Dining
SF Chefs throwing parties all week in the Bay Area in honor of their fifth anniversary
Mark Twain once was quoted as saying, “ The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” Well not the weekend of August 1st -4th, as SF Chefs, celebrating its fifth year, brings a very unique and tasty combination of events to the city-by-the-bay. Rob Black, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association puts it very well. “The Golden Gate Restaurant Association started SF Chefs as way to celebrate the Bay Area’s amazing culinary talent and promote San Francisco and the Bay Area as the premiere culinary destination in the country. The GGRA also wanted to give back to the community both charitably and by creating a lasting cultural institution, similar to Bay to Breakers or Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, that San Franciscans can enjoy for years to come.”
While the event officially began last weekend, the real serious culinary, wine and ‘mixology’ events start on Friday, August 1. Mr. Black describes it best. “It really begins and ends with some of the Bay Area’s top chefs. The level of Chefs’ involvement in the design of our festival is unprecedented in other large food festivals around the country and we are very proud of that, and we think it really makes our festival grounded in the community and very unique – just like San Francisco. In addition, the event has grown both in the number of classes, demos and parties that we put on, and also in the scope of the festival by expanding year-round with our SF Chefs Dinner Party Project, a collaborative chef pop-series.
Below are some of the highlights of the many eclectic (and yummy) events that are part of this not-to-be-missed bash.
5th Anniversary Friday Night Opening Celebration
Tent opens at 6:30pm for VIP Ticket holders and at 7:15pm General Admission
Be a part of history as SF Chefs celebrates our fifth anniversary! San Francisco’s Union Square is again transformed into a food lover’s paradise, filled from end to end with mouthwatering tastes from the city’s most coveted restaurants, innovative handcrafted cocktails prepared by top mixologists and premier wines and beers from an esteemed collection of wineries and breweries. To mark the fifth anniversary, top pastry chefs will go head-to-head in one, big, delicious cake competition. You’ll be the judge and decide which chef will take home the prize from Guittard Chocolate Company. Feast on the wonders of San Francisco.
Must be 21 or over to attend. Advanced ticket purchase required.
Friday, August 2nd @ 6:30 p.m. Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square
Visa Signature VIP Ticket: $140 Visa Signature Event Ticket: $112 General Admission VIP Ticket: $175 General Admission Ticket: $140
Rollin’ with the Red Carpet: San Francisco Magazine’s Best Chefs After Party
Presented by San Francisco Magazine and The National Pork Board
SF Chefs opening night continues! Toast and dance the night away with the celebrated Best Chefs of San Francisco Magazine’s food issue. This year marks the first time that the winners have been voted upon by the newly established Academy, comprised of over 30 past recipients and some of the Bay Area’s top kitchen brass. Enjoy beats, cocktails and late night bites inspired by the Best Chefs. Chef whites encouraged!
Participating chefs to be announced shortly.
Must be 21 or over to attend. Advanced ticket purchase required.
Friday, August 2nd @ 10 p.m. E&O Asian Kitchen
*Visa Signature Ticket: $52 General Admission Ticket: $65
Destination Portugal
Presented by Wines of Portugal
The other wine country of Iberia is producing many of the most exciting European wines today. Unique varietals, definitive terroir, and a signature wine style free of international homogeneity equate to a Portuguese wine imprint that is at once authentic and distinctive, bold and defined…and always memorable from the first glass. Sommelier Eugenio Jardim will lead you through a master class tasting of six wines exploring a range of Portuguese bottlings paired with a delightful cuisine. A not-to-miss epicurean adventure!
Saturday, August 3rd @ 10 a.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
Regional Devotion: Chefs Sean Brock and Michael Tusk
Presented by the American Lamb Board
Participating Chefs: Sean Brock – McCrady’s, Charleston and Nashville and Michael Tusk – Cotogna and Quince
Saturday, August 3rd @ 10 a.m. Sub-Zero Wolf Demonstration Stage at The Westin St. Francis
*Visa Signature Ticket: $40
General Admission Ticket: $50
Blending Napa Valley Cabernets
Presented by Conn Creek
Saturday, August 3rd @ 11 a.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
The Editor’s Panel: Inside the American Restaurant Scene – Coast to Coast Opinions and Insights
Presented Andrew Freeman & Co. and Sunset
Participants:
Miriam Morgan – The San Francisco Chronicle
Kim Severson – The New York Times
Tom Sietsema – The Washington Post
Margo True – Sunset
Moderated by: Andrew Freeman – Andrew Freeman & Co.
Saturday, August 3rd @ 11 a.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
DIY Cocktail Mixers
Presented by Fine Cooking
Saturday, August 3rd @ 11:30 a.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
Saturday Day: The Five Tastes – Bitter, Sour, Salty, Sweet and Umami
Tent opens at 12:30pm for VIP Ticket holders and at 1:15pm General Admission
Must be 21 or over to attend. Advanced ticket purchase required.
Saturday, August 3rd @ 12:30 p.m. Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square
Visa Signature VIP Ticket: $140 Visa Signature Event Ticket: $112 General Admission VIP Ticket: $175 General Admission Ticket: $140
The Eater Chef Challenge: Winner Takes The City
Presented by Eater and Le Creuset
Team 1: David Bazirgan – Fifth Floor, Mark Dommen – One Market
Team 2: Omri Aflalo – Bourbon Steak, Mark Sullivan – Spruce
Judges: Denise Mickelsen – Fine Cooking, Margo True – Sunset, Tom Sietsema – The Washington Post
Saturday, August 3rd @ 4:30 p.m. Sub-Zero Wolf Demonstration Stage at The Westin St. Francis
*Visa Signature Ticket: $40 General Admission Ticket: $50
Come to the Table: Best Chefs of the Year Roundtable
Presented by San Francisco Magazine
Best Chefs: Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski (State Bird Provisions)
Best Sommelier: Ceri Smith (biondivino wine boutique)
Best Pastry Chef: Stephanie Prida (Manresa)
Best Restaurateur: James Syhabout (Commis, Hawkers Fare, forthcoming Box and Bells)
Rising Star: Brett Cooper (Outerlands)
Saturday, August 3rd @ 4:30 p.m. Mandarin Oriental
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
Seven Percent Solution Tasting
Presented by The San Francisco Chronicler
Roughly 93% of Northern California vineyard acreage is planted to eight major grape varietals with the remaining 7% acreage home to numerous, lesser known varietals. Moderated by Jon Bonne, wine editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, this unique tasting will showcase five wineries who are embracing these ‘seven percent’ varieties and creating some incredibly rare wines.
Featured Wines
Arnot Roberts
Forlorn Hope
Idlewild Wines
Matthiasson
Ryme Cellars
Moderated by: Jon Bonne, The San Francisco Chronicle
Saturday, August 3rd @ 4:30 p.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
Saturday Night: Decadence After Dark, The Menu is in the Music
Tent opens at 7:00pm for VIP Ticket holders and at 7:45pm General Admission
Must be 21 or over to attend. Advanced ticket purchase required.
Saturday, August 3rd @ 7 p.m. Grand Tasting Tent on Union Square
Visa Signature VIP Ticket: $140 Visa Signature Event Ticket: $112 General Admission VIP Ticket: $175 General Admission Ticket: $140
Late Night Luxury: The After Party
Presented by Celebrity Cruises and Washington State Wines
Must be 21 or over to attend. Advanced ticket purchase required.
Saturday, August 3rd @ 10 p.m. Bluestem Brasserie
*Visa Signature Ticket: $52 General Admission Ticket: $65
Test Your Wine Knowledge: Blind Tasting with Top SF Sommeliers & You!
Presented by Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator’s Gwendolyn Osborn and three of SF’s top Sommeliers – Christie Dufault, Chris Gaither and Yoon Ha – will teach you what it takes to analyze wines in a blind tasting, using Wine Spectator’s methodology. As a group you will blind taste through a line-up of six different wines, each from different regions and grape varieties. Not even the sommeliers will know what they are tasting!
Sunday, August 4th @ 10:30 a.m. Grand Hyatt
*Visa Signature Ticket: $28 General Admission Ticket: $35
Sunday Day: Brunch by the Bay
Tent opens at 11:00am for VIP Ticket holders and at 11:45am General Admission
This is brunch like it has never ever been done before. SF Chefs is taking the Bay Area’s favorite meal to a whole new level of lavishness. The Golden Gate Restaurant Association will donate a portion of the proceeds to benefit Meals on Wheels of San Francisco.
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