Great Chefs, Culinary Gala, Tours At Monterey Bay Aquarium

By Kasia Deuel 

Renowned chefs from across North America, including The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller and Food Network all-star Alton Brown will share their passion for fine dining and environmentally sustainable living when they’re honored at the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Cooking for Solutions 2009” on May 15-16, 2009.

At the two-day celebration, celebrity chefs – selected and recognized by the Monterey Bay Aquarium for their leadership in promoting food practices that protect the health of the ocean and the soil – will create gourmet dishes, host food and wine adventures, and offer cooking demonstrations that feature sustainable seafood and organic ingredients.

All proceeds support the nonprofit aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, which has worked for the past decade to transform the seafood market in ways that preserve healthy ecosystems and sustain ocean wildlife.

Title sponsors of Cooking for Solutions 2009 are Bon Appétit Management Company, an award-winning food service company recognized internationally as a leader in promoting sustainable cuisine; and Coastal Living, a national magazine that celebrates life along the coast and serves as the source of inspiration and information for people who live or dream of living a coastal lifestyle.

Cooking for Solutions 2009 is part of the aquarium’s 25th anniversary celebration. Monterey Bay Aquarium opened on October 20, 1984 with a mission to inspire conservation of the oceans.

Thomas Keller, chef/owner of The French Laundry in Yountville, California and one of the most respected and honored chefs in the United States, will receive the Conservation Leadership Award – Chef of the Year at the eighth annual Cooking for Solutions celebration.

A leading advocate of sustainable seafood and building menus around local, organic ingredients, he’ll be honored along with Educator of the Year Alton Brown – chef, author and host of Food Network’s Good Eats program, and a lead commentator and judge on Iron Chef America. Thirteen other noted chefs from across the United States and Canada will also receive honors.

Eight culinary greats will be recognized as Celebrity Chef Ambassadors: Nate Appleman (A16 and SPQR, San Francisco), Floyd Cardoz (Tabla, New York City), Regina Charboneau (Twin Oaks, Natchez, Mississippi), Xavier DeShayes (Ronald Reagan Building, Washington, DC), Joyce Goldstein (chef, food writer, consultant, San Francisco), Alexandra Guarnaschelli (Butter, New York), Paul Rogalski (Rouge, Calgary, Alberta) and Frank Stitt (Bottega, Birmingham, Alabama).

They’ll be joined by four renowned chefs who return as Special Guest Celebrity Chefs: John Ash (cookbook author and teacher, Santa Rosa), Sam Choy (Sam Choy’s Big Aloha Brewery, Sam Choy’s Breakfast, Lunch & Crab, all Honolulu, Hawaii; and Sam Choy’s, Guam, USA), Jim Dodge (Bon Appétit Management Company, Palo Alto) and Michel Nischan (The Dressing Room and Wholesome Wave Foundation, Fairfield, Connecticut). All have been recognized in past years as Celebrity Chef Ambassadors.

Also attending as a Special Guest Celebrity Chef will be Tracy Griffith (Sushi American Style, Los Angeles) – one of America’s first female sushi chefs and the author of Sushi American Style, who acquired her love of sushi through her half-sister, actress Melanie Griffith.

The Friday gala on May 15 – the signature celebration at Cooking for Solutions and a sell-out event every year – offers gourmet dishes from appetizers to desserts, created by the celebrity chefs, their local host chefs and 60 exceptional regional restaurants. In addition, 55 premium vintners from California and the western U.S. will pour organic and sustainable wines.

The gala will be preceded by a wine and hors d’oeuvres reception with Alton Brown. Thomas Keller will sign his cookbooks during the gala, and will host a deluxe food and wine adventure on Saturday, May 16 along with winemaker Jim Fetzer and Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard.

Saturday’s lineup of Food and Wine Adventures includes culinary outings with other Cooking for Solutions chefs. Several chefs will also present morning cooking demonstrations at the aquarium, featuring sustainable seafood and other ingredients.

Saturday evening brings the fourth Sustainable Seafood Challenge, an “Iron Chef”-like event in which four Cooking for Solutions chefs prepare tasty seafood dishes from the same sustainable ingredients in a tournament-style kitchen set-up. Sam Choy and Alton Brown will provide lively commentary, and will serve on the judging panel that recognizes the chefs in four fun categories.

The aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, which inspired creation of Cooking for Solutions, gives consumers, retailers and restaurateurs the tools and information they need to make seafood choices that help assure a future with abundant ocean wildlife.

Seafood Watch creates regional and national pocket guides to sustainable seafood that consumers can use to guide their seafood buying decisions at the restaurant or market – including a new consumer guide to sustainable sushi that debuted last fall.

Since 1999, Seafood Watch has distributed 27 million pocket guides, all featuring seafood items popular in different regions of the United States. It also partners with zoos, aquarium, conservation organizations, retailers, restaurateurs and seafood purveyors to shift the seafood market in directions that reward fishing practices that protect ocean ecosystems and the marine animals that depend on them.

Seafood Watch recommendations are also available for the iPhone and iPod touch, and for internet-enabled mobile devices.

Tickets for Cooking for Solutions 2009 are available by calling the Monterey Bay Aquarium toll-free at 866-963-9645.

More details about Cooking for Solutions are available online at www.cookingforsolutions.org. You can request event brochures by sending an email to events@mbayaq.org.  

In 2009, the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrates 25 years of inspiring ocean conservation. To learn more, visit www.montereybayaquarium.org.

COOKING FOR SOLUTIONS 2009
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

EVENTS AT A GLANCE:
*aquarium member-only events

Friday, May 15
VIP Reception with Alton Brown 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.* - SOLD OUT
Cooking for Solutions Gala 7:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16
Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstrations 8 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Food & Wine Adventures 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Deluxe Adventure with Thomas Keller, Jim Fetzer and Julie Packard 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sustainable Seafood Information Fair 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Reception with Alton Brown and Sam Choy and four other celebrity chefs, and Sustainable Seafood Challenge – 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.* - SOLD OUT

EVENT DETAILS:

Reception with Alton Brown – SOLD OUT
Friday, May 15
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Monterey Bay Aquarium Auditorium and Portola Restaurant
$275 (aquarium members only); tax deductible portion $100
Includes admission to Cooking for Solutions gala
Join us in the aquarium auditorium and Portola Restaurant for an exclusive private reception with the Food Network’s Alton Brown, our honored Educator of the Year. You’ll enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres, and an entertaining presentation and cooking demonstration by Alton Brown. You’ll take home an autographed salt cellar from the signature line of Alton Brown Gear. Ticket includes admission to the “Cooking for Solutions” gala event that follows.

Cooking For Solutions Gala
Friday, May 15 – 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. – Throughout the aquarium
$150 general public/ $120 aquarium members (tax-deductible portion $55 general public, $25 aquarium members)
Enjoy the culinary celebration of the year, featuring spectacular gourmet dishes prepared by our celebrity chefs and 60 outstanding regional restaurants; organic and sustainable wines from 55 premium West Coast wineries; and a book signing with The French Laundry’s Thomas Keller, our honored Chef of the Year. A silent auction benefiting the aquarium’s Seafood Watch program will feature outstanding culinary adventures, great wines and many one-of-a-kind items. Admission ticket includes souvenir wineglass and an event program with recipes from participating chefs.

Celebrity Chef Cooking Demonstrations
Saturday, May 16 – 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
$75 general public/ $60 aquarium members
Join celebrity chefs Frank Stitt, Jim Dodge and Regina Charboneau for a morning of lively cooking demonstrations at the aquarium, featuring sustainable seafood and other ingredients. Includes premium continental breakfast, take-home recipes by Cooking for Solutions chefs.

Food & Wine Adventures
Saturday, May 16 – 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
$225 general public/ $175 aquarium members (tax deductible portion $140 general public, $90 aquarium members)
Take part in one of five group events led by our celebrity chefs—each exploring some aspect of sustainable foods on the farm and in the kitchen. Depending on the adventure, you’ll join John Ash, Frank Cardoz, Sam Choy, Joyce Goldstein or Michel Nischan for a fascinating culinary exploration and some hands-on experiences, too. Food and wine presentations and gourmet picnic lunch are included. Details:

Tour 1: The Art of Food – SOLD OUT
Hosted by Estancia
Join celebrity chef Floyd Cardoz (Tabla Restaurant, New York) and Wendy Brodie (Art of Food, Carmel Highlands), along with members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch staff for a tour of Monterey’s commercial wharf, including the aquaculture operation at Monterey Bay Abalone Company. You’ll then head south to Wendy’s Carmel Highlands home where she and Floyd will prepare and serve a gourmet lunch in a demonstration kitchen that affords sweeping views of forest and ocean.  Premium wines provided by Estancia.

Tour 2: Paradise Found
Hosted by The Lodge at Pebble Beach
Join Award-winning restaurateur, best-selling cookbook author and TV host Sam Choy and Benjamin Brown, executive chef of The Lodge at Pebble Beach, as they unleash a mixture of culture and flavors for your pleasure.  Sam will offer an educational, entertaining cooking demonstration, and show off his culinary techniques that have made him famous world wide. Afterward, you’ll enjoy a fabulous lunch prepared by the talented chefs of The Lodge, accompanied by premium wines from Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards.

Tour 3: Scheid Vineyards Celebration
Enjoy a driving tour through Monterey County’s acclaimed Salinas Valley wine region with culinary teacher, chef and author Joyce Goldstein. You’ll arrive at the beautiful Scheid Vineyards in sun-drenched South County for a vineyard walk with winemaker Dave Nagengast before Joyce entertains you with a cooking demonstration. You’ll relax over a gourmet lunch provided by provided Terry Teplitzky of Michael’s Catering, accompanied by Scheid’s award-winning wines.

Tour 4: A Culinary Affair
Join three great cooking teachers for a hands-on experience at the Culinary Center of Monterey on Cannery Row. You’ll create dishes inspired by the cuisines of Spain, Mexico and Southeast Asia as you work side by side with John Ash, one of America’s most engaging cooking instructors; Mary Pagan of the Culinary Center of Monterey and Jeff Jake of Carneros Inn in the Napa Valley. Participants will have a chance to work with each chef, then dine together on the “small plates” dishes you’ve prepared. Your meal will be accompanied by great wines from Bonterra and Fetzer vineyards, and you’ll get insights into the wine from a Fetzer/Bonterra expert.

Tour 5: Bernardus Bound
Head out to Carmel Valley with chef Michel Nischan for a tour of the organic gardens at Bernardus Lodge, an elegant country inn where the bounty of the gardens and vineyards is featured on the menu. You’ll dine on the sun-drenched patio, where you’ll be treated to a memorable lunch prepared by Executive Chef Cal Stamenov. Before your meal, Michel will offer an al fresco cooking demonstration, drawing on his commitment to seasonal, fresh and local ingredients.

Deluxe Adventure: The Legends Tour
Saturday, May 16 - 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
$850 general public/$675 aquarium members (tax-deductible portion, $700 general public/$525 aquarium members)
Enjoy a day with three giants from the worlds of food, wine and ocean conservation when you travel to the Packard family’s Rancho Grande on the Big Sur coast for a fine meal, fine wine and casual fireside chat with chef of the year Thomas Keller, wine innovator Jim Fetzer and Monterey Bay Aquarium Executive Director Julie Packard. As you take in the spectacular views from the ocean-view ranch house, you’ll hear stories from our three legends about their inspiration and experiences. Your gourmet lunch prepared by Whole Foods will be delicious and dramatic, highlighting many influences from Spain: tapas, wonderful cheeses and a flavorful paella prepared as you watch – all paired with wonderful Ceàgo Vinegarden wines. Casual fireside chat with Julie, Jim and Thomas.

Sustainable Seafood Challenge – SOLD OUT
Saturday, May 16 – 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Monterey Plaza Hotel
$150 (aquarium members only; tax-deductible portion, $50)
Join us at the elegant Monterey Plaza Hotel as four of our celebrated chefs race the clock to create tasty (and sustainable) seafood dishes while Sam Choy offers lively commentary. This year’s challenge features Alexandra Guarnaschelli, Nate Appleman, Paul Rogalski and Xavier Deshayes. Frank Stitt, Alton Brown and Sam Choy will be the judges as the chefs compete for honors in one of four fun categories. You'll enjoy fine wine and abundant hors d'oeuvres, and take home an autographed set of plungers measuring cups from the signature line of Alton Brown Gear.

Sustainable Seafood Information Fair
Saturday, May 16 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Aquarium galleries; included with regular aquarium admission
Learn more about sustainable seafood, organic agriculture and sustainable winemaking at information booths as you visit the aquarium galleries. You can attend cooking demonstrations by celebrated chefs, and sample sustainable, wild-caught Alaska salmon. Alton Brown will present a cooking demonstration and an Outer Bay exhibit feeding.

EVENT PACKAGES:

Cooking for Solutions Gala + Cooking Demonstrations
$190 general; $150 aquarium member (tax-deductible portion $55 general public, $25 aquarium members)

Cooking for Solutions Gala + Food and Wine Adventures (Tours 2-5)
$320 general; $250 aquarium member (tax-deductible portion: $140 general public/$75 aquarium members)
More information: Call (831) 644-7561 or visit www.cookingforsolutions.org.
Tickets: Order tickets by calling toll-free, 866-963-9645 (or 831-647-6886 on the Monterey Peninsula); press 5 for Special Events.
To request an event brochure: E-mail events@mbayaq.org.