I am a passionate advocate of PLANNED PARENTHOOD, that organization which does so much to alleviate the suffering of the less-fortunate in our society. I'll tell you more about their activities in a minute, but I must note that their 36th annual fund-raising endeavor, FOOD FARE, is taking place on Thursday, March 5th, in a mid-morning and evening session...,,and it is simply the best food-and-fun event of the year. It's that all-day party which features more than 100 restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries, vendors, auctions, raffles and more. Visitors get unlimited food-and-drink while supporting a terrific cause. The money raised goes to benefit the education and healthcare initiatives of PLANNED PARENTHOOD LOS ANGELES. Things like life-saving cancer screenings, birth control help and info (yes!), STD testing and treatment. Last year, PPLA provided over 270,000 patient visits throughout Los Angeks county. This year the event will again take place at the Barker Hanger (3021 Airport Avenue), that singular large venue at the Santa Monica Airport.
I relish walking around the huge hanger while noshing on gourmet bites from the dozens upon dozens of restaurants participating. Just a sample: Lucques, Blue Plate Oysterette, Drago, Clementine, AOC, Angelini Osteria (oh, Gino's lasagna!), Umami Burger, Sweet Lady Jane..and, as always, I end up at Pink's for a hot dog with everything. I can shop at the many stalls for everything from art and jewelry to handbags and clothing to knickknacks I have never seen before...cashmere throws, gourmet salts, kids' fashion. So many top retailers are there, and there are the raffles! If you are feeling lucky, you can take a chance and possibly win a dream vacation, or some vintage wine or spirits. (There's a 1955 Petrus Pommeral and a Camus Cognac XO up for grabs in one silent auction.) The 2015 Chefs of the Year, Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts, wll do an In-Home Cocktail Party for 20 as one of the auction items. There's a five-day stay in a gorgeous private apartment in Paris as another item. Ridge Vineyards is offering an auction item of a wine-tasting and vineyard tour in Napa. Maiu is another.
Tickets are available in advance for $150 for the daytime session (11 am to 2 pm), $175, at the door, and $250 for the evening session (6:30 pm to 9:30 pm).$275 at the door. Go to their site for more info....www.pplafoodfare.com.
I've been coming this event since it started in 1979 with a cooking demonstration by Julia Child (don't ask, so funny). The Planned Parenthood Los Angles Guild is an organization of over 170 local women dedicated to providing financial and volunteer support for the organization. Their 19 health care centers throughout L.A. county provide care to nearly150,000 women,men and teens each year. Over 93% of the care is preventive, including life-saving cancer sceenings, birth control, annual exams and STD testing. This is in addition to the nearly 60,000 people in community outreach programs.
The Drago brothers chefs have always been stalwart supporters of the event.
Like I said, great women doing so much to help the less-fortunate. And we can eat our way to sainthood at the same time.
To subscribe to Jay Weston's Restaurant Newsletter ($70 for twelve monthly issues) email him a jayweston@sbcglobal.net.