Tastebuds: A Taste Catering Blog

Macy's Passport 2009

Macy’s Passport 2009 Benefit Night reception was a design challenge this year, incorporating not only a  VIP reception but also a multitude of sponsors with individual branding needs.   Macy’s "Come Together” theme combined the notions of “Fashion + Compassion” for the fashion show fundraisers for HIV services and prevention, as well as their  September campaign, “Hunger Action Month.”  (See http://social.macys.com/cometogether/ for more information on this fun project, whose goal is to provide 10 million meals through Feed America!)

To sharpen these ideas for the purposes of the gala reception, we expanded them to encompass local community and sustainability.   Once MeMe decided on a farmer’s market concept for the theme, I set to work to design an event that would reflect her vision of showcasing the bounty of the bay area and the strong sense of unity, health, ecology and economy that results from “coming together“  in support  of local non-profits working in the HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment arenas. 

Once I had this strong concept to build on, design of an urban plaza farmers market came quickly.  I was able to sketch out layouts for over-all guest flow, food/beverage service and sponsor participation.  I chose props, furniture, linens/fabrics, and lighting to design vignettes complete with produce, plants, flowers and an abundance of trees and hedges.   After only a few weeks, I was able to finally put together my budget and encapsulate my vision in a slideshow presentation.  Macy’s thought MeMe’s concept was a perfect fit and that my design was fabulous.  They decided to have us implement it in San Francisco, and Penny Barr of Along Came Mary in Los Angeles.

Needless to say, the original design took many twists and turns over the following months (it does with almost every event!) but as you can see in my snapshots, the results were just as we all hoped.  Beneficiaries of the event, corporate sponsors, volunteers, various event production teams, farms and entertainment from the San Francisco Ferry Plaza market, all with Macy’s as the host came together as a community.

HURRY TO CUESA's SUNDAY SUPPER

We are great supporters of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and CUESA, its sponsor organization.  We have become friends with many of the farmers and every year encourage all of our other friends to join us by attending CUESA's Sunday Supper, this year held on October 4th.  This is one of the CUESA's most important fundraisers and great opportunity to feast great food, wines, beers and spirits prepared by some of the best restaurants and specialty chefs in the Bay Area!  Just click on CUESA's Sunday Supper or go to the CUESA website for more information on this fun and worthwhile way to spend a Sunday evening.

Santa Monica Farmer's Market

What’s a Saturday without a visit to the Farmers Market?  A must on any Saturday but particularly if one is in Los Angeles destined for Palm Springs – a city that lacks a little in the way of fresh fruits & vegetables.  Which is why my partner Jill & I, armed with Peet’s Coffee, a wad of cash and a large shopping bag, programmed our GPS for the Third Street Promenade/Santa Monica Farmer’s Market (@ Third & Arizona) and headed West in 84⁰ temperatures (at 9:30am) ready to investigate all that LA has to offer in the way of fresh fruits, vegetables and who knows what else…

 
Well, we’re off to a great start with a parking garage conveniently placed at the entrance to the market with 2 hours free parking. Walking into the market, you get a sense of a true community event. Neighbors & regulars are chatting with each other, and the general atmosphere was festive and fun, not too unlike San Francisco. The market offered a variety of local (and not so local surprisingly enough) vegetables, cheeses, meats & fish. I was surprised to see Spring Hill Jersey Cheese  out of Petaluma… nonetheless; I bought their divine pepper jack cheese, perfect for taco makings later!

Some dragon fruit, grown locally I’m told (Fallbrook, CA), for the obligatory desert fruit breakfast… I imagine this fruit would make a lovely and interesting cocktail of the adult nature. Perhaps something with Cachaça, fresh ginger and sweet lime which by the way, was also on sale at the market.

Bitter Melon & Sinqua… haven’t figured out a way to use them yet but I have some ideas brewing…  a very helpful farmer offered a vague Vietnamese recipe of chicken with simmering broth, peppers & cilantro but forewarned me that indeed the bitter melons were really ‘bitter’!

 

  Before long the shopping bag was full, and with the 2 hour mark approaching we headed out of the market picking up some irresistible albeit very large artichokes, 3 for $1 - fresh summer corn, Fallbrook avocados and fresh herbs at Coleman Family Farms.

Palm Spring’s here we come!!

VOTE FOR YIGIT, NUMBER 7

Our very own executive pastry chef,  Yigit Pura is one of the finalists nominated for a place in 7 x 7' Magazine's annual "Hot 20 Under 40" issue highlighting the City's most up-and-coming movers and shakers.  Please check out his bio and picture at 7 x 7's Hot 20 Under 40: Readers Choice and give him your vote. That's Yigit Pura number 7!

4th of July Means BBQ's, Fireworks, and Sloshball

As I sit at my desk on Tuesday afternoon, recovering from 4th of July/my birthday weekend, I reflect on the success of our much anticipated 4th of July pig roast in Golden Gate Park. For the third year in a row myself and 5 other committee members (actually this was the first year I joined the committee), managed to produce a wonderful and practically seamless 4th of July BBQ and Pig Roast. The attendance this year was between 350 and 400 people. All of them related to the restaurant industry in some way or another.  

The day started out with an early set up (we arrived at 8am). Complete with homemade sausage, ham and egg biscuits made by my friend, Travis and Heirloom tomato bloody Mary's made by my other friend Travis. Guests started to arrive around 11am. Food was prepared/provided by all as this was a pot luck event. Some highlights included 2 whole roasted pigs, cooked skillfully in a Caja China courtesy of Justin Deering (Conduit) with desserts provided by Nicole Krasinsky (Rubicon) and Taste Catering's own Yigit Pura!

Perhaps the highlight of the event (besides the fabulous food and company) is the annual slosh ball game. Picture kickball on steroids! All participants are required to have a beer (in a glass) in their hands at all times and, in addition are required to finish their beer before leaving second base. The result, a VERY competitive, highly anticipated, but seldom remembered game of skill, coordination, and might! This years competition was east coast vs west coast. We played two games and each team won a game. Although being from the east coast I am required to report that the west coast cheated...a lot!

All in all , the weather cooperated, the company was amazing and no one got hurt, fined, or arrested. I would say that makes for a very Happy Fourth, oh yeah...my birthday wasn't bad either! That's me playing a relaxing game of Bocce Ball in San Rafael!

Pigs Pigs Everywhere and all of them to eat!

Last Sunday was the San Francisco edition of the Cochon 555 dinner. 5 pigs, 5 restaurants, 5 wineries. Five bay area restaurants where given a heritage pig  and told to do WHATEVER they want with it. The event aims to raise awareness about heritage pigs. This years participants were Ryan Farr-4505 Meats, Nate Appleman A16/SPQR, Ravi Kapur-Boulevard, Staffan Perje-Perbacco, and Peter McNee-Poggio. My wife, my Mom and I were invited to the VIP reception which allowed us to arrive early and get our tasting in before everyone else. After some last minute drama when the power went out due to an overload in the circuits (too many electric gadgets being plugged in at once), we began the feast. The variety was incredible! There was everything from bitter chocolate and pigs blood pudding (mmmm so good!) to head cheese to charcuterie and my favorite, rice crispy treats with BACON!. After sampling everything, it was time to cast our votes. The winner was chosen partly by public opinion and partly by the judges (a who's who of farmers, restaurant owners, sommeliers and pig enthusiasts). The winner was announced: Peter McNee-Poggio. Honestly a disappointment to me as it was my least favorite table. Peter won for all of the dishes on his table, but I suspect it was the "trotter tots" that clinched the win. This was in my opinion the easy way out. Lets face it, just about anything deep fried taste good. My favorite dish was Boulevards head cheese plate. The head cheese was the star of the show, but the fennel slaw enhanced it without covering up the true nature of the  dish. It was a complete thought on a plate and that is what made it so satisfying. All in all the event was in good fun and for a great cause. As my chef Friend loves to say "you gotta eat em to save em!" Oink Oink!

Chef Chris's Classes on Small Plates: 7/30 and 8/13

Our own Executive Chef, Chris Borges will be offering two classes on Seasonal Small Plates this summer.  The classes will be on 7/30 at the Blackhawk Draeger's Cooking School and on 8/13 at the Walnut Creek Draeger's Cooking School.  This will be a wonderful experience and a great way to spend a summer evening.  Sign up early at the above locations to ensure a place at the table!

PLANNING THE PERFECT PICNIC

It’s the perfect time of year for a picnic.  Creating a great picnic doesn’t have to be intimidating.  It can be done with ease.  Here are some essential items that you will want to remember, where to shop for everything that you will need, a resource for places to go for your picnic and finally a delicious picnic menu that will wow your guests and is easy to put together.

Essential Items:

To begin with, you should create a picnic basket or cloth satchel loaded with the accoutrements you will need.  Once created, this container can be kept ready in a closet or in the back of your car in preparation for subsequent outings.

Plates and Utensils – Bambu plates and utensils are attractive, functional, inexpensive and, best of all, both reusable and compostable.

A Sharp Cutting Knife – There is nothing worse than trying to cut meats, veggies and cheeses with one of those disposable white plastic knives with the serrated tip.  Yuck!  I like the small bright ceramic knives that come with their own sheath.  Buy one, leave it in your picnic bag or basket and you will never be without.  While you are at it, throw in an inexpensive corkscrew.  No one likes to serve wine from a bottle with the cork pushed into it because someone forgot the corkscrew.

Cloth Napkins – Cloth napkins provide elegance and, of course, are reusable.  Get them in bright colors.

Reusable Cups – Plastic cups don’t have to be cheap looking and disposable.  Buy some inexpensive acrylic glasses from Crate & Barrel and make them a permanent part of your picnic accoutrements.

Sturdy Basket or Canvas Tote Bags – Avoid the last minute “convenience” of packing your picnic in the grocery bags it came in.  Buy a sturdy basket or large canvas satchel from Land’s End or elsewhere.  They’re attractive, reusable and can store all of your picnic essentials for next time.

Blanket for Sitting – I like to use a simple quilted pads that can be had from any storage or moving company such as U-Haul.  Packing blankets have the advantage of being heavy, rugged and moisture resistant due to the plastic coating on one side.  Role it up and tie it with an old belt.

Tablecloth – Large, colorful and cloth (not paper).  Again, more elegant and reusable.  Throw in some binder clips in case of wind to clip the tablecloth to the blanket which is heavier and less likely to blow away.

Additional Items – Depending on your picnic and where you’re going, you might also want to bring along the following:  charcoal, serving utensils & platters, ice, garbage bags, a first aid kit, insect repellant, pillows, folding chairs, music and/or umbrellas.

Where to Shop:

First, think local whenever possible.  Here are a few excellent markets that cater to local farmers and carry local products.

• Your local neighborhood Farmer’s Market
• Bi Rite Market - San Francisco Castro District
• DeLessio Market - Two locations in San Francisco
• Canyon Market – San Francisco Glen Park District
• Mollie Stone’s Markets – various locations
• Market Hall – Oakland Rockridge District
• Woodland's Market – Marin

Where to Go:

Think about your community and the many parks and open spaces that are conducive to picnicking.  The following link is a good resource for great spots within the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. 

One more thought on where to go, and this is important, always have a backup plan in case of in climate weather.  The Bay Area is particularly susceptible to the whims of wind, rain, clouds, fog and other conditions that can ruin a picnic.  Have a backup plan for where you will go and what you will do if conditions demand a change of venue.  Many of the parks mentioned above feature protect areas or indoor locations to which you can retreat.  Our family once had a fine picnic inside the carousal enclosure in Golden Gate Park.  The important thing is to know ahead of time where you will go and then proceed with your picnic as if nothing had changed.  Some great picnics have been moved from the backyard to the floor of the living room at short notice.  After all, picnics are about friends and food no matter where you have it.

An Intimate Picnic Menu (4 – 6 people):

Accoutrements as listed above.

All of what follows can be purchased at the locations mentioned above.  In some cases I have provided links to particular vendors who I enjoy.

•    Roast Chicken (Bi Rite)
•    Crudités (Bi Rite)
•    Hummus, Baba Ghanouj, Romescu (Bi Rite)
•    Pasta Salad (Bi Rite)
•    Orange & Wild Fennel Salame, Mortadella (Boccalone)
•    Selection of Northern California Cheeses (Cowgirl Creamery)
•    Dried Fruits and Nuts (Bi Rite)
•    Baguette (Acme Bread Company)
•    Assorted Cookies (Boulettes Larder)
•    Michael Recchiuti Chocolates ( Recchiuti Chocolates)

More Information:

For more information on planning the perfect picnic, watch the Taste Picnic Segment on ABC’s View from the Bay.

Resources for items seen on the Taste Picnic Segment on ABC’s View from the Bay:

•    Red Canvas Picnic Tote Bag (Land’s End)
•    Chilled Green Salad Bowl and Forks (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)
•    Yellow Stacked Bento Box (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)
•    Food Tent (Crate & Barrel Picnic Accessories)

With Silver Bells and Cockle Shells and Pretty Maids...

…All in a row-- that’s how Mama Sylvia’s garden is growing down in the Bay View district here in San Francisco.   Pale green strawberries are just starting to show their modesty, blushing red under the sun’s eye.  Mint and sage are spreading like lush, green wildfires.  Chard, celery, spinach and lettuces are ready to be cut, and tender young sweet pea and pepper plants are throwing out new leaves in response to the spring warmth.  Part of our mission at Taste is to support local, sustainable, fresh products.  I believe our dedication to the principle of “from the field to the table” shouldn’t be limited to what we feed people.  It should extend to décor as well.  Local, organic flowers and herbs have always been an important part of our floral department, but little did I know just how local we could get!

 In March, Rose blogged about the gardens, meeting Mama Sylvia and Mama Jackie, as well as the Girls 2000 and Healthy Lifestyles programs.  Rose, Katie and I had been introduced to Mama Sylvia and Mama Jackie on a tour last month by JT Tom from The Hunters Point Family, a non-profit amalgamation of several community-based social programs in the neighborhood.   We had met JT (and Ellen, his fiancée) when they decided to use Taste for their upcoming wedding and he told us about these two nearby community gardens.  I adore gardening-- it is my favorite past time-- and the scope of the youth programs that were connected with the two gardens is phenomenal.   Teaching kids the value of hard work, some of the basics of cooking, inspiring entrepreneurial spirit by selling produce in the local farmers market, and fostering community by distributing produce to neighborhood seniors, not to mention the joy of tending a garden, caring for something, helping it to grow and reaping the bounty of one’s labor.

I was so inspired by the gardens and the programs associated with them that I followed up by scheduling a meeting with JT, Mama Sylvia and Mama Jackie at the Hunters Point Family offices.  What I had thought of initially was purchasing some herbs to use in the centerpieces for JT and Ellen’s wedding, now I wanted to  see about purchasing on a regular basis herbs and botanicals that the kids were growing in these gardens to use in floral arrangements and platter garnish for all of events at Taste.  After an amiable chat with these two ladies, we agreed that we would be able to purchase product from their gardens at market prices as a steady source of income to help make these gardens grow. 

I was also anxious to make this relationship between Taste and these community gardens grow as well.  Rose and I went back to Mama Sylvia’s garden late yesterday afternoon to put ourselves in her service and see what she needed to get done.  Shortly after we arrived, six or seven young ladies from the Girls 2000 program came bouncing into the garden, fresh from their day at school.  These girls have been tending the garden Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 6 in the afternoon and Saturdays from 10 to 2 pm with Mama Sylvia for a while, some of them for several years.  After introducing us to her mentees, we all set to work weeding out overgrown grasses that were growing up around the planter box beds.  As we hacked at the sod, pulling up clumps of weed by the roots and piling them up for the compost bin, school yard gossip was shared, Mary J Blige downloads hummed on tinny cell phone speakers, and we started to get to know the girls a little.  If the gossip veered towards the racy or negative, Mama Sylvia was quick to end the trash talk, keeping her girls in line.  Before I knew it, it was time for us to put our  tools away in the shed and leave for the evening.  We had finished about two-thirds of the beds-- not bad for a couple of hours work!  The girls were having an impromptu dance party while they were w aiting to be picked up to be taken home.  Rose and I were given large hugs by Mama Sylvia, with promises that we would be coming periodically to work in the garden as well.   We parted yesterday evening looking forward to our future together, and to watching the garden grow, along with the girls:   pretty maids all in a row!

The Hunter's Point Family

Last week we met with a wonderful couple to go over the details of the wedding we will be planning for them in September. As we spoke about the importance of fresh locally grown food the groom began to explain the work he does here in the Bay View neighborhood.  As the Program Director of the Hunter's Point Family; a group encompassing non-profit programs like Girls 2000, Bayview Safe Haven, and Gilman Rec-Connect, he is able to connect children and teenagers with programs designed to cultivate their skills while keeping them out of trouble.  Cooking classes, gardening, and the arts are only a few of the activities this agency co-ordinates.  After our talk of yummy food and wedding details, the groom was nice enough to offer me a tour of the local gardens that the agency helps run. 

    As we drove into the Alice Griffith public housing projects, it became obvious why kids have a hard time staying out of trouble. It was as if we had driven into a lost neighborhood. My smile faded, and then we pulled up to the neighborhood’s beacon of hope, Mama Jackie’s community garden.  This garden is Mama Jackie’s life and it becomes obvious as she gives you the tour of everything that is growing; pointing out species with a smile.  She shows us where children from the Hunters Point Family have come in to plant vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more.  These children come to take classes and learn how to plant their own urban gardens, but most importantly they learn how they have to tend to their garden to keep it alive.  Not only is Mama Jackie a teacher for the troubled youth of this area, she also tends to a garden that gives these children hope.

                Our next stop on the tour was in the Hunters Point projects.  The garden was somewhat hidden but as I walked down the path, a colorful array of planting boxes in yellow, red, and green caught my eye; not to mention a beautiful view of the bay.  The moment Mama Sylvia introduced herself to me I could see the kindness her eyes.  She explained how she has lived in the neighborhood her whole life and has watched the effects of violence and drug abuse on the children of the area.  This garden is her way to give something back to the youth in the neighborhood, an oasis, a place to come relax and feel safe.  Now the kids from Girls 2000 come to classes she holds for children throughout the week and every Saturday help tend to her garden.  

                The Hunter's Point Family provides services to over 200 youth (ages 10-22) and their families, every year.  Mama Jackie’s & Mama Sylvia’s gardens, along with the help of The Hunters Point Family, provide fruit and vegetables to the Bayview Farmers Market every week.  This neighborhood also has the option to have seasonal organic fruit delivered to their homes weekly.  This family is just one of the small grassroots organizations that help sustain neighborhoods in need and give hope to future generations. If you have a green thumb like we Tastebuds do, you can always get your hands dirty with some volunteer work by contacting one of the non-profit programs at http://hunterspointfamily.org