Sustainable Seafood Expo & Chef’s Table Dinner at CRAFTED

Last weekend I wrote about our fabulous holiday party held at Brouwerij West in Warehouse No. 9 at the Port of Los Angeles.  Due to the overwhelming local response and interest in the new brewery and Crafted, I decided to share another event that I attended at Crafted a little while back. Crafted is right next door to Brouwerij West, located  in Warehouse No. 10. The event was the 2nd Annual Sustainable Seafood Expo and Chef’s Table Dinner, hosted by the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium and Friends.

Mermaid Linden

The Expo was designed to help consumers choose the right fish for their dish – one that’s healthy and good for the environment as well. Choosing the right fish can have a positive impact on the marine environment and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium leads the way in educating local consumers, chefs, and restaurateurs on this topic.

Chefs, Fishermen, Local Experts, and A Real Mermaid were on hand to explain fisheries, habitats, and species management to promote and sustain wild, diverse, and healthy ocean ecosystems that will last long into the future. Ongoing seafood sampling and educational opportunities were available at booths throughout the Expo. The dinner was a stunning al fresco farm-to-table dining experience, featuring locally sourced seafood and seasonal fare prepared by Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy.

BROUWERIJ WEST is a SAN PEDRO BREWERY & TASTING ROOM  – Brewing Belgian-inspired craft beers in a restored massive WWII- era Warehouse No. 9 at the Port of Los Angeles.

CRAFTED AT THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES  is a large-scale permanent handmade artisan marketplace. The classically restored Warehouse No. 10 is home to more than 100 individual artists, crafters and food makers, each presenting their unique handcrafted goods in a vibrant patchwork of shop spaces.

Sustainable Seafood Expo

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Palos Verdes Pastoral: A Garden-to-Table Dining Experience at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral: A Garden-to-Table Dining Experience at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral
A Garden-to-Table Dining Experience at Terranea Resort

Al fresco dining with magnificent views of Catalina Island, on a warm Autumn evening at sunset – this is Palos Verdes Pastoral…a vibrant fall meal created by Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra, showcasing the best of California-grown food expertly paired with hand-picked wines.

For the fourth year in a row, it was my honor and pleasure to serve as food photographer for the premier garden-to-table dining experience that took place at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on Sunday, October 18th.

Palos Verdes Pastoral: A Garden-to-Table Dining Experience at Terranea Resort

Palos Verdes Pastoral is a fundraising event to support the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy’s mission to preserve and restore habitat for the enjoyment and education of all.

I also happen to be a beneficiary of the Land Conservancy’s work, as we’ve been hiking the local trails and enjoying our open spaces here along the coast for decades. Since its founding in 1988, the Land Conservancy has preserved 1600 acres of open space with nearly 42 miles of public trails.

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Meet Terranea Resort’s Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra

Terranea Resort Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra

“The mountains were my backyard and the sea was my front yard,” reminisces Chef Bernard Ibarra about growing up in France’s Basque Country.

The Chef has cooked in France, North America, and Asia. Before landing in the Southern California last summer, he worked in Las Vegas for 15 years as Executive Chef at the prestigious Mirage and Aria resorts. Although he loves Vegas, he had longed to be near the sea again. Now he’s come full-circle, with the hills of Palos Verdes at his back and the expansive blue Pacific at his feet.

“It looks very much like where I was raised, except with better weather,” he chuckles.

Imagine his delight to now be the Executive Chef at the coastal Terranea Resort and our good fortune to have this world-class chef cooking in our “backyard.”

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Chef’s Cooking Series at Terranea Resort

The Chef’s Cooking Series at Terranea Resort led by Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra.

Last week, Executive Chef Bernard Ibarra led an exceptionally talented team to kick off the “Chef’s Cooking Series” at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.  The farm-to-table dinner series features an interactive evening with Terranea’s chefs. It was my honor and pleasure to be invited as food photographer for the night. The chefs were awesome, the staff couldn’t have been more gracious, and the food was remarkable in flavor, variety, and creativity.

It began with a cocktail and hors d’oeuvres reception followed by the chef cooking demonstrations where we learned how to prepare items on the evening’s menu. After the demonstrations, diners were seated at a beautiful long table on a patio for an alfresco three-course meal with wine pairing. Guests received recipe cards and special gift items to recreate the experience at home.

For each event in the series, Terranea is partnering with a different non-profit organization, this first dinner – a Coastal Harvest menu theme – benefitted Los Angeles No Kid Hungry. The next event will showcase a Spring Bounty menu theme on March 20, 2014 – featuring wines by Grgich Hills and benefitting the American Red Cross.

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