Last Sunday, there was an incredible gathering of renowned chefs from Los Angeles restaurants that worked together for a wonderful culinary benefit. The fifth annual Taste of the Nation for No Kid Hungry took place Media Park in Culver City on a lovely, sunny Southern California afternoon. I attended the event as media and am excited to share with you what it was like to attend the culinary event of the season.
As I walked in, I heard classic tunes and people of all ages are laughing, eating and sipping, all to support the end of childhood hunger. Over 40 restaurants participated offering sampling plates of everything from Grilled Spicy Melon Salad to Miso Donuts with Honey Caramel (from the popular west side likely to see a celebrity hot spot, Hinoki & the Bird). Each offering was so tempting that hard to choose where to start.
Tasting plates consisting of flavors from all over the nation were well-represented. A ticket to the festival provides unlimited plates and there was something for everyone.
This was also a great opportunity to chat with the restaurants and partners. There was no shortage of tasty bites to sample.
Oh and did I mention that beverages and craft cocktails were also included with admission? They were and they were outstanding.
This event was well-organized and I cannot think of a better way to support such a great and necessary cause. Chefs had the food items ready to go so unlike many festivals, lines moved very quickly, which added to the fun. Families were able to enjoy the offerings at tables and on picnic blankets while listening to musical entertainment.
There were also some sweet appliances from LG Electronics (one of the National sponsors and my sponsor) featured at the event.
They were showcasing the new LG Black Stainless Steel Series kitchen appliances with a warmer, satin-smooth and fingerprint-resistant black stainless steel finish – a true alternative to traditional stainless steel and sweet looking!
They also had a cool refrigerator that has compartments that you can open from the front without opening the entire fridge. There was also a special cooking drawer that you could set to different temperatures depending on what you put in it.
There was also a silent auction offering items from food, travel, signed entertainment posters and dining opportunities to also benefit No Kids Hungry.
Participating restaurants included:
- Serious Barbecue
- Akasha
- AMARA Kitchen
- Badmaash
- The Bellwether
- Birch
- Blue Window
- Border Grill
- Briks Restaurant
- Cake Monkey
- The Cannibal Beer and Butcher
- Charcoal Venice
- Chichen Itza
- The Culver Hotel
- Corazon y Miel
- Ditmas Kitchen and Cocktail
- DogHaus
- Eagle Rock Brewery
- Eggslut
- Estrella
- Faith & Flower
- Guerilla Tacos
- Hanjip
- Hatchet Hall
- Hinoki & the Bird
- Jitlada Southern Thai Cuisine
- Kali
- Knead & Co. Pasta Bar + Market
- The Larchmont
- La Brea Bakery
- Little Beast
- Love & Salt
- Madcapra
- Maple Block Meat Co.
- Phorage
- Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
- Playa Provisions
- Ramen Hood
- Salt & Straw
- SAMBAR
- Sotto
- Sweetfin Pike
- Terrine
- Upper West
- Union
- Valerie confections
- Viviane
- Wexler’s Deli
The National sponsors of this event are:
The event proceeds benefitted the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, the California Food Policy Advocates, the Westside Food Bank and No Kid Hungry Los Angeles.
For information on No Child Hungry events in other cities, check out the schedule at the LG No Kids Hungry website page. It was an incredible day and not to be missed! My best tip is to go to the event hungry because you won’t be for long. I cannot think of a better way to spend a day!
LG is partnering with No Kid Hungry to bringing families together in the kitchen and making it easy to put healthy and delicious meals on the table, working to ensure that every child in the country has access to healthy food. In case you may not be aware, 16 million children (1 in 5) struggle with hunger. But they aren’t hungry because of a lack of food or programs – they are often hungry because of a lack of access to food. LG also has a website dedicated to this partnership.
Have you heard of the No Kid Hungry Movement?
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