SFBayStyle

New York To Celebrate the Commencement of NY Fashion Week with ‘Fashion’s Night Out’

 

Next Thursday, September 10^th, 2009 marks the beginning of the world-renowned New York Fashion Week.  To commemorate this week, NYC & Company and the City of New York have partnered with Vogue and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to create an unprecedented citywide initiative called Fashion's Night Out, whose goals are to promote local retail stores, restore consumer confidence and celebrate fashion.

This initiative was announced this past May by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as the CEO of NYC & Company George Fertitta, Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Executive Director Steven Kolb, to support local retailers on the first night of Fashion Week.  Participating retail stores across the five boroughs will stay open until 11:00 PM and offer an array of in-store celebrations and promotions such as personal appearances by designers and celebrities, fashion shows, live music, giveaways and charity tie-ins.

SF Chefs. Food. Wine. This Week In San Francisco

SF Chefs. Food. Wine. is happening in this week in San Francisco at Union Square from August 6th through the 9th.  It's going to be an amazing four day Food & Wine event of bacchanalian proportions, celebrating the unique and diverse bounty that San Francisco has to offer.

Proceeds from this event will go to four SF charities - Feeding America, a leading supporter of the SF Food Bank, Meals On Wheels, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Fund and Project Open Hand.

SF Food Bank Benefit Event, Called One Big Table, This Wednesday, June 10th

 

Tickets are still available for San Francisco Food Bank's One Big Table event, this Wednesday, June 10, from 6-9 pm at Hotel Kabuki.  The evening includes dinner and the chance to bid on some fantastic auction items, including dinner for 12, cooked in your home by celebrated Food Network chef, cookbook author and cookware designer Tyler Florence.

Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation - San Francisco

Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® is the nation’s premier culinary benefit dedicated to making sure no kid in America grows up hungry.  Each spring, the nation's hottest chefs and mixologists donate their time, talent and passion at more than 45 events across the United States and Canada, with one goal in mind: to raise the critical funds needed to end childhood hunger. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised more than $70 million.

Taste of the Nation - San Francisco

DATE: This Thursday, April 23, 2009
TIME: 6:00 PM - VIP Reception Entry at 5:30 PM
LOCATION: The Field Club Lounge at AT&T Park (Tasting Reception) and Traci Des Jardin's Acme Chophouse (VIP Dinner & Auction)
TICKETS: VIP Dinner + Tasting Reception- $250, Tasting Reception - $75
Tickets available clicking here.

Panel in SF this Thursday: A New National Food Policy - But What About the Hungry?

Check out this great event, presented by the SF Food Bank and the Commonwealth Club. The panel will include the California Secretary of Food and Agriculture and other food policy leaders.

A New National Food Policy - But What About the Hungry?

Thursday, April 23, 2009

A.G. Kawamura, Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Paul Ash, Executive Director, San Francisco Food Bank

Paula Jones, Director of Food Systems, San Francisco Department of Public Health

Michael Dimock, President, Roots of Change

Amy Sherman, Food Blogger & Author - Moderator

Michael Pollan, Alice Waters and other food activists have advocated for radical changes in U.S. food policy. But those changes could have a surprising impact on people living in poverty. This panel examines the future of food in our country and state – and the impact reforms may have on the 150,000 people in San Francisco (including one in every four children) who are unsure where their next meal is coming from. How can we create a food system that is good, clean and fair for all?

SF Gate's Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants

For all of you Foodie's out there, Michael Bauer of the Chronicle and SFGate.com has come out with his Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. 

7x7 Mag's The Big Eat SF: 100 Things To Try Before You Die

San Francisco's 7x7 magazine did an article called, The Big Eat SF: 100 Things To Try Before You Die.  A little morbid in its choice of title, but I suppose it is not too far off from the idea of that book called 1000 Places To See Before You Die by Patricia Schultz.  This article came out in 7x7 magazine's January '09 issue last month and was written by the 7x7 editors collectively.  I thought it would be interesting to share with those of you that have lived here for some time and also for any visitors or newcomers to the City to give you a little Food For Thought, quite literally.

Wine & Wishes 2009

Yes, 'tis that time of year of again for one of the hottest culinary tickets of San Francisco - Wine & Wishes 2009. This is a spectacular culinary event showcasing the best of the Bay Area's Chefs and Wineries, while celebrating and supporting the Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation. It is to be held at the dramatic and unique setting of Treasure Island on Saturday, February 7th.

Menu For Hope and the World Food Programme - Only A Few Days Left

Menu For Hope is an annual fundraising campaign, spearheaded by a food blogger named, Chez Pim, and many food bloggers from around the world.  This effort originally started five years ago after the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia by which Chez Pim was inspired to start the first Menu For Hope.  Since then it has become a yearly campaign to raise funds for worthy causes around the world.

Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu For Hope raffle.  Anyone can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes and for every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of your choice.  At the end of the two week campaign, tickets are drawn and the results are announced on Chez Pim.

Dine Out Against Hunger This Thursday December 18th

It's no secret that the restaurants have seen a real slump in business lately, but really who isn't?  Unfortunately, there are hundreds of thousands of people in San Francisco who are suffering even worse circumstances that are at risk of going hungry this holiday season.  Most of these people are from poor working households whose incomes do not stretch far enough to put food on their families tables every day.  The San Francisco Food Bank supplies food for over 600 programs operated by community service agencies and food pantries throughout the City. 

So Scott Youkilis and Michael Pierce of Maverick restaurant in the Mission District created Dine Out Against Hunger, and brought together some of San Francisco's most notable restaurants to donate up to 10% of their dinner sales from this Thursday, December 18th to the SF Food Bank.  Maverick is also offering to take an additional 10% off of diner's tabs who are making an additional donation to the SF Food Bank.

The CUESA 6th annual Sunday Supper & Reception

Last month, The Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA) held its 6th annual Sunday Supper which showcased the abundance of delicious produce offered at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market and the supreme culinary talent of the San Francisco Bay Area.
There were two parts to this culinary event, the Reception and the Sunday Supper which followed immediately afterwards upstairs in the Ferry Building Grand Hall.  The Reception took place in the Ferry Building Marketplace Halls as people bustled about tasting hors d'oeuvres from 22 top Bay Area chefs and sipped wine from four local wineries.  Guests were also able to imbibe in Farmer's Market specialty cocktails from Hangar One and Square One vodkas as well as organic beer from Bison Brewing Company. SF Food Maven only attended the Reception, but that in itself was plentiful enough to feed an entire family and then some.

SF Magazine's Fallfest This Saturday

San Francisco magazine’s celebrates the arrival of fall with their fifth annual epicurean event, which supports one of the City’s most respected nonprofit organizations—Meals On Wheels of San Francisco and is hosted by San Francisco magazine Food Editor Jan Newberry and Miss Pearl’s Jam House consulting chef and Bay Café host Joey Altman.  Leading local restaurateurs, winemakers and artisans join together for an inspiring day of premier food and wine tasting, chef demonstrations, live music and panel discussions that celebrate eating and living local.  It all takes place outdoors at Justin Herman Plaza, which is transformed for the day into a European-style marketplace, taking full advantage of the season’s gorgeous weather and the waterfront’s beautiful views.

FallFest 2008 will focus on the “Eat Local” initiative and ask participants to showcase items that use ingredients grown or produced within three hours of their final destination.

San Francisco Restaurants Unite to End Hunger

Last week, a very special gourmet food & wine event called San Francisco Restaurants Unite to End Hunger, was held at Ferry Plaza to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank.  The San Francisco Food Bank (SFFB) sources, collects and repackages nearly 100,000 pounds of food per day, which comes from supermarket chains, large manufacturers & wholesalers, restaurant suppliers, the USDA and food drives for seniors nutrition programs and low-income families.  The food that the SFFB collects supplies for over 600 vital food programs, such as senior centers, after-school programs, neighborhood pantry networks and soup kitchens. 

A Food Affaire next Monday, September 22nd

The Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) is hosting a sensual gourmet food & wine event called - A Food Affaire. The event is this upcoming Monday, September 22nd at the renowned Ruby Skye nightclub on 420 Mason Street in downtown San Francisco.  Over twenty top San Francisco chefs will serve aphrodisiac-inspired dishes that incorporate mood-enhancing ingredients.  Whether it's decadent oysters being sucked right out of the shell, lavish caviar pearls bursting between your teeth or foie gras melting like butter on the tongue, you can experience all of the sexiness that these foods have to offer.  It is anticipated to be a memorable evening in which you can indulge in seductive food and entertainment.

San Francisco Restaurants Unite to End Hunger

This Thursday, September 18th, an event called, San Francisco Restaurants Unite to End Hunger is being held at the Ferry Building from 5:30 to 7:30pm. This is a special Gourmet Food & Wine event, that has been organized to benefit the San Francisco Food Bank. The SF Food Bank has been having a tough year and they are hoping to get a great turnout for this event. Tickets are $40 and are available at the door at One Ferry Plaza, directly behind the Ferry Building.

This is a great way for Food Lovers to give back to their community, while enjoying live entertainment, drinks, and savory hors d'oeuvres from 30 San Francisco restaurants. Guests may also enter a raffle to win $100 gift certificates to the participating restaurants, such as Absinthe Brasserie, Acme Chophouse, Epic Roasthouse, Fifth Floor, Grand Cafe, Orson, Paragon, Perbacco, Plumpjack, Spruce and Yoshi's to name a few. This event is sponsored by San Francisco Private Dining Venues and their member restaurants, Estate Groups/Sonoma Cutrer and San Francisco Event Music.

C.E.O. Women International Cook-Off at La Cocina in the Mission

C.E.O. Women, a non-profit whose name stands for Creating Economic Opportunities for Women, sponsored its first International Iron Chef Cook-Off at La Cocina in San Francisco's Mission District.  If you are unfamiliar with this non-profit, C.E.O. Women's mission is to help create economic opportunities for low-income immigrant and refugee women by educating them in English, Communications and Entrepreneurship.  The cook-off was a part of C.E.O. Women's program called Shine Your Brilliance, which celebrates the strengths and talents of these women and this particular event was held in support of women wanting to start their own businesses in the food industry, such as catering, restaurants and the like.  The four cook-off chefs featured were graduates of C.E.O Women from these countries - Ethiopia, Japan, Mexico and Peru.

Yours truly was one of the judging panelists, representing, SF Food Maven & SF Bay Style along with three others - Caleb Zigas, La Cocina's Program Director, Donnalyn Murphy, Director of Educational Services at Golden Gate Restaurant Association and Thy Tran, Founder of the Wandering Spoon and the Asian Culinary Forum.  Chef Thomas Weibull of Plouf on Belden and the former Les Amis was the Master of Ceremonies and what a spendid job he did.

A Meal at Bix in Honor of Heirloom Tomato Week

In keeping with the Golden Gate Restaurant Association's Heirloom Tomato Week, I had the most extraordinary experience with the Summer Tomato Cart at Bix that just had to be shared. 

I had been wanting to try Bix for quite some time now on several recommendations from trusted Foodie friends and various write-ups by fellow food writers.  The Menu alone is rather extensive, featuring many different Dishes prepared with seasonal items, which is sure to suit anyone's palette.  Not to mention, the warm, stylish Deco-esque decor and the nightly live jazz, both serve as a perfect backdrop to make your dining experience even more special.  The restaurant is both elegant and lively, and very reminiscent of the glamour of the glorious Jazz Era of the 30's and 40's.  Tucked in an alley in San Francisco's Financial District, Bix describes itself as a world class supperclub and I am inclined to agree.

In case you haven't been out in the dining scene lately, the latest trend literally 'going around' in restaurants these days is the Heirloom Tomato Cart.  We've seen cheese carts at places like Gary Danko and prime rib carts at the House of Prime Rib, but the current trend is the Tomato Cart.  To be honest, I was a little skeptical at first, but as I sat down to dine at Bix, I was compelled to try it and see what the excitement was all about.

Heirloom Tomato Week Through the 24th

Yes, you heard right, and if you're a real Foodie living in SF, then you probably already know about it. If you haven't been there yet, here's the scoop...

Tis the season of Heirloom Tomatoes and a collective of SF chefs and restaurants have joined forces to offer the bay area an unprecedented esculent endeavor called San Francisco Chefs. Food. Wine.  This is a year long event planned by a community of San Francisco chefs and restaurants, which is kicking off three seasonal promotions in the city within the next year.  The first event is Heirloom Tomato Week, running through August 24th.

The promotion features over 50 notable and popular Bay Area restaurants that will showcase local grown heirloom tomatoes in either tasting menus or signature dishes.  Some of the participating restaurants are Antica Trattoria, Bix, Fleur De Lys, Grand Cafe, La Folie, Piperade and Poleng Lounge.  You can make reservations for participating restaurants on OpenTable.com and if you use a Visa Signature Card, you will get a free commemorative book of heirloom tomato recipes, stories and all things tomato.

CB2 Opens in Union Square

Last week, CB2 - Crate & Barrel's modern counterpart - opened its first west coast location in Union Square at 34 Ellis Street. For those that are unfamiliar with CB2, the well-known, home furnishings titan, Crate & Barrel, began its own line of modern furnishing eight years ago to cater to the loft/apartment-style home, and called it CB2. It originally began with a catalog and online website, as well as its first 2 stores in Chicago which opened first in 2000 and then in 2004. The new CB2 San Francisco location consists of 8,000 square feet spread over two floors and is only one of four store locations in the U.S. – the two stores in Chicago and one in SoHo New York that opened last year. The San Francisco store is constructed in an exposed brick-and-mortar space which is CB2's signature style for its other locations as well.

According to CB2's Product Director, Marta Calle (shown to the right of CEO Barbara Turf), CB2 is about modern, affordable furnishings that are fun and casual. As opposed to Crate & Barrel, with its variety in furnishings and accessories, CB2 has only one point-of-view – only modern – with more color and smart prices. One good thing to know is that CB2 has no cooking or gourmet department. As Ms. Calle says, it caters more to the casual lifestyle, and is more laid back and fun. Its style can be described as minimal with a mixture of color, warmth and textures, from clear acrylic tables and clever & fun accessories, to ethnic and eco-friendly touches like bath towels made from bamboo & Egyptian cotton and shesham wood pieces crafted in India. It has an eclectic mix of furnishings and accessories to certainly make things more interesting whatever your style or taste may be.

Continue reading "CB2 Opens in Union Square" »

Tuesday, Prada celebrated the grand opening of the new San Francisco flagship store at 201 Post Street, with a spectacular gala event catered by none other than award-winning Chef Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se acclaim.

The Italian luxury fashion house that is Prada had been planning to open a flagship store, or Epicenter as they like to call it, in the City by the Bay for well over 10 years.  According to Joanne Ramey of Women's Wear Daily, the original plan was to open a 10-story steel-sheathed Prada Epicenter which was to be designed by the influential Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas (designer of the Los Angeles Prada Epicenter) across the street from what is now the new flagship space.  This was to rival the ones in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, but over the course of the decade, this plan fell through for various reasons, strategic and economic.  The current Post Street space housing the new flagship was acquired six years prior to its opening and was left uninhabited in spite of the high rent market of San Francisco to allow for flexibility for its opening.  This location on the corner of Grant Avenue and Post Street is ideal considering it is in the midst of other luxury high fashion houses such as Armani, Dior and Versace.

And so this brings us back to the much anticipated day of the opening.  The event began promptly at 6pm with a crowd of people - city elite, fashion divas and gastronomes alike, standing in line outside of the building within a black velvet-roped, black carpeted sidewalk that was even flanked by a line of men dressed in all black standing guard side-by-side on the corner of Post & Grant.  It was quite the spectacle, with droves of tourists, business folk and city dwellers passing by and wondering what the commotion was all about.

Haute Couture Meets Haute Cuisine at the Prada Flagship Grand Opening

Tuesday, Prada celebrated the grand opening of the new San Francisco flagship store at 201 Post Street, with a spectacular gala event catered by none other than award-winning Chef Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se acclaim.

The Italian luxury fashion house that is Prada had been planning to open a flagship store, or Epicenter as they like to call it, in the City by the Bay for well over 10 years.  According to Joanne Ramey of Women's Wear Daily, the original plan was to open a 10-story steel-sheathed Prada Epicenter which was to be designed by the influential Dutch architect, Rem Koolhaas (designer of the Los Angeles Prada Epicenter) across the street from what is now the new flagship space.  This was to rival the ones in Los Angeles, New York and Tokyo, but over the course of the decade, this plan fell through for various reasons, strategic and economic.  The current Post Street space housing the new flagship was acquired six years prior to its opening and was left uninhabited in spite of the high rent market of San Francisco to allow for flexibility for its opening.  This location on the corner of Grant Avenue and Post Street is ideal considering it is in the midst of other luxury high fashion houses such as Armani, Dior and Versace.

And so this brings us back to the much anticipated day of the opening.  The event began promptly at 6pm with a crowd of people - city elite, fashion divas and gastronomes alike, standing in line outside of the building within a black velvet-roped, black carpeted sidewalk that was even flanked by a line of men dressed in all black standing guard side-by-side on the corner of Post & Grant.  It was quite the spectacle, with droves of tourists, business folk and city dwellers passing by and wondering what the commotion was all about.