Category Archives: Enticing Events

Tulsi Tea & A Food Gal Giveaway

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Take a taste of organic Tulsi teas for a blast of herbal deliciousness. (Photo courtesy of Davidson's Organic Teas)

You probably know your usual garden-variety Genovese basil as the cornerstone of pesto and Margherita pizzas.

But Tulsi or “holy basil” is definitely another type worth trying.

And Davidson’s Organic Teas gives you an easy way to do that with its new Tulsi teas.

Tulsi is considered a sacred herb in many cultures, including India, where it is used in religious ceremonies. It also has been commonly used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries.

It also makes for a soothing cup of tea — either hot or cold. It has a pronounced herbaceous quality, with minty and floral undertones, as evidenced by the samples I recently tried.

The teas come in six varieties: “Signature Blend,” “Pure Leaves,” “Rooibos Chai,” “Spicy Green,” “Hibiscus Flower,” and “Chamomile Flower.”

They are all certified organic and certified Free Trade. They are all caffeine-free except for the “Spicy Green,” which has a small amount of caffeine from the green tea leaves that are added to the blend.

Davidson, the nation’s oldest organic tea company, provides the Tulsi seeds to farmers in India to grow the plants in the company’s own biodynamic garden. Ten percent of proceeds from the tea benefit projects that help the farmers, including the restoration of abandoned farmlands, and infrastructure improvements to housing and schools.

Tulsi Teas are available at Whole Foods for $2.95 for a box of eight tea bags or $5.50 for a box of 25.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader will win an assortment of 100 Tulsi tea bags to enjoy. Entries, limited to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST Nov.  12. Winner will be announced Nov. 14.

How to win?

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A Bake Sale Not to Miss, Meet Cookbook Author Carol Field & More

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Pastry Chef Christina Tosi will be selling cookies and Crack Pie, the recipes of which are in her new cookbook.

A Chance to Buy Sweets from Momofuku Milk Bar and Absinthe

Consider this the ultimate bake sale.

Nov. 9, from noon to 3 p.m., the private dining room at Absinthe in San Francisco will be transformed into exactly that with baked goods for sale by Absinthe Group’s Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett and Pastry Chef Christina Tosi of New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar.

Tosi is in town to promote her new cookbook, “Momfuku Milk Bar” (Clarkson Potter). She and Corbett worked together in New York at wd~50.

Among the goodies for sale that afternoon will be Corbett’s Oatmeal Cream Pie ($3.50 each) and German Chocolate Candy Bar ($4 each), as well as Tosi’s famous Crack Pie ($5.25 per slice) and assorted cookies ($1.85 each).

She’ll also have copies of her cookbook on hand for purchase.

A portion of proceeds from the bake sale will benefit the San Francisco Food Bank.

Late that evening on Nov. 9, Tosi will be at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

She’ll talk about how she got into baking, and sign copies of her book.

Additionally, Nov.  10 at 6 p.m., Tosi will do a cooking demo and book signing at Williams-Sonoma on Union Square in San Francisco. Books must be purchased at the store to be signed.

Pop-Up Dinner at Coi in San Francisco

Absinthe Executive Pastry Chef Bill Corbett also will be putting in an appearance at Coi in San Francisco on Nov. 14, when he’ll be part of a group of chefs doing a pop-up dinner there that night.

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Chef Alan Wong Brings A Taste of Hawaii to the Bay Area & More

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Chef Alan Wong to visit from Hawaii. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Meet Famed Hawaii Chef Alan Wong and Historian Arnold Hiura

Chef Alan Wong and historian Arnold Hiura are bringing the “Taste Hawaii Tour” to the Bay Area, Oct. 27-Nov. 2, which includes a slew of public events that celebrate the culture and food of the islands.

The James Beard Award-winning chef of Alan Wong’s Honolulu and the Pineapple Room, Wong just published his newest cookbook, “The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong” (Watermark), which is filled with more than 200 recipes. Hiura, who co-wrote Wong’s latest cookbook, also is the author of “Kau Kau: Cuisine & Culture in the Hawaiian Islands” (Watermark), which includes more than 70 recipes.

* Oct. 27 from 6 p.m. to 7 pm., the two will host a free talk and book-signing at Omnivore Books in San Francisco.

* Oct. 29, 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Wong will host a free cooking demo at the north arcade of the Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco.  Following that, from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m., Wong and Hiura will sign copies of their books.

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Chef Sachin Chopra of All Spice Talks About Celebrating Diwali

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Chef Sachin Chopra, all dressed up for the holiday, puts the finishing touches on a dessert for Diwali.

For Chef-Proprietor Sachin Chopra of All Spice in San Mateo, the celebration of Diwali always has had a special place in his heart.

After all, the joyous Festival of Lights, which starts on Oct. 26, is not only one of the most important Hindu holidays, but also marks the New Year.

It’s a time for gathering with family and friends. It’s a time to illuminate the house with candles. It’s also a major time for sweets.

As champagne is poured to signify important celebrations, sweets play a similar role in Sachin’s native India. They are readily offered to visitors in a warm gesture of welcome.

Candles are lit to commemorate the Festival of Lights.

The chef, who specializes in California cuisine with Indian and global influences, likes to create modern takes on Indian desserts at his year-old restaurant.

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Lidia Bastianich, Christopher Kimball, Jacques Pepin & Other Top Culinarians Coming to the Bay Area

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Chef Traci Des Jardins. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Traci Des Jardins Hosts “Top Chef Masters” Alums Event

All you “Top Chef Masters” fans won’t want to miss a special evening on Nov. 3, when Chef Traci Des Jardins will be joined by four of her former competitors on that show at a gala dinner at her restaurant, Jardiniere in San Francisco.

Joining her will be: Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill in Los Angeles and Las Vegas; Naomi Pomeroy of Beast in Portland; Floyd Cardoz of North End Grill in New York (and winner of the most recent season of the show); and Suvir Saran of Devi in New York.

The event will benefit the anti-hunger, non-profit Share Our Strength.

A cocktail reception starts at 6 p.m., followed by a multi-course, sit-down dinner.

Tickets to the cocktail party are $150 each. Tickets to the cocktail party plus the dinner are $1,000 each.

Lidia Bastianich Comes to San Rafael and San Francisco

Catch beloved Italian chef and cookbook author, Lidia Bastianich, at two events in the Bay Area.

First up, she will host a cooking demo and book signing at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael at 8 p.m. Oct. 28.

Executive Chef Alan Fairhurst of Scoma’s in San Francisco will kick off the event by demonstrating how to make cioppino. That signature dish will be featured on Bastianich’s new PBS show, “Lidia’s Italy in America!,” which airs at 12:30 p.m. Saturdays on KQED, channel 9.

Following that, Bastianich will take the stage to show how to make a four-course Italian meal, including chicken Sorrentino and zuppa inglese. Best yet, four lucky audience members will be invited up on stage to taste the dishes with Bastianich. Additionally, a raffle will be held to win two different prize baskets — one filled with all of Bastianich’s pastas and sauces, and the other containing signed copies of all seven of her cookbooks, as well as her children’s book.

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