Culinary Muse

Food from the Heart: Join the Muse for Chocolate Tasting

The fifth annual “FOOD FROM THE HEART” at the FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE  kicks off on Friday, February 8th, with a benefit for Slow Food from 5:00-8:00 p.m. The public is invited to stroll through the candlelit Grand Nave where the merchants and restaurateurs of the Marketplace will offer seasonal hors d’oeuvres ($2 - $4 per taste) and Slow Food volunteers will pour wine from several wine bars ($6 per glass). There will also be music by Golden Gate Hot Club and Classical Revolution, tango dancing, and a chocolate tasting led by Karletta Moniz of this website, Culinary Muse, and THE ART OF TASTING CHOCOLATE . Scharffen Berger has kindly donated chocolate.  Proceeds from wine bar and hors d’oeuvres purchases benefit Slow Food San Francisco. The entire Marketplace will be open until 8:00 p.m. for Valentine shopping. Inspired by the season of love, the Epicurean revelry and delights carry on through Saturday, as the Marketplace and the Ferry Plaza Farmers’ Market will be brimming with heartfelt foods and local chefs will offer cooking demonstrations on how to prepare seasonal, romantic meals.
Slow Food San Francisco seeks to promote the pleasures of farm to table gastronomic culture through taste education and community involvement. In addition to their efforts to protect the pleasures of the table, Slow Food raises funds to support a variety of organizations with similar goals. The proceeds of the FOOD FROM THE HEART event will be directed towards the Sanchez School Garden Program and will sponsor a Ferry Plaza Farmers Market food artisan, producer or farmer to Terra Madre, a world forum for those who are also engaged in the ideals of sustainable, local and human food production.

SOLD OUT SUCCESS

What annual event sells out before the invitations are mailed? BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE'S 15^th Annual Narsai Toast at THE RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL in San Francisco on Friday, April 20, 2007. Started in 1993 as the Narsai Roast, an event in honor of one of its founding board members, NARSAI DAVID, the event hopes to raise over $450,000.00 to support Berkeley Rep’s educational programs and productions.

It seems slightly cruel to talk about an event that you can’t get a ticket to but, hey, maybe next year.

Kirsten Berzon, Special Events Manager, shared the event’s format with us:

5:30 - 7:30: Cocktail Reception and Silent Auction

7:30 - 10:30: Four-course celebrity chef dinner (AQUA, MICHAEL MINA, ACQUERELLO, The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco and MR. CHOCOLATE himself, Jacques Torres!), entertainment, Live Auction

Silent Auction features unique hard to find wines, fine dining experiences, art outings, and escape packages in the Bay Area, Wine Country and beyond:

Sample Live Auction lots include (subject to change):

A Gastronomic Experience for 10

at the home of Narsai and Venus David including wine selections from Narsai’s personal cellar

A 7-night stay for up to 10

at L’Ancienne Poste, a magnificent 5,000 square-foot luxury property in the heart of Menerbes, Provence

An Exclusive Celebrity Chef Dinner for 10

prepared by JAN BIRNBAUM at the beautiful Stony Hill Vineyards estate with hosts Willinda and Peter McCrea

Well, I know what I would bid on....Chef Birnbaum is one of our favorites and we still miss his Catahoula Restaurant where we spent many Thanksgivings...

MENU FOR HOPE III COUNTDOWN

Hurry and buy a raffle ticket for one of the wonderful prizes being offered this year in the third annual 'Menu for Hope' fundraising campaign.  This year's funds will help support the UNITED NATIONS WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME.  Food bloggers from all around the world get together and raise money for hunger relief.  Here are two blogs where you can find out more about this worthy event: CHEZ PIM MENU FOR HOPE and BECKS & POSH MENU FOR HOPE PRIZE LIST.  What a great gift for a foodie friend!  The last day to bid is Friday, December 22.