LA Food and Wine Thread...Wow this was woodstock of chefs

This has been running for 28 years now. It started small with Wolfgang Puck inviting important chef friends of his to raise money for meals on wheels in LA. My dear friend and incredible chef Jimmy Schmidt has been invited all 28 years. Wow.

I cooked it about six years ago the first time and this was my fourth. It used to be one party on the back lot of Universal Studios...Down all the sound stage fake cities. It was crazy fun...but there were almost 100 chefs, 150 wineries, all the booze companies and it was just to big for one event.

This year it was at LA Live in downtown LA next to where the Lakers Play. But there were maybe 50 events stretching all over southern California.

We did a clam bake with nine other world class chefs on friday night. I was Shrimp man
we had to clean and cook 400 Santa Barbara Prawns and then dip them in a ginger sauce



Then they were taken to Jimmy where they were set on top of a BBQ Hogs Island Oyster in a soy garlic ginger compound butter. The shrimp was tossed with some black salt, ginger crystals and finely diced bacon and then some secret drizzles and served with some awesome corn chowder shooters





To be continued!

So we are in downtown...it is seriously like the academy awards or woodstock of famous chefs. My friend and Iron Chef winner Kerry Simon has a restaurant in the hotel and that was the unofficial hang. Had dinner after shrimp with Kerry and Guy Fieri. That was fun.
Bumping into everyone one from Paul Prudhome to Wolfgang...crazy
So here is Saturday night. The band Train played and here is a couple of crowd scenes


I was Duck Man.....Several years ago I was Duck Man and that time it was on Charcoal....we waited and waited for the grill the organizers were supposed to have for us and with a half hour to spare it showed up and was a piece of dog poo...gas and dirty and Im saying...."Imi in over my head to begin with and now I have to cook 300 duck breasts on this?

I had expected charcoal and brought my own Hasty Bake charcoal but the fire marshall wouldnt let anyone burn charcoal!
SO here we go...we had pre rendered some of the fat out at Jimmy's restaurant Morgans in La Quinta
here is the first batch



K here is the final dish....Jimmy made Apple Raviolis....the apple slices were the pasta...they were carmelized and filled with a mango squash filling...then came the duck with a slaw of fresh chantrelle mushrooms and apple salad and some secret drizzles


This was a unbelievable meal we had lines all night!

Wow........... I want that meal......

Great report, awesome pics, thanks BP!

what a thrill for ya. getting to cook for some many famous ppl. getting to hang out and walk around eating. how fun. i am glad you had a great weekend.

Looks like it was a ton of fun and the food looks incredible!

Look like you had one heck of a time! Thanks for sharing all the pics and the amazing food!

Thanks for sharing BP!! The who's who of the food world all together. Awesome!


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Wow!! I would have liked to have been a fly on your shoulder to watch the excitement! Looks like amazing food and an amazing time BP!!

What else can I say but, WOW!!!

Art

I was the culinary version of 'wheres waldo" IT is really great to put yourself in over you head and manage to dog paddle to shore...Im very tired but happy as can be.....