC San Diego and Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego. Tickets start a $300 a person and can be purchased online.

Print Page

8th Annual Chef Showdown, Iron Chef Style

Well, I'm beginning to feel like San Diego Foodstuff is morphing into San Diego Food Events--but there's so much good stuff happening that it's hard to sit on my hands and not let you know about it.

So, let me tell you about the Sept. 13 Chef Showdown, which benefits the programs and services of the Center for Community Solutions, a local nonprofit that provides prevention and intervention support for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. They were founded in 1969 and assist more than 30,000 men, women, and children annually. They operate the only Rape Crisis Center in the City of San Diego, along with a 24-hour bilingual crisis helpline and hospital and court accompaniment services for rape survivors. CCS also provides two, 24-hour emergency shelter and transitional housing programs for victims of domestic violence and their children. In short, they do critically important work.

If you've never been to this event, you've got to get tickets and go this year. Think Iron Chef only with our local chefs and judges. The chefs are divided into two teams, given a secret ingredient, and have a limited time to create eight dishes during the evening. Sam "the Cooking Guy" Zien hosts this crazy circus.

Last year's winning team

Who are the chefs? A culinary who's who in S.D.: Amy DiBiase of The Shores, Dawn Parks from Wild Thyme Co., Joe Magnanelli of Cucina Urbana, Paul McCabe of Delicias, Bobby Marine from Viejas, Hanis Cavin from Carnitas Snack Shack, Matt Gordon of Urban Solace, Rachel King of Searsucker, Anthony Sinsay of Burlap, Augie Saucedo of Donovan's, Scotty Wagner of Chi Cuisine, and Chris O'Donell from La Villa.

The judges for the evening will be Chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room;  restaurateurs Ingrid Croce, Joe Bussalachi, and Michelle Lerach--and two judge spots offered to guests for bidding during the live auction portion of the evening.

Chef Showdown, which is co-chaired by Isabel Cruz and Dee Dee Castro, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at NTC Promenade in Point Loma (Liberty Station to you and me). Tickets are $125 each or $200 for a VIP reservation. Order them by calling 858-272-5777, ext. 120.

Print Page

Be Mine: Four Local Valentine's Treats

This is the time of year I get flooded with PR emails touting special romantic dinners at various restaurants. Ah, if only...

I long ago gave up trying to keep up with the tsunami of Valentine's day romance packages, but I do love a heart-felt gesture. So, I thought I'd mention several delicious edible Valentine's Day options for gifts that I've come across.

First up is cheese. Cheese? Yes, Taste's Mary Palmer pulled this out of a cooler at the Little Italy Mercato and, oh, did I want it. It's a Coeur Fleuri Chevre--a heart-shaped French goat cheese decorated with dried pomegranate seeds and rose petals. Truly seductive for the cheese lover. $13.50 at the Little Italy, Hillcrest, and North Park farmers markets.

Then, there's gelato. Not just any gelato, but Millie's vegan gelato--or as owner/gelato genius Susan Sbicca says, plant-based. She's made four special Valentine's Day flavors: blood-orange creamsicle (perfect topped with fresh blood orange marmalade), chocolate mint swirl (I top this with Jackie's Jams new Stehly Farms raspberry jam), coconut bing cherry (lovely with chocolate syrup), and lemon raspberry (crazy good alone but reaches a whole new dimension with Katherine Humphus's balsamic port reduction). (Sbicca may also have a passion fruit gelato. Be sure to ask.) $10 a pint at the Leucadia farmers market.

Finally, chocolate. Well, of course, chocolate! Here are two of my very favorites with some intriguing variations on an age-old theme:

Caxao holds a special place in my heart. You know that saying that you can feel the love in food? Yeah, yeah, but with Beatriz Ledezma's confections, I really can. There's something so pure and soulful about what she creates. Maybe it's just the combination of ingredients, but I think she could be a character in Like Water For Chocolate. There's something of the magic realism in her that is expressed through those truffles and caramels.

For Valentine's Day Caxao has what Beatriz calls the Je Thé Adore Collection--a seven-piece box of ganaches infused with various teas, fruits, and spices. Je thé aime, for example, is an infusion of green tea, papaya, peach, oranges, and marigold petals with a white ivory ganache and covered in 70 percent dark chocolate. $18

Then there's her delightful Pink Champagne Heart Box--11 pieces of silky white chocolate ganache and pink champagne truffles. $35

Her yet-to-be named crispy treats in a take-out box (puffed rice, puffed quinoa, rice cereal, caramelized sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, and organic 75 percent chocolate) are dressed up for V-Day and are $6.

And, if you just want to give a little bitty truffle treat, give an Emperor Truffle--dark chocolate ganache covered in 70 percent dark chocolate. All of $2.50.

All of these are available online or at her booths at the Little Italy Mercato and Hillcrest farmers market.

For a very different kind of chocolate, you'll want to try David Bacco's truffles. He's got a beautiful 12-piece assortment for $26.95 (at Seaside Market, Albertson's Del Mar, and online). These hand-crafted sweets feature the glossy  heart-shaped incantato, a blend of passion fruit, caramel, and milk chocolate ganache.

Then, there's his extravagant hand-painted edible heart box filled with two incantatos, serene (milk chocolate caramel ganache), citral (a fusion of lemongrass and 71 percent bittersweet chocolate, euphoria (a dreamy Hazelnut gianduja), and montserrat (Caribbean spices with ancho and chipotle). This package is $29.95.

Bacco is also collaborating with Sea Rocket Bistro for Valentine's Day dinner, with executive chef Tommy Fraioli using chocolate in each course, with a dessert created by Bacco that incorporates Sea Rocket's bacon jam.

Now, I'm sure I missed a lot. So fill in the gaps with your favorite Valentine's day edibles!

♥♥♥

P.S. My buddy Sam Zien, "Sam the Cooking Guy," is doing a special event on February 18 at 7 p.m. called "Sam Live." He'll be on the stage of the Joan Kroc Theater doing live cooking, showing video clips, telling behind-the-scenes stories, taking audience questions, and then signing books. You can learn how this frustrated biotech exec ended up with a TV cooking show. And, opening for Sam will be Australian bartender Hayden Wood from Woody's Liquid Kitchen (featured on Oprah and known as the most entertaining bartender in the world).

Here's the link for tickets--the big deal about this is that a portion of the proceeds will go to support Salvation Army/Kroc Center scholarship programs. General admission tickets are $60.

I've got two tickets to give away to this event. Just write a comment about the best edible Valentine's Day gift you ever gave or received. I'll pick what I think is the most moving (or funny) comment. The deadline for comments is noon PST on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012.

Print Page
Pin It

Hangin' with Sam the Cooking Guy

The first time I met Sam Zien, aka Sam the Cooking Guy, was a couple of years ago at Congregation Beth Israel, where we were both judging a temple cooking contest. Every time he and I would stand together to discuss a dish, a different elderly woman would come over and literally shove me aside so that her husband could shoot a photo of her snuggled up with Sam.

Sam is clearly a rock star with the bubbe set.

But, Sam's popularity spans across generations or he wouldn't be as popular a figure as he is in San Diego's food scene and beyond, and he's reinforcing that with a new online show, The Sam Livecast, where Sam cooks but also chats about whatever happens to interest him at the moment. And, yes, you can still find Sam the Cooking Guy on TV locally, in LA, Orange County, Las Vegas, and Arizona -- and even on the East Coast in Georgia and Virgina. You can catch videos of him preparing recipes from his shows. You can even shop Sam at "Sam's Store," where you can buy his three cookbooks or kitchen gadgets and gear. Sam is an industry.

He's also a very nice guy and, yes, a terrific cook, as I discovered when I was invited to appear Sept. 26 on The Sam Livecast. The live streaming show is pretty relaxed. He chats with his very young crew and people--like me--who hang out on the couch in the kitchen with Sam's wife, Kelly, his interns, perhaps his sons and their girlfriends. And the two dogs. It's very casual with the periodic f-bomb dropped. But don't let that fool you; Sam knows what he's doing. Ingredients are prepped in a home kitchen any food person would envy. He does his schtick, but then the cooking begins and as easy as he makes it looks, that's how delicious the dish is.

When I was invited on, the idea was basically an appearance with idle back and forth from the couch about my writing. But I thought it would be fun to show him a little of what I do--and promote Olivewood Gardens--so I offered to make corn tortillas with flowers pressed in them with him on the show--as I've been doing with the kids I teach at Olivewood Gardens. Well, the counteroffer was for me just to bring in the tortillas, already made. Which I did, along with homemade tomato salsa.

And that was the inspiration for Sam, along with bluefin tuna that he'd acquired, to make seared bluefin tuna tacos with mango salsa. Prettiest tacos around, what with the gorgeous yellow salsa and being encased in tortillas highlighted with orange and yellow nasturtiums or purple and white violets.

You can catch the livecast on his website, where you'll also find recipes. And I describe there how to make the tortillas. And stay tuned for more shows. The livecast airs live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 6 p.m. pacific time. I hear he's going to have more food writers/bloggers on the show as guests. You never know who will turn up.

Print Page