Category Archives: Enticing Events

Chez Panisse 40th Anniversary Public Lunch on Maiden Lane, Oyster Time & More

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The Alice Waters-designed T-shirt by Levi's. (Photo courtesy of Levi's)

Chez Panisse Joins With Levi’s For A Special Event in San Francisco

Make a lunch date at 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 24 at San Francisco’s tucked-away Maiden Lane (between Grant Avenue and Stockton Street) to enjoy locally sourced, organic box lunches from Chez Panisse and the launch of a cool new T-shirt collection by the iconic restaurant in collaboration with Levi’s.

It’s all to celebrate the 40th anniversary of  the landmark Berkeley restaurant.

Proceeds from the sale of the all-organic T’s will benefit the Edible Schoolyard Project, the organization that Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters established to integrate kitchen and garden education into grade-school curriculum. The T’s feature designs by such celebs as Waters, herself, as well as Sofia Coppola, David Byrne, Dave Eggers and Maira Kalman. Beginning Aug. 24, the shirts also will be available in select Levi’s stores around the country and online at Levi.com.

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Baker & Banker Cooking Demo, Dinner & A Movie — Indian-Style and More

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Baker & Banker's Lori Baker and Jeff Banker to visit Macy's. (Photo courtesy of the chefs)

Baker & Banker Chefs Visit Macy’s Union Square

Join husband and wife,  Executive Chef Jeff Banker and Pastry Chef Lori Baker, when they demonstrate how to cook brunch favorites, 2 p.m. Aug. 27 at Macy’s Cellar Union Square in San Francisco.

Co-proprietors of Baker & Banker in San Francisco, they will be cooking up “French Toast Bread Pudding” and “Eggs in Purgatory.”

Best yet, this delicious event is free.

Asian Culinary Forum Event at the San Francisco Ferry Building

Four, young and dynamic Asian-American chefs will be talking about “Reinventing Asian Cuisine,” 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 22 at the San Francisco Ferry Building.

Richie Nakano of Hapa Ramen. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Panelists will be: Dennis Lee, chef and co-owner of Namu in San Francisco; Richie Nakano, chef and founder of Hapa Ramen in San Francisco; Sarah Dey, chef and manager of New Delhi in San Francisco; and Wilfred Pacio, founder of Spice Kit in San Francisco.

The moderator will be Thy Tran, founder and director of the Asian Culinary Forum, which is hosting this thought-provoking conversation.

Listen as the chefs talk about the challenges and rewards of trying to pay homage yet still put creative spins on traditional Asian cuisines. Then join in the conversation during the Q&A afterward.

A reception will precede with tastes from each of the featured restaurants, as well as Hodo Soy Beanery, Bex Winery and Momokawa Oregon Craft Sake.

Tickets are $35 each.

Dinner & A Movie — Indian-Style

Bread of India at Swan’s Market in Oakland, 948 Clay St., is kicking off a monthly series of film screenings accompanied by regional meals prepared by Chef Rohit Singh.

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Carneros Inn Offers Produce Baskets to Guests, Dessert Time in San Francisco & More

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Fresh fruit, veggies and flowers to take home from the Carneros Inn. (Photo courtesy of the resort)

Guests of Carneros Inn Get Gift of Organic Produce

Guests who depart the Carneros Inn in Napa on Sundays can now receive a free brimming bag of fresh-picked fruit and veggies from the resort’s 1/2-acre biodynamic, organic garden to take home.

Those goodies might include heirloom tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard, watermelon, cucumber, carrots, peas, strawberries and raspberries, as well as a bevy of herbs and flowers. The good-for-you goody bag is available for the asking at check-out and even comes with a recipe, too.

Peter Stonebraker, the property’s culinary gardener, grows an abundance of produce for the resort’s private dining restaurant, Hilltop Dining Room, as well as for its FARM restaurant and  Boon Fly Cafe. And he’s more than happy to share the wealth.

Culinary Gardener Peter Stonebraker tends to the fruits of his labor. (Photo courtesy of Carneros Inn)

Dessert First? You Bet!

Life is short, so why not go for the sweet stuff first?

Project Open Hand invites you to do just that at its 11th annual Dessert First extravaganza at the InterContinental San Francisco, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 14.

This year, 16 pastry chefs will dazzle with their decadent creations. Among those participating are: Patti Dellamonica-Bauler of One Market Restaurant, Sara Spearin of Dynamo Donut, Francis Ang of the Fifth Floor, Elizabeth Faulkner of Citizen Cake and Orson, and Jake Godby of Humphry Slocombe.

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More Scenes From SF Chefs Food Wine 2011

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Flower + Water's twist on classic tortellini en brodo.

When it comes to contemporary cooking in the Bay Area, what’s old is definitely new again.

That was decidedly evident in the “Culinary Innovation Demos” at the Westin St. Francis last week, held for culinary industry folks, as part of the third annual SF Chefs Food Wine event.

The demos, hosted by Jim Poris and Beverly Stephen (both long-time editors of Food Arts magazine), featured Chef Brandon Jew of Bar Agricole in San Francisco and Chef Thomas McNaughton of Flour + Water in San Francisco doing riffs on classic, old-school dishes.

Thad Vogler, mixologist of Bar Agricole, got the party started by passing out Cooperstown cocktails to the audience — a refreshing, herbal-forward libation made with gin, two kinds of vermouth and pineapple mint grown at the restaurant.

Thad Vogler of Bar Agricole explains his philosophy about cocktails.

Bar Agricole's Cooperstown cocktail.

The classic aperitif originated at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria to prime the palate for the meal to follow. At Bar Agricole, the drink is refined with large cubes of ice, specially made to lessen dilution and keep the drink extra cold. It’s also served in a super thin glass made in Japan to enhance the sipping pleasure.

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Scenes from SF Chefs Food Wine 2011

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A bevy of chefs cut a chocolate cake depicting San Francisco's skyline to signal the start of SF Chefs Food Wine. How many chefs can you name?

To kick off the start of the third annual SF Chefs Food Wine extravaganza last Friday night on Union Square in San Francisco, no simple little ribbon-cutting ceremony would do.

Instead, Pastry Chef Lori Baker — who owns Baker & Banker in San Francisco with her husband, Chef Jeff Banker — created an astounding devil’s food cake cityscape complete with chocolate buildings to depict the Transamerica pyramid and an assortment of other iconic landmarks, including her own restaurant.

On their marks, a who’s who of celeb San Francisco chefs — including Chris Cosentino of Incanto, Emily Luchetti of Farallon and Waterbar, Mourad Lahlou of Aziza, and Russell Jackson of Lafite, as well as famed New York restaurateur Drew Nieporent, who flew in just for the occasion — grabbed knives to cut into the cake to signal the start of the three-day food and wine celebration.

That was preceded by the traditional sabering of a champagne bottle, as Cosentino looked on with knife envy, having sabered a champagne bottle with a Russian sword at his own wedding.

The entrance to the tent on Union Square.

Close-up of the cake made by Baker & Banker restaurant.

Lori Baker and Jeff Banker of Baker & Banker pose with Russell Jackson

Chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto addresses the crowd.

The ceremonial sabering of the champagne bottle.

When the doors opened to the enormous tent pitched on Union Square, 1,200 folks piled inside to sample wines, cocktails and gourmet noshes prepared by 35 Bay Area chefs and to groove to the sounds of Chef Joey Altman’s band.

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