Category Archives: Enticing Events

Patxi’s to Open in Campbell, Unique Chefs of Compassion Event & More

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Time for deep dish. (Photo courtesy of Patxi's)

Patxi’s Opens This Afternoon in Campbell

Get ready for some deep deep dish.

Patxi’s Pizza, which specializes in Chicago-style deep dish pies, is opening its seventh Bay Area location at 4 p.m. today, 1875 S. Bascom Ave. in Campbell in the Pruneyard Shopping Center.

What’s more, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 21, the Campbell locale will hold a grand opening with complimentary samples.

The first Patxi’s (pronounced pah’-cheese) opened in Palo Alto in 2004 by William Freeman and Francisco “Patxi” Azpiroz, who previously worked at the legendary Zachary’s Pizza in Berkeley. The restaurant features four types of pizza (stuffed, pan, thin, and extra-thin), as well as three types of dough (regular, whole-wheat, and a new gluten-free one).

The new Campbell location has special meaning for Freeman, too. “I have deep roots in the Campbell area –my family has farmed land here for a century, and my dad grew up on a walnut and apricot farm on Lawrence Road,” he said in a statement. “So this is a real homecoming for me.”

Exec. Pastry Chef Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104 picks his ingredients from the food pantry. (Photo courtesy of West Valley Community Services)

Chefs of Compassion

So many chefs are used to cooking with every gourmet product at their disposal.

But what happens when four Bay Area chefs are charged with making a showstopping dish from ingredients found only in the West Valley Community Services food pantry?

You’ll find out if you attend the “Chefs of Compassion Cooking for a Cause” fund-raising event, 5 p.m. Nov. 19 at the Addison-Penzak JCC of Silicon Valley, 14855 Oka Road in Los Gatos.

Executive Chef Chris Schloss of Cin-Cin Wine Bar in Los Gatos; Executive Pastry Chef Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104 in Santa Clara; Executive Chef Jay Essadki of Morocco’s Restaurant in San Jose and Mountain View; and Executive Chef Nanci Wokas of Cooking with Class will each be preparing one of four courses at this dinner, which will help fund West Valley Community Services hunger and homeless programs.

"Breakfast for Dinner'' by Carlos Sanchez of Parcel 104. (Photo courtesy of West Valley Community Services)

Yours truly will be one of the judges, charged with picking the winning dish, along with Tracy Lee, founder of Dishcrawl; Sheila Himmel, former Mercury News restaurant critic; Linda Zavoral, Mercury News travel editor; and Abby Schwartz, South Bay manager of Yelp.

Tickets are $100 per person.

Chef Daniel Humm Returns to Campton Place for One Night

Chef Daniel Humm of New York’s Eleven Madison Park is returning for one evening to the establishment where he got his start — Campton Place in San Francisco.

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Tibetan Aid Project Gala, “Hell’s Kitchen” Winner Visits the Bay Area & More

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Chefs Elizabeth Faulkner and James Syhabout plate dishes at last year's Tibetan Aid Project gala. (Photo courtesy of the organization)

“Taste & Tribute San Francisco” Gala

Enjoy a lavish four-course meal cooked tableside by a pair of top Bay Area chefs — all for a noble cause.

The 11th annual “Taste & Tribute San Francisco,” 5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown San Francisco, will benefit the Tibetan Aid Project, a non-profit dedicated to promoting education and literacy among the Tibetan refugee community.

The evening begins with champagne and hors d’oeuvres, as well as a silent auction for items such as weekend getaways, fine wines and beautiful Tibetan art.

Following that, guests are led into the main ballroom, where they will be seated at a table set for 20. Each table is assigned a different pair of chefs to cook for it. For example at Table 1, you’ll have Chef David Taylor of A16 and Chef Matthew Accarrino of SPQR feeding you. If you’re at the last table, No. 11, Chef Walter Abrams of Spruce and Chef Dmitry Elperin of the Village Pub will be doing the honors.

The line-up of chefs from last year's event. (Photo courtesy of the Tibetan Aid Project)

A live auction also will be held during dinner.

Tickets are $350 per person.

Meet Chef Rock Harper of “Hell’s Kitchen” in Oakland

He won Season 3 of “Hell’s Kitchen.” Now, Chef Rock Harper is on a mission to get kids and families to eat better.

Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., he’ll be visiting Beebee Memorial Cathedral in Oakland, where he’ll be doing a cooking demo, as well as signing copies of his book, 44 Things Parents Should Know About Healthy Cooking for Kids”” (Turner).

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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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