Kat's 9 Lives

Beverly Hills Caviar Tasting With Marcel Vigneron : Event Benefits Harold Robinson Foundation

Date :

Tuesday November 15^th, 2011

6:00pm-7:00pm cocktails and reception

7:00pm-7:30pm Malibu String Quartet performance

7:30pm- 7:40pm Marcel presents and explains his first recipe

7:40pm- 8:00pm piano performance

8:00pm-8:30pm string quartet performance

8:30pm- 8:40pm Marcel presents and explains his second recipe

8:40pm- 9:00pm piano performance

9:00pm-9:30pm string quartet performance

9:30pm- 9:40pm Host presents Marcel who and explains presents his third recipe

9:40pm- 11:00pm classical piano, dessert and mixer

Location :
Private Home in Bel-Air, California; address available upon credentialed RSVP.

Website :
Beverly Hills Caviar

Ticket Price :
Ticket Price: $500 in advance; a $1500 package which includes 2 Tickets is available which includes limo transportation to and from the event and a $1000 gift bag containing caviar facial serum, gift certificates from leading LA restaurants, and more. For tickets and info please visit: Beverly Hills Caviar or call 310.285.5321.
Description :
An event for the one percent—with room for the other 99. This is an evening of FIVE c’s: caviar, charity, cuisine, champagne, and classical music, a multi-course repast prepared by one of the world’s top chefs interspersed with live musical performances as well as education. A caviar lover’s paradise, the event benefits The Harold Robinson Foundation. It also features exotic foods guest will simply NOT be able to find ANYWHERE else, including: a smoked alligator, an actual sturgeon from which Osetra caviar is harvested, and a giant Alaskan smoked salmon.

Marcel Vigneron, considered one of the country’s top chefs and among its foremost exponents of “molecular gastronomy.” Vigneron was the second-season runner-up on Top Chef. Vigneron, who’s worked alongside chefs ranging from Joel Robuchon to Michael Mina, got his own show on the SyFy Channel this year called Marcel's Quantum Kitchen.

The Harold Robinson Foundation, based in Los Angeles, is dedicated to enriching the lives of inner city and underprivileged children by providing them the means, free of costs, to attend a safe, nurturing and non-competitive camp environment where they will experience nature and participate in diverse recreational programs designed to strengthen confidence and independence, build character and develop leadership skills.

Break the Cycle believes everyone has the right to safe, healthy relationships. As the leading voice for teens on the issue of dating violence, Break the Cycle advocates for policy and legislative changes that will better protect the rights and promote the health of teens nationwide. Engaging, educating and empowering youth through prevention and intervention programs,Break the Cycle helps young people identify and build healthy relationships.

Break the Cycle, the leading national organization working to end teen dating violence, invites the Los Angeles community to commemorate Domestic Violence Awareness Month and support safe, healthy relationships at Savor the Season: Cooking for Love on October 9, 2011.

This premier food and wine gala features top Los Angeles chefs “cooking from the heart,” a live and silent auction, music, wine and spirits -- all benefiting Break the Cycle’s work to foster healthy relationships. “At Break the Cycle, we work every day to prevent abuse” says Marjorie Gilberg, Executive Director of Break the Cycle: “This year’s theme—Cooking for Love—ties the event to our mission in a way that inspires our entire community to celebrate healthy relationships with us.”

Cooking for Love benefits Break the Cycle, the leading national organization working to end teen dating violence. The event celebrates healthy relationships by bringing together culinary talents committed to “cooking with love” while proceeds go to preventing dating violence. With one in three teens experiencing relationship abuse, Break the Cycle needs the community’s support now more than ever.

Honorary Host Chefs Gary Arabia of Global Cuisine (globalcuisine.com) and Katie Chin of Wok Star (spokesperson for Thai Kitchen / Simply Asia Foods, cookbook author and more: chefkatiechin.com) will lead a stellar line-up of culinary talents, including:
Stefan Richter, Top Chef finalist – Season 5
Danielle Keene, Top Chef Just Desserts – Season 1 (airing now)
Gloria Felix, Hell’s Kitchen on-camera Sous Chef – Seasons 4 and 5

**Come out and make a difference. Got any old items or canned goods just collecting dust in your house? Come out and donate to help all those indeed. Unfortunately I will be out of town before this event but I vow to help out where I can. I will be up in SF and I plan to give as much food out as I can to the homeless people on the street to "drive out hunger" there too. I hope this will be a wonderful and successful event! I already saw the bins at The Lime Truck! Come out for great food, donate goodies from home, and feel great!** ~Kat's 9 Lives

First Annual Mobile Food Drive to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank

Irvine, Calif., Nov. 1, 2010 – Saturday Night Foodies, a popular food and restaurant review blog, in conjunction with 20 Orange County Gourmet Food Trucks and other leading food bloggers, will host Drive Out Hunger, the county’s first mobile food drive, benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank. The two week food drive will be held from November 7-20, 2010.

“From the outside, Orange County appears to be a privileged community and yet according to the Second Harvest Food Bank, approximately 615,000 Orange County residents are at risk of going hungry each month,” said Jason Iehl, founder of Saturday Night Foodies. “With the respective followers of gourmet food trucks and food blog readers, we have the power to bring awareness to the hunger problem taking place in our own backyard and really make a difference. We felt holding a food drive would be a great way to rally the foodie community to give to those less fortunate.”

Because the economy has been slow to rebound, donations have been low this year. In turn, the Second Harvest member agencies are reporting an average 35 percent increase in demand for food assistance. The goal of the Drive Out Hunger mobile food drive is to collect 1,000 pounds of food for the Second Harvest Food Bank. Gourmet food truck followers and food enthusiasts are encouraged to bring non-perishable canned or dry food donations when they go to their favorite gourmet food trucks or food truck events during the two week food drive.

The donations that are needed most are:

Non-perishable canned goods or dry food*:
• Canned meats, fish, soup, fruits, vegetables
• Pasta
• Hot and cold cereal
• Macaroni and cheese
• Rice
• Beans
• Peanut butter

Personal care items:
• Diapers
• Toothpaste and toothbrushes
• Toilet paper
• Soap
* Please no glass containers or expired items.

The participating gourmet food trucks will have collection bins at their food stops from Nov. 7-20, to accept donations: Bakery Truck, Barcelona on the Go, CalbiBBQ, ChunknChip, Crepes Bonaparte, DanDanBBQ, Dogzilla Dogs, Dos Chinos, KonaiceBC, Lomo Arigato, Longboards, Louks, Oh For Sweets Sake, Piaggio on Wheels, Seabirds, Shortstop BBQ, The Burnt Truck, The Lime Truck, The Taco Dawg and Tropical Shave Ice. Find their daily locations via their respective Twitter or Facebook pages.

For food enthusiasts that are not located in Orange County, but want to contribute, a virtual food drive has been established online so they can participate regardless of where they are located. Please visit www.saturdaynightfoodies.com and click on the Drive Out Hunger icon to make a monetary contribution. Participating bloggers helping with the virtual drive are: The Cupcake Activist, Diary of a Mad Hungry Woman, Gourmet Food Truck, Marian the Foodie, Just Spotted, Save the Food Trucks and Savored.

About Drive Out Hunger Mobile Food Drive
Drive Out Hunger is a mobile food drive collaboration between Saturday Night Foodies, local gourmet food trucks and food bloggers to combat hunger in our communities.

About Second Harvest Food Bank Orange County
Since 1983, Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County has provided more than 265 million pounds of safe and nutritious surplus food to now over 450 charitable non-profit organizations throughout Orange County. The Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County is a certified Affiliate Member of Feeding America. For more information about Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County or to learn how to help, visit
www.feedoc.org
***

Lots of great upcoming events that will make your mouth water and make your heart soar. All these events support local charities as well as local Chefs, Farmers, and more! Bon Appétit!

So here is the current line-up for the upcoming month! =) Indulge your sweet tooth and on the same night you can savor a fine evening to support a great cause. Break the Cycle has teamed up to bring Savor The Seasons : Cooking For Love in October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Come out to support this wonderful cause. Also next month Taste Art on the Avenue is offering wonderful excursions every Tuesday where you get to have some of the finest cuisines in LA as well as be surrounded by beautiful works of art. Check out all the event details below!

What's better than eating succulent pieces of lamb, sipping wine, mingling with fellow foodies & chefs, and bidding on great items in a silent auction? Eating and not gaining a pound, I wish! At least at Fork It Over you can justify the massive food consumption as part of a wonderful cause! =) Over 25 Bay Area Chefs have joined together with the California Lamb Producers to serve up a delectable storm of culinary delights. All items at the silent auction were used support education and hospitality through the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation. A great big thanks to Andrew Freeman & CO for allowing me to cover this glorious celebration of food. If you use a Visa Signature Card to make ticket purchases, they offer a 20% discount on all events to sweeten the deal!
I took this chance to try out Acquerello with Chef Suzette Gresham wo-manning the table. Acquerello is on SF's finest restaurants as they hold a coveted Michelin Star. The lamb tartar was refreshing and tasty. In the center we have a nicely rolled up piece of lamb around a soft cheese. The sweetness of the tartar compliment the lighter flavor of the centerpiece. One of my top places that showcased the lamb off well. I made sure to make my rounds before they run out.
Scala's Bistro changed things up by offering lamb tongue! I think this is the first time I have ever had lamb tongue, so kudos to them for bringing something new to the table. Top Chef contestant, Chef Jen Biesty is the Executive Chef at Scala's Bistro. I was able to enjoy the Anolon's Chef Challenge the next morning courtesy of R3 Builders. Stay tuned to see which team won!
Chef Josiah Slone of Sent Sovi served up a lamb confit. Tender shredded pieces of lamb dabbled with the ginger chocolate sauce.
Napa Valley Wine Train with Chef Kelly MacDonald filled his station with planks of lamb. On top of each bread was a tender chunk of lamb loin. Hard to believe, but there wasn't as much lamb as there was pork the night before. I simply adore lamb and was glad to find a station offering lamb closer to medium rare.
Offering up a wide variety, Chef Hoss Zare from Zare At Fly Trap even has a vegetarian option for the night. The Kufteh Tabrizi atop verjus sauce and accompanied with Mediterranean avocado salsa, feta cheese, and black olives. On top of the table was a beautiful display of spices.To the left was pulled braised lamb slider with roasted cippolini onion and a fresh sour cherry emulsion.
A great change in pace was Chef Matt Garcia from Pier 23 serving up a refreshing seafood salad atop a round tortilla chip. Succulent bay shrimps along with shredded crab mixed together on a crunchy chip really hit the spot. I couldn't stop dropping by all night long. Lucky for me that Ms. Lin doesn't really like cooked seafood because I used her to grab a few extra for me. It's just simple, fresh, and light!
Representing for Delfina was Chef Craig Stoll and Matthew Gandin. A bustling Italian trattoria in the Mission District as well as many subsequent venues that have become a staple to SF cuisine. Ironically I have yet to visit their restaurant. This is why I love food festivals/events that allow me to get a taste of the many splendid restaurants that the city offers. Dare to be different, they served a savory sliced roast pig sliders. The best part was that each one had a crunchy piece of skin to give it that extra oomph!
Hard to believe this is only Part I. So many places left to try and a lounge to relax in. Fiji and Pom were there to lend a helping hand to quench non-alcoholic drinkers like me. I getting full yet hungry looking at all these pictures. What can I say? I simply adore food festivals/events!

I have been hearing so much about the Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich that I am dying to go! Many people told me about different deals and the closest date was 8/4/10 where they wave the entrance fee if you bring 5 pieces of clothing. What a great deal! I went early in the afternoon thinking that others were at work and I could enjoy the OC Fair peacefully. Wrong! It was crowded and the line for parking off the 55 was horrible. Word to the wise, go to Fairview to enter because there really isn't a wait.
The donation process was speedy and sweet. They were all super friendly, chatty, and grateful. I was excited about going to the fair!
As soon as I entered through the gates, I headed straight for the food stands! The closest one from the entrance was Juicy's Funnel Cakes! The big flashy billboard calls out to you drawing me in like a fly to the blue electric light... bzzzz and zap! I started the day with a Funnel Cake drenched in Powder Sugar. It was crispy and fresh.
The whole time I was in line I kept looking at the stand next to me drooling at the massive turkey legs. At the California Strawberry Festival I had the tastiest turkey legs ever. In fact, I took one home and it was still great!
Another big flashy sign from Juicy's about their Texas-Sized Turkey Legs. At first glance they looked tasty but boy were my eyes fooled. Isn't it ironic that a place called Juicy's serves extremely DRY turkey legs? This was definitely not worth the astronomical prices. =*(
I made the mistake in sending my Mom to buy the turkey leg. At first she said no to my desire of Fried Zucchini, but suddenly she came back with hideous onion rings. Apparently she made a mistake and we exchanged it for the fried zucchinis that were also horrendous. Little did I know they were coated in this thick humongous batter. It's probably the same batter as the corn dogs but nowhere near as good. The sad part is the fried zucchinis are the same price of turkey leg.
Next came the pièce de résistance, the Krispy Kreme Chicken Sandwich from Chicken Charlie's. They offer a wide variety of fried foods, but at a hefty price! ONE fried twinkie was $5... way over-priced! As for my sandwich, this was nothing like I imagined. I thought it would have been a real fried chicken stuck between two glazed donuts, doesn't that sound better?? Instead it was a lame chicken patty stuck between a jelly filled donut. Inside there was raspberry and blackberry jelly with a packet of honey on the side. I will admit that it is probably heart-clogging and 2000 calories, but not good. =*( I was sorely disappointed and wasted $6.75 on this??? Not worth it!
Needless to say there was not much that I found enjoyable. At this point I had already blown about $40! Of course there is more to come because I was not going to quit before I found some decent or yummy food... stay tuned for Part II of my OC Fair experience. =D Wanted to warn those who go right now that these are definitely not worth the money so don't waste it and save it for a good meal!