Upcoming San Diego's Food Events: Kaiser Permanente's Sustainable Feast and Cooks Confab's "School Lunch!"

When: Saturday, April 2, 2011 at 10am; check-in begins at 9am

Where: Amici Park, Little Italy at State Street and West Date Street 

Local Food, Live Music, Raffle Prizes, and FREE Kids Zone! 

The Sustainable Feast, a FREE event open to the public, will include live music courtesy of  the Teagan Taylor Trio, a muscially rising Jazz/Pop band and an Outdoor Education Zone with interactive science and nature inspired activities for kids of all ages.

The event will pair local farms with some of San Diego's top chefs who will create a variety of delicious dishes, prepared up close and personal. Restaurant tasting tickets are availble for purchase for $35 and include 10 culinary tasting tents, a raffle ticket, and commemorative cookbook. Families are encouraged to share their tasting with their young children or purchase a tasting ticket for older children who would enjoy the variety of food offered at each station.

Net process will benefit the Outdoor Education Foundation's scholarship fund. To purchase tickets, please click here.

When: Sunday, April 3, 2011 from noon to 4pm

Where: Fibonacci’s Campus Pointe Bistro

San Diego's Cooks Confab is a group of San Diego's most innovative chefs sharing their culinary talents with San Diegans by hosting educational events, stylishly fun dinner parties and smaller-scale gatherings with the goal to generate awareness on important food-related causes in our community today. 

On April 3rd from noon to 4pm, Cooks Confab will host "School Lunch!" an event dedicated to raising awareness of the staggering epidemic of mediocre food being served in our schools. 

Chefs of the Cooks Confab will partner with local farms, ranchers, fishers and artisans to serve Haute Cafeteria Style Cuisine (HCSC)™ at Fibonacci’s Campus Pointe Bistro, by Waters. They will showcase healthy “School Lunch” options designed to spark critical discussion about an issue that needs immediate attention from not only the San Diego community but communities across the country.

You'll hear from school administrators, cafeteria staff and farmers who are collaborating to create a farm-to-school movement. As Cooks Confab co-founder, Andrew Spurgin, says, “Only through educational outreach, mutual partnership with all the stakeholders of this broken system will real change for our children’s good be accomplished."

For more event details and to purchase tickets, please visit the Cooks Confab website. 

Join Us for Fun, Food, and Farming at Olivewood Gardens with Chef Ann Cooper, "The Renegade Lunch Lady"

Sugar pumpkins at Olivewood Gardens.

Everyone is talking about school lunch reform and eating more healthfully -- First Lady, Michelle Obama, Jamie Oliver, Ann Cooper -- and Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in San Diego is making it happen.


Heirloom red corn at Olivewood Gardens.

Olivewood Gardens in National City is dedicated to "reconnecting students and families to the natural environment through food, community engagement, and education." Each week, local school children visit the garden and learn important lessons about how food is grown and how to cook and eat more healthfully.


Swiss chard at Olivewood Gardens.

They are taught by dozens of committed volunteers, including San Diego chefs, food writers, master gardeners, and community members who teach, cook, and garden with the children.


Home where cooking classes are taught at Olivewood Gardens.

They need your help. October 1-3, is the 1st Annual Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center Fundraiser, created by San Diego chefs Julie Sayer Darling and Melissa Mayer. Nationally renown chef, author, and children’s nutrition advocate, Chef Ann Cooper, widely known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,” will be the featured guest.

Chef Ann has been featured on ABC News Nightline, CNBC, CNN, The Martha Stewart Show, and TED, and is committed to “changing the way we feed our children, one lunch at a time.” Now you can meet her in San Diego!

Below are several exciting opportunities for schoolchildren, their families, and community members to get involved, talk with Chef Ann, and help promote children’s nutrition in San Diego.


Tomatoes at Olivewood Gardens.

I hope to see you there! 

DAY 1, FRIDAY, OCT. 1, 2010:
Junior League’s Southwest Exchange Conference
Keynote Address by Chef Ann Cooper, “The Renegade Lunch Lady”
6:00-8:00 pm; Fibonacci’s, 10300 Campus Point Dr, San Diego, CA 92121
$10 per person and open to the public; includes appetizers and cash bar

San Diegans will have the opportunity to engage in an inspiring discussion about how to make school lunches healthier for our children both nationally and here in San Diego. You don’t want to miss a chance to see this dynamic nationally recognized speaker.

DAY 2, SATURDAY, OCT. 2, 2010:
Organic Dinner and Conversation with Chef Ann Cooper
6:00 -10:00 pm; Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, 2505 N Ave., National City, CA, 91950
Tickets: $200 per person. Purchase online through Olivewood Gardens. Guests may also RSVP: 619.336-2253 / amyc@icfdn.org.

80 guests will enjoy an exclusive dinner under the stars with Chef Ann Cooper on the  beautiful grounds of Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. Guest San Diego chefs and mixologist, Ron Oliver of The Marine Room, will create a sumptuous, organic champagne reception and 5-course dinner. All organic produce will be donated by Suzie’s Farm. A silent auction with choice items will take place throughout the evening with proceeds benefiting Olivewood Gardens.

Chefs include: Amy DiBiase of Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, Flor Franco of Indulge Catering, Katie Grebow of Cafe Chloe, Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy, Joe Manganelli of Cucina Urbana, Melissa Mayer of Suzie’s Farm, pastry chef Sara Polchynski, Rancho La Puerta, and Chad White of Roseville.

DAY 3, SUNDAY, OCT. 3, 2010: 
Family Garden Picnic with Ann Cooper
11:00 am- 3:00 pm; Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center, 2505 N Ave., National City, CA, 91950
Tickets: Adults, $50, kids 12 and under, $10. Purchase online through Olivewood Gardens. Guests may also RSVP: 619.336-2253 / amyc@icfdn.org.

Families will enjoy fun, farming, and food at the Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center! Guests will tour edible gardens, learn about gardening and nutrition with hands-on activities, and eat freshly prepared local foods cooked by top San Diego chefs and food writers. And don’t forget your bathing suits and flip-flops! The pool will be open with a lifeguard on duty. A national television show will be filming the events that day too. Come and see who it is!

Chefs include: Amy DiBiase of Cosmopolitan Restaurant and Hotel, Ricardo Heredia of Alchemy, Kristen Conairis of Wicked Goodies, MIHO Gastrotruck, pastry chef Sara Polchynski, Rancho La Puerta, personal chef, Diane Stopford, and Chad White of Roseville. Food writers include: Caron Golden and Susan Russo

Celebrating San Diego Beer Week by Cooking with Beer!

It's a great week to be in San Diego. Yesterday the Chargers beat the Giants in dramatic fashion; today is going to be sunny and 72; and all week long we're celebrating our first-ever San Diego Beer Week, which runs from Friday, November 6th through Sunday, November 15th.

You know San Diego for its pristine beaches and delicious fish tacos, but did you know we were recently named the country's top beer city, beating out the perennial favorite, Portland, OR? Yup. There are an amazing 33 San Diego breweries creating hand-crafted beers, and that's not including all the folks who brew their own at home.

So to celebrate our thriving craft beer community, there will be over 200 beer-centric events taking place across the county. From beer and chocolate pairings to meet-the-brewer events, there's something for everyone. So whether you live in San Diego or are just visiting between now and the 15th, check out San Diego Beer Week's schedule of events. You won't be disappointed.

As a San Diegan and a beer lover, I want to do my part. So this week I'll be sharing some recipes that feature beer. It won't be easy for me (or Jeff), but the blog must come first.



Today's recipe for Dill and Beer Quick Bread is adapted from an original posted on NPR's Kitchen Window, by personal chef and friend, Kevin Weeks, of the blog Seriously Good. Kevin also co-founded the blog A Year in Bread, so it's safe to say he knows a thing or two about making good bread. And trust me, this bread is seriously good and seriously easy. It tastes like rye bread but with more complexity thanks to the dill and beer. If you'd like less rye flavor and more dill, then just reduce the amount of caraway seeds and increase the dill. I indicated my slight adaptations in parentheses. As Kevin says, this bread is terrific for sopping up juices in stews, but it's also wonderful simply toasted with a smear of butter. Oh, and Jeff wants me to tell you that it makes one "kick-ass good breakfast sandwich" with eggs, cheddar, and bacon. So, there you have it.

Dill and Beer Quick Bread
Makes 1 loaf
Print recipe only here.

3 cups all-purpose flour (I used half ap and half whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar (my addition)
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1/4 cup freshly chopped dill
1 (12 ounce) bottle porter beer

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cook an 8X4 loaf pan with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl stir together all ingredients and spoon into the pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Here are more Food Blogga recipes that taste great with a cold beer: 
Turkey Burger with Apples, Gruyere, and Sage Mayo
Pork Tenderloin Sandwich
Spinach, Nutmeg, and Ricotta Pie
Fennel Sausage and Rapini Pizza

Here are more great beer bread recipes to try: 
Beyond Easy Dill and Cheddar Beer Bread recipe at Farmgirl Fare
Homemade Bubby Beer Bread recipe at Zesty Cook
Finnish Rye Beer Bread recipe at Green Gourmet Giraffe
Guinness Bread with Molasses recipe from Hank Shaw posted at Simply Recipes