Cooking for Solutions

Cooking for Solutions 2003

Do you want to understand more about how your buying decisions affect the health of the oceans and the soil? Then you'll want to attend the second-annual Cooking for Solutions at the Monterey Bay Aquarium May 30-31, 2003.

America's greatest chefs will be creating great dishes, leading tours of sustainable farms and vineyards, and will come together at a VIP banquet to honor Diana Kennedy, the champion of regional Mexican cuisine and environmentally sustained living. Chef hosts include Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook and Narsai David, as well as celebrity chefs from restaurants across the nation.

Here's a preview of the weekend's schedule:

Friday, May 30, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Reception with Diana Kennedy
Meet Diana Kennedy, advocate for Mexico's rich regional cuisine at a champagne reception where one of her special dishes will be served. Diana will talk about the importance of preserving a nation's culture through its tradional foods, and of "walking your talk" by living lightly on Earth. You'll also receive an autographed copy of Diana Kennedy's Mexican Kitchen.

Friday, May 30, 7:30pm-10:30pm
Cooking for Solutions Gala
An extravaganza of sustainable and organic food, seafood and wine. Two dozen restaurants will offer tastes of gourmet dishes prepared with sustainable ingredients. Twenty wineries will pour sustainable and organic wines. Ten celebrity chefs, working together with local host restaurants, will prepare the featured seafood dishes and talk about them with gala particpants at food stations throughout the aquarium. Diana Kennedy and other chefs will sign copies of their latest books. Included with the ticket is a souvenir wineglass and take-home seafood recipes from the chefs.

Book signings include: Diana Kennedy (Diana Kennedy’s Mexican Kitchen); Jody Adams (In the Hands of a Chef); Judy Rogers (The Zuni Café Cookbook); Ann Cooper (Bitter Harvest); Cory Schreiber (Wildwood); Stephan Pyles (New Tastes from Texas; Tamales; and New Texas Cuisine); and John Mitchell (The Whole Foods Market Cookbook).

Saturday, May 31, 8:30am-11:30am
Sustainable Seafood Cooking Demonstrations
Join Jody Adams (Rialto/Boston), Stephan Pyles (Star Canyon/Dallas) and Susan Spicer (Bayona/New Orleans) as they demonstrate ways to prepare sustainable seafood. Price includes continental breakfast, recipe cards, aquarium admission and discount coupon for lunch in the Portola Cafe. Limited registration.

 Saturday, May 31, 7:00pm-11:00pm
Banquet with the Chefs
Join all of our celebrity chefs for a four-course gourmet dinner with wine as we honor Diana Kennedy for her contributions to sustainable cuisine. Noted chef and KCBS radio food  and wine editor Narsai David will make a special presentation to Diana Kennedy. Everyone who attends will be seated at a table with one of the celebrity chefs. Proceeds from a fund-raising auction with elegant food and travel packages will support the aquarium’s Seafood Watch program. Limited registration. 

Saturday, May 31
Farm & Vineyard Tours
Several of the celebrity chefs will lead small-group tours of organic farms, sustainable wineries and aquaculture operations in the Monterey Bay region. They’ll talk about the connection between sustainable farming and wine growing and restoring healthy soil and oceans. Price includes transportation and a gourmet picnic lunch. Limit: 20 people per tour.

Tour 1 – Earthbound Farm
Departs 10 a.m.; returns 2:30 p.m.
Join Suzanne Goin for a tour of one of Earthbound Farm’s organic fields in Carmel Valley. You’ll harvest and take home a basket of farm-fresh produce, and Suzanne will use some of the same spring vegetables as she demonstrates how you can cook your own tasty treats at home. You’ll all enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch while talking with Earthbound Farm growers about organic farming. Suzanne will discuss the importance of choosing local, seasonal produce to create flavorful meals. (Note: Please wear appropriate field-walking shoes.)

Tour 2 – Arroyo Seco Ranch/Jekel Vineyards
Departs 10 a.m.; returns 3:30 p.m.
John Ash (Fetzer Vineyards) and Jeff Jake (The Lodge at Pebble Beach) will lead a field tour in the Salinas Valley, stopping first at the Arroyo Seco Ranch, owned by The Nature Conservancy, where participants will learn how sustainable land practices promote wildlife conservation. Next stop is the Jekel estate winery, which produces award-winning wines by coaxing optimum flavors from local grapes with minimal winemaker intervention. At the winery, participants will help John and Jeff create some of John’s signature recipes and enjoy a gourmet lunch. Winemaker Rick Boyer will share his secrets as he and John talk about pairing food and wine.

Tour 3 – VB Farms/Whole Foods
Departs 9:30 a.m.; returns approx. 2:30 p.m.
Judy Rogers (Zuni Café/San Francisco) and organic grower Vanessa Bogenholm will lead a tour of oceanview VB Farms on San Andreas Ranch near Watsonville. Participants will see how Vanessa raises organic strawberries with amazing flavor, and will sample four scrumptious varieties before heading to Whole Foods Market in Monterey for a gourmet tasting tour.  From produce to bakery, they’ll taste their way through the store, learning about quality standards, organics, sustainability and artisan foods. The tour includes a fresh, all natural gourmet lunch prepared in Whole Foods teaching kitchen.

Tour 4 – Seafood experience
Departs 10 a.m.; returns approx. 2 p.m.
Cory Schreiber (Wildwood/Portland, Ore.) and Wendy Brodie (Food as Art/Carmel Highlands) will lead a tour of Monterey’s commercial wharf, including the aquaculture operation of Monterey Bay Abalone Co. They’ll offer tips about how to select the freshest seafood, and a Seafood Watch staff member from the aquarium will share information about choosing sustainable seafood. From there, participants head to Wendy’s expansive Carmel Highlands home where Cory and Wendy will prepare and serve a gourmet lunch in her demonstration kitchen overlooking forest and ocean. They’ll also sample farmed oysters from the renowned Hog Island Oyster Co. in Tomales Bay, Calif.

Saturday, May 31, 10:00am-6:00pm
Sustainable Seafood Information Fair
Learn more about sustainable seafood, organic agriculture and sustainable winemaking at information booths as you visit the aquarium galleries. Martin Yan will offer cooking demonstrations in the auditorium and sign cookbooks, and celebrated local chefs will prepare sustainable seafood dishes on our oceanfront deck. We’ll offer tastes of sustainable wild-caught Alaska salmon, too. Autographed cookbooks by celebrity chefs will be on sale in the Gift & Bookstore. Included with regular aquarium admission.

Registration and information: For all programs, call (831) 644-7561, or go to "What's New" at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Chefs include:

Diana Kennedy, author, The Essential Cuisines of Mexico
The “Julia Child of Mexican cooking,” she’s been honored by Mexico for her leadership in promoting traditional Mexican regional cuisine. She lives in an ecological adobe house in Michoacan, which also serves as a center for researching and preserving Mexican cuisine.

Martin Yan, host/author of Yan Can Cook
Celebrated host of the internationally syndicated television program, Yan Can Cook; author of ten best-selling Asian cookbooks; an enthusiastic advocate of Asian cuisine and sustainable seafood.

Jody Adams, Rialto/Red Clay, Boston
Winner of numerous “Best Chef” awards and wide recognition as a rising culinary star who uses seasonal, locally grown ingredients; author of In the Hands of a Chef: Cooking with Jody Adams of Rialto Restaurant.

John Ash, Fetzer Vineyards, Hopland, Calif.
Founder of John Ash & Company in Santa Rosa, Calif.; culinary director for Fetzer Vineyards; an internationally recognized chef, educator, and author credited as a creator of Wine Country Cuisine.

Ann Cooper, The Ross School, East Hampton, N.Y.
Much-honored chef and author of Bitter Harvest: A Chef’s Perspective on the Hidden Dangers in the Foods We Eat and What We Can do About It and A Woman’s Place is in the Kitchen; a leader in the Chefs Collaborative and Women Chefs and Restaurateurs.

Traci Des Jardins, Jardiniere, San Francisco
Her California French menu has earned her many “Best Chef” honors and consistent ranking as one of the Bay Area’s finest restaurants; her strong environmental principles are reflected in every aspect of her restaurant.

 Jim Dodge, The Getty Center, Los Angeles
A much-honored chef in the United States and Hong Kong; author of the award-winning cookbook, The American Baker; a contributing editor to Joy of Cooking.

Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Founding chef of a much-honored French-Mediterranean bistro devoted to seasonal cuisine and local ingredients; deeply committed to promoting sustainable seafood.

Stephan Pyles, Star Canyon/AquaKnox, Dallas
Award-winning chef acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of Southwestern Cuisine; PBS-TV host and author of New Tastes From Texas; active with organizations combating hunger.

Judy Rogers, Zuni Café, San Francisco
Veteran chef/owner of a restaurant that has become a San Francisco institution; author of The Zuni Café Cookbook.

Cory Schreiber, Wildwood, Portland, Ore.
Award-winning founding chef emphasizes regional cuisine and organic ingredients; his family has a four-generation history in Oregon’s seafood industry; author of Wildwood: Cooking from the Source in the Pacific Northwest.

Susan Spicer, Bayona/Herbsaint, New Orleans
Founding chef of a French Quarter restaurant honored nationally and considered a “jewel in the crown” of New Orleans cuisine.

John Mitchell, Whole Foods Market Northern Pacific Regional Chef
Launched the award-winning Lark Creek restaurant in Walnut Creek; develops prepared food menus that emphasize high quality, organic ingredients and seasonal specialties.

Kelsie Kerr & Alan Tangren, Chez Panisse, Berkeley
Two of the leading forces from the restaurant that has helped redefine the American diet with its commitment to freshness, locality and seasonality. Kelsie Kerr is co-chef in the downstairs restaurant. Alan Tangren is the co-pastry chef, former forager, and a collaborator in Alice Waters’ book, Chez Panisse Fruit.

Special Presenter
Narsai David, Kensington, Calif.
Nationally renowned chef, author, food authority and radio/television host; created Narsai’s Restaurant, Narsai’s Market and Narsai’s Specialty Foods; promotes seasonally fresh gourmet dining; a partner in two Carmel restaurants (Grasing’s and the Carmel Chop House).