Last Sunday, October 20th , at the beautiful Claremont Hotel & Spa in Berkeley, CA, the inaugural Taste of the Nation East Bay helped fundraise $40k for Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign! More than 400 attendees swarmed the intimate event and sampled delicious bites and cocktails from approximately 50 participating restaurants and beverage companies all volunteering for the extraordinary cause. Tanya Holland, executive chef and owner of Brown Sugar Kitchen and B-Side BBQ served as honorary Chef Chair and shared her personal thoughts with the crowd about ending childhood hunger. We’re very excited for the success of their first East Bay event and can’t wait to see more from all of the contributing chefs next year!
A few of the plates devoured that afternoon:
BayWolf: Chef Louis Le Gassic’s Duck Liver Flan with Prosciutto wrapped greens
Plum: Chef Kim Alter and Sous Chef Kristina Compton’s Black Rice Chips with Smoked loccapi Farms Butter Bean Puree, Star Route Farms Purple, Green and Yellow Haricots Verts and fermented pepper
Shakewell Bar & Kitchen: Chef Jen Biesty and Chef Tim Nugent’s Spanish Pulpo, Olive Salad, Saffron Aioli, Toston
Brown Sugar Kitchen: Chef Tanya Holland’s Creole Gazpacho
Corners Tavern: Chef Esteban Escobar’s Albacore Ceviche, Jalapeno, Epazote, Avocado
Wood Tavern: Chef Yang Peng’s Braised Short Ribs and Creamy Polenta, Mushroom Duxelle, Radish Salad, Fresh Grated Horseradish
Pican: Chef Sophina Uong’s Smoked Lamb Shoulder Taco, Boiled Peanut Guajillo Chile Mole, Cornichon Giardiniera, Pecan, Benne Seed and Candied Cocoa Nib Pepitoria
Paragon: Chef de Cuisine Marcos Sanchez’s Dungeness Crab Cake with Pickled Vegetables and Remoulade Sauce
The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards: Chef Matt Greco’s Pastrami with Pickled Onions, Coriander Aioli, Rye Crisp
Five: Chef Stephane Tonnelier and Sous Chef Marco Scabin’s Homade Gnocchi and Wild Boar Ragu
Group photo of chefs courtesy of E Fig Photo and Design.