I was lucky enough to enjoy a gorgeous warm San Francisco night and CUESA’s amazing summer bash – food and beverage tasting fundraiser with 45+ restaurants and 20+ bars to try from.
CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) is a non-profit who promotes a healthy food system through farmers markets and also provides education around it. Their mission is to “grow thriving communities through the power and joy of local food” and their vision is to “inspire a world that nourishes all people, local economies, and the living earth”. They hosted this summer bash fundraiser and it will to Foodwise Kids and Foodwise Teens, which encourages the next generation to eat more healthy.
The venue for this even was the Ferry Building. Upon entering, I was immediately greeted by a row of restaurants. I helped myself to an oyster and other light appetizers and grabbed a Secretariat Jelup from the Treasury who snipped a fresh piece of mint for my drink right on-site!
Ferry Building Pretty entrance
I headed inside and the whole ferry building was set up with so much food, drinks and even activities. I had a sample of pretty much every food item and I loved every single item. I even enjoyed the ones were I was hesitant about, like the ones with peas (I hate peas). I tried a few of the cocktails as well and they were all fresh and delicious. Also, the set up and presentation of these restaurants and bars are amazing! In addition to being delicious, they were all picture worthy as well. I loved that this organization is all about the farmers market and produce and it definitely reflected in all the tastings. Everything was so vibrant, crisp and fresh.
Foodwise Kids/Teens were there too with little activities like choosing what your personaliTEA is (mine was Zesty) or planting a seed of leadership – justice, opportunity or knowledge. In addition, there was silent auction and a passport game you can play to be entered into a raffle.
Overall, it was an AMAZING and DELICIOUS event. I would totally recommend anyone to attend this event, and we’re all eating and drinking for a good cause, right?
And of course… here are some amazing food and drink pics from the event:
Food
Wayfare Tavern | Maple bacon, egg & cheese french toast stick with whipped cream fraiche & caviar Boulettes Larder + Boulibar | Crisp lentil wafer with spiced legume puree, fresh ricotta, turmeric pickle & herb salad International Smoke | Dungeness crab tom kha soup Radhaus | Tellersuize: ham hock terrine with pickled mustard seeds Volcano Kimchi | Hodo soy yuba & volcano kimchi with wild flowers & sliced radish Paula Leduc Fine Catering & Events | Marinated baby artichokes with parmesan custard & crispy leaves Arguello | Arguello ceviche verde The Vault | Vaudovan marinated summer squash with house yogurt seeds & chocolate mint Stem Kitchen & Garden | Grilled stone fruit with Marin Brie & Prociutto Locanda Osteria & Bar | Arancini verde with fontina & summer herbs Bon Appetit Management Company | Hamachi taco & strawberry matcha mille crepe Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates | Good humus farm eureka lemon bonbons & walnut shortbread praline bonbons Miette | Blueberry & apricot macarons Humphry Slocombe | Candied ginger, beet & raspberry ice cream Reem’s California | Muhalabiyya: cardomom milk custard with strawberry rhubarb sauce & toasted pistachios Maybeck’s | Local halibut crudo on a housemade cracker Namu Gaji | Kal Guk Soo: chilled hand cut noodles with a cold red perilla mentsuyu One Market Restaurant | Cherry gazpacho with kampachi, radish, shiso & olive oil MKT Restaurant + Bar | Seared wild caught yellowfin tuna with wild fennel escabeche & saffron aioli Batter Bakery | Chocolate olive oil cake with fresh berries Dosa | Brokaw avocado dahi puri with spiced peaches Duende | Jamon with pickled summer squash toast Artisan Restaurant Collection | Capay mille flour savory profiterole with liberty farm duck liver mousse or fromage blanc Brown Sugar Kitchen | BBQ pulled pork sliders with spicy cabbage slaw Bull Valley Roadhouse | Halibut ceviche with organic corn tortilla, jalapeno, citrus, avocado & harash pepper Besharam | Kanjiwada: tapioca fritter Fort Point Beer Company | Smoked salmon dip with dill pickle chip Marla Bakery Restaurant | Summer jam cake bite with olive oil cake, stone fruit mousseline & lemon thyme buttercream // Lemon thyme farmers cheese with apricot gastrique on a marla bread crostini Comstock Saloon | Garlic bread with tomato jam & Tsar nicolai caviar Starbelly | Yellow corn & manchego sformato with cheese crisp & sweet peppers ALX by Alexander’s Steakhouse | Braised pork belly with chartreuse marinated cherries, preserved meyer lemon curd & ecalyptus Recchuiti Confections | Honeycomb chocolate torte with stone fruit Barbacco | Whipped ricotta crostini with marinated strawberry, crushed spring peas & mini meyer lemon Maker Mark + Rookies | Smoked pork & Maker’s Mark Bourbon rilletes on flatbread cracker with bourbon preserved blueberry Tank 18 | Italian sausage with charred snap pea salad and crispy lentils Dandelion Chocolate | Chocolate panna cotta with sesame & stone fruit The Slanted Door | Banh Nam: pork & shrimp rice dumpling with dried shrimp and fish sauce Bluestem Brasserie | Summer squash with red harissa, yogurt, grapes and hazelnut Kantine | House smoked marinated spring trout salad on sprouted danish rye bread Greens Restaurant | Knoll farms fig leaf & coconut miso cream Rachel Aronow & Mario Curci | Summer “Crudite” Souvla | Traditional Greek spinach & feta pies Marketbar | Fava bean avocado crostini with bay shrimp Hog Island Oyster Co. | Oysters Napa Farms Market | Cowgirl creamery cheese plate with acme bread & accompaniments
Beverages
Maker’s Mark & 15 Romolo Paula Leduc Fine Catering & Events & Lo-Fi Aperitifs | The Lo-Fi Sessions Olipop Denizen Rum & Zombie Village Maitre De Chai Sipsmith | Droop on Loop Harmless Harvest | Coconut water Ada Lovelace Gina & Hello Stranger El Tesoro & Lillie Coit’s | Fresa Fresca Maker’s Mark & The Treasury | Secretariat jelup
Not pictured:
- Carboniste Modern Sparkling Wine
- Fort Point Beer Company
- Marlin Kombucha
- Tintype Winery
- Twomile Wines
- J.H. Cutter
- Broc Cellars
- Ferdinand Wines
- Freemand Vineyard & Winery