The Mentor Dinner

After 30 years in the culinary industry, you can bet a chef either hates him/herself or thrives off the art of creativity and hospitality. I believe Jason McLoed of Consortium Holdings falls under the latter category. This kind Canadian has maneuvered his way around some amazing kitchens, picking up the detailed skills of masters all around him.

One of his most respectable skills is his ability to create an environment that fosters creativity, drive, team camaraderie and excellence in hospitality. You see this in all the CH concepts. This was particularly why I was so curious in attending the Mentor Dinner he quietly promoted. 

Feeding San Diego

How do you secure 500k meals for the food insecure populous in San Diego County?  With the help of the community. THAT’S HOW!

San Diego volunteers, local businesses, residents, restaurants, brewers and winemakers got together and created a fun Saturday event for foodies that could afford to take the time to enjoy great company, bid on some fabulous auction items, eat and drink from superb local purveyors all for the benefit of the food insecure, those who stress about where their next meal might come from.

1 in 5 children in San Diego are at risk of hunger.

400k+ individuals in our county struggle with providing food for themselves and/or family.

Recipe Courtesy of French Master Chef, Chef Bernard Guillas

Flying Pans Two Chefs, One World

If you’d like to listen to the full interview on my Hand to Mouth Podcast where Chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room mentions the below recipe, listen here on iTunes or SoundCloud and subscribe so you do’t miss any other great chats I have with fascinating guests who stop in to talk food.

“The careful balance of spices and herbs in Georgian dishes make them a poem,” said Alexander Pushkin.

At the central market in the heart of Tblisi, my friend Koko and I visited the “spice girls.” Stall after stall of smiling women displayed stacks of pungent, colorful spices in small clay vats. With the focus of a chemist, the spice lady blended powdered marigold petals with other herbs and spices gathered from throughout the Middle East for the traditional Khmeli Suneli spices. We grabbed the bag and returned to the house where Koko’s mom Lali roasted a whole piglet, a leg of lamb, and a chicken seasoned with the aromatic blend.  Her stuffed eggplant was Koko’s father’s favorite dish. Bernard