The Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB) has increased its fundraising goal for the 14th Annual Blue Jeans Ball to $500,000—enough to provide 1.25 million meals to those in need around metropolitan Washington. Following its recent move to stop accepting junk food donations, the CAFB received national praise among leading voices in the fight against hunger, resulting in record levels of pre-event exposure and sponsorship. Consequently, the organization is introducing new elements at this year’s gala celebration, slated for Sunday, April 23, with the goal of funding more nutritious meals than ever before.
New food and drink:
- New restaurants serving 40+ savory and sweet bites include Colada Shop (“Little Havana Done Right” – Washington Post), Arroz by Mike Isabella, Pub and the People
- Mixology Chair Gina Chersevani, Buffalo & Bergen, to pour specialty cocktail
- Chef Chair Ryan Ratino, Ripple to feature kampachi crudo with uni botarga and leche de tigre mousse
New entertainment:
- New Orleans-style band Dupont Brass will entertain throughout the evening
- Unique bottles from outstanding distilleries will be offered at a special “Spirits Pull,” where a $35 donation offers guests the chance to take home a bottle of prized liquor
New auction items:
- One week’s stay at an 18th century farmhouse in Umbria, Italy
- Tour for 20 of BrightFarms’ hydroponic greenhouse, with catered lunch and as many greens as you can carry
- Austin, Texas dream trip: 7 days for four guests with live music, famous Austin dining, and much more
- Tickets to the 117th U.S. Open golf tournament, with hospitality included
As always, guests arrive in their most fashionable denim and taste to their hearts’ content. Each ticket to the Blue Jeans Ball provides 500 life-changing meals for people in need in our area, and can be purchased at capitalareafoodbank.org/blue-jeans-ball/.
When: Sunday, April 23, 2017
5 pm: VIP reception
6 pm: Tastings, cocktails and silent auction
8 pm: Program & live auction
Where: Marriott Marquis Hotel
901 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Hotel valet parking available for a fee
Why: The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease and obesity. By partnering with nearly 450 community organizations in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly in hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents. Visit: capitalareafoodbank.org, facebook.com/CapitalAreaFoodBank, and Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc.
Meet Lisa Messerschmidt, whose life was changed by the Blue Jeans Ball. With a parent who needed care and no sibling to rely on for help, she had to leave work and rely on her husband’s salary alone. When he then lost his job due to the government shutdown, they couldn’t pay their bills, had their car repossessed, and their credit crashed. Lisa spent the next couple of years at the mercy of others, at times living without heat, running water, medical care, or, very often, food.
Enter her neighborhood nonprofit, supplied with food by the Capital Area Food Bank. They provided her family with the training and resources needed to get back on their feet – starting with vegetables, fruit and other ingredients to cook with. In Lisa’s words, “having food on the table made everything else seem possible.” The Capital Area Food Bank helped to turn crisis into stability for her family, and by attending this year’s Blue Jeans Ball, guests can do the same for others.
Each ticket to the Blue Jeans Ball provides 500 life-changing meals for people in need in our area. Today, Lisa works for the food bank, helping distribute food made possible by the Blue Jeans Ball.
When: Sunday, April 23, 2017
5 pm: VIP reception
6 pm: Tastings, cocktails and silent auction
8 pm: Program & live auction
Where: Marriott Marquis Hotel
901 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Hotel valet parking available for a fee
What: 40+ savory and sweet tasting stations from Oyamel, The Palm, Ripple, Occidental and more…Made-to-order cocktails from Mixology Chairs Gina Chersevani (Buffalo & Bergen) & Eddie Kim (Bar Dupont)…and the Washington Redskins Foundation has joined this year’s effort to end childhood hunger!
How: Ticket details available at capitalareafoodbank.org/blue-jeans-ball/; as always, guests arrive in their most fashionable denim and taste to their hearts’ content!
About: The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease and obesity. By partnering with nearly 450 community organizations in DC, Maryland and Virginia, as well as delivering food directly in hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12 percent of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents. Visit: capitalareafoodbank.org, facebook.com/CapitalAreaFoodBank, and Twitter at @foodbankmetrodc.
Shaw Main Streets will host its annual Taste of Shaw Gala on Tuesday April 25, 2017, from 7pm to 9pm. The annual event celebrates the neighborhood’s diverse businesses and residents, and is a fundraiser for initiatives that enhance and promote commerce within the Shaw neighborhood. DC’s beloved Howard Theatre will be the backdrop for live music and libations and delicious bites from some of DC’s best bars and restaurants. Proceeds from the event support Shaw Main Streets’ economic revitalization and historic preservation activities in the Shaw neighborhood of DC, which have helped bring about the transformation of central Shaw since 2003. This year’s hashtag, #LoveShaw, represents the comradery of Shaw’s business owners and the citywide support and accolades the neighborhood continues to receive. From Michelin stars to Rammy nominations and stellar reviews, Shaw’s bars and restaurants continue to help raise the Shaw neighborhood’s profile locally and nationally.
A hospitality renaissance led by top chefs and mixologists has been under way in recent years, bringing fresh concepts and perspectives in cuisine and beverage, as well as a host of new talent, making Shaw the city’s top dining and imbibing destination. Recent openings such as the neighborhood craft cocktail bar Service Bar DC (a new take on the local watering hole from veteran bartenders Chad Spangler and Glendon Hartley), the Chinese-French concept Kyirisan from husband and wife team Tim and Joey Ma, and neighborhood anchors such as The Passenger, DC’s favorite industry bar, and Convivial, which was one of 2015’s opening highlights; will be among the many participants in the annual Shaw Main Streets Gala. Shaw Main Streets invites the entire region to explore some of the best of the neighborhood has to offer at one venue, on one special evening.
Guests can expect a festive atmosphere, open beer and wine bar, and unlimited cuisine and cocktails from a Taste of Shaw’s stellar host committee of chefs, restaurateurs, and mixologists. Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen will receive the 2017 Shaw Champion Award, chosen by the Board of Directors of Shaw Main Streets for his consistent support of economic revitalization in Shaw and SMS’ efforts to create the thriving community that Shaw is today. Appearances by Mayor Bowser and other public officials are also slated.
The 2017 Taste of Shaw host committee includes the following bars and restaurants:
The Brixton Buttercream Bakeshop Cava
Convivial Dacha Dino’s Grotto
The Tavern at Henley Park Eat the Rich El Rey
Etete French Quarter Brasserie Haikan
Half Smoke Kyirisian La Jambe
The Passenger Service Bar Seylou
Southern Efficiency Tiger Fork
Advance tickets are $80 and can be ordered online at www.smsgala17.eventbrite.com. On the day of the event, tickets will be $100. Tickets include unlimited food and cocktail tastings, beer and wine, and complimentary valet parking.
BRABO Tasting Room is flexing its happy hour ‘mussels’ with a spring patio party on Sunday, May 7 from 3:30-6:30 p.m. Newly-appointed Executive Chef Sebastien Rondier invites all Old Town Alexandrians to the restaurant’s picturesque courtyard for an al fresco happy hour featuring a one-day-only menu created for the special afternoon! While listening to lively music, ticket holders will have the opportunity to meet new friends and neighbors, and enjoy as many oysters, mussels, frites, and refreshments as they desire.
Patio sips will include microbrews from Port City Brewing and 21st Amendment Brewery as well as a variety of international and domestic rosé wines from BRABO Tasting Room’s new “Around the World in Eight Rosés” menu. For those looking for a more low-key Sunday, house-made ginger beer and nitro draft coffee will be available on tap.
French-born Chef Sebastien, turned Alexandrian resident, will greet guests throughout the party and share stories from his globetrotting career. Each guest will receive a special invitation card to try the new happy hour ceviche. Chef Sebastien’s patio-party menu reflects BRABO Tasting Room’s casual and neighborly atmosphere. It includes the following:
Hors d’oeuvres
- Virginia oysters in a mint and cucumber gin gelee
- Mini veal burgers
- Cerdonia Farms crispy pork belly with local ramps and a blackberry & pepper reduction
- Freshly-shucked oysters on the half shell
Mussels
- Port Town – mussels with Port City beer, whole grain mustard butter, and herbs
- Harissa – mussels with harissa broth, grilled scallions, sautéed red onions, and red bell peppers
- Salumi – mussels with salumi broth, herb butter, roasted tomatoes, and serrano chips
Frites
- Espelette pepper frites
- Parmesan and truffle frites
- Garlic and parsley frites
Tickets for the BRABO Tasting Room patio party are $50 each, all inclusive of food and beverage, and available at https://brabopatioparty.eventbrite.com.
A Taste of Lettuce features:
Reception
- Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, Alaska King Crab, Shrimp Cocktail, Lobster Roll Bites on Brioche, Beef Tenderloin Sliders| Chef Chris Morvis
- Summer House Santa Monica, Ahi Tuna Tostadas with watermelon and thai chili; Real Cali Roll with king crab, avocado and cucumber| Chef Matt Delano
First Course
Wildfire, Wildfire Chopped Salad with avocado, bacon, blue cheese, chicken and citrus vinaigrette
Second Course
- RPM Italian, Strozzapretti Cacio E Pepe with pecorino, black pepper, parmesan brodo; Cavatelli Bolognese with a short rib ragu; Main Lobster Ravioli with spinach pasta and chili flakes
Main Course
- RPM Italian, Whole Roasted Branzino with salsa verde; Pork Arrosti with roasted heirloom carrots and pea greens; Chicken Parmesan baked in the wood oven
Dessert
- Mon Ami Gabi, Salted Chocolate Caramel Tart with chocolate ganache and vanilla chantilly
WHEN: Monday, May 8, 2017 at 6:30 pm
WHERE: RPM Italian DC – 650 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20001
COST: $85/per person, plus tax (gratuity not included)
The 2017 Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA (A Drew Company) will highlight dishes and flavors from all around the world. Embassy chefs will gather on Wednesday, May 24 in the Atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, where they will show off their skills and compete for the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards.
The Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge not only encourages culinary diplomacy, but also celebrates the arts of many cultures and highlights some of the area’s amazing musicians, dancers and singers. Throughout the evening, cultural dances and artists will grace the stage along with the headlining band, City of the Sun, an instrumental post-rock trio from Brooklyn, New York.
“We are honored to bring together some of the world’s most culturally-distinct talents in the culinary and performing arts for the second-consecutive Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge,” said Erik A. Moses, senior vice president and managing director of sports, entertainment, and special events at Events DC. “May is International Cultural Awareness Month in DC and we look forward to both celebrating and advancing the city’s cultural diplomacy through cuisine and entertainment.”
Patrons can expect to taste traditional dishes from cultures both common and impossible to find in Greater-Washington such as salmon ceviche and merquén mussels curated by Chef Guillermo Muñoz of Chile. Haitian Embassy chef Cynthia Verna will be preparing a full-spread comprised of creole chicken, yellow basmati rice served with pigeon peas, Roma tomatoes and coconut milk; and a beet and carrot salad with homemade lime dressing. Representing the Embassy of Barbados, Chef Damien Leach will offer a unique spin on tropical fish with his piña colada mahi mahi filet.
Chef Red Garcia of the Philippines will be defending his title with a dish that uses a classic wrapping method called “binalot” – which is a way of wrapping foods with banana leaves, derived from the word ballot, which means “to wrap.” He will have a variety of foods to wrap such as rice, meat, fish, eggs and pickled vegetables. Dishes like kottu roti from the Embassy of Sri Lanka may be new to American diners and guests will have a chance to taste the dish and speak with the embassy’s culinary team about how it is prepared. Chef Anuradha Wijesinghe explains kottu roti as being made with godhamba roti, vegetables, egg or meat and spices.
Embassies will also be offering various native cocktails, beer, and wine to be sampled throughout the evening. Singapore will be serving up the city’s famous “Singapore Sling,” while the Embassy of Bolivia will have a selection of Bolivian wines for patrons to taste. The Embassy of Azerbaijan will be offering a variety of both red and white wines from their emerging high-altitude growing regions.
Chefs from every corner of the globe will be competing, including:
| ASIA | AFRICA | EUROPE | THE AMERICAS |
| Afghanistan Azerbaijan Bangladesh Indonesia Iraq Nepal Pakistan Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka Uzbekistan |
Ghana Kenya Mauritius Morocco Rwanda |
Belgium Cyprus Germany Greece Malta Moldova |
Bahamas Barbados Bolivia Chile Dominican Republic El Salvador Ecuador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Paraguay Peru |
TICKETS: Purchase your tickets and join the cultural event. General admission tickets are $75 and will include all global sips and bites and access to all live entertainment. For $125, VIP guests can enjoy a one-hour early entry to meet all chef’s and network with embassy community elites. For ticket purchases and more information about the event, please visit www.eventsdcembassychefchallenge.com.
WHAT: Embassy chefs from around the world will gather for the 2017 Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge presented by TCMA (A Drew Company), to showcase the unique flavors of their countries in a friendly, delicious culinary competition. With more than 30 embassies participating, this year’s event offers attendees a global culinary experience unmatched in Washington DC.
Attendees will have the opportunity to sample a sip and bite from all participating embassy chefs, and cast their votes for the People’s Choice award. The winner will be announced alongside the Judges’ Choice – selected by a group of elite members of the worlds of diplomacy, culture and the culinary arts, who will critique each dish and beverage before placing their votes.
The Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge not only encourages culinary diplomacy, but also celebrates the arts of many cultures and highlights some of the area’s amazing musicians, dancers and singers. In years’ past, performances have included Bolivian folk dancers, Russian violinists, Chinese dancers and Brazilian samba artists. This year’s event will feature a non-stop range of performances to accompany the delicious food and drink that will be served.
Embassy of Barbados, swept the competition in 2015 winning over the people and the judges, and was the Judges’ Choice winner last year, alongside Peoples’ Choice winner Embassy of the Philippines. Both countries will return to the competition this year to defend their titles and win another coveted golden pineapple.
WHEN: Wednesday, May 24, 2017, 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: Atrium of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20460
WHO: Chefs from every corner of the globe will be competing, including:
| ASIA | AFRICA | EUROPE | THE AMERICAS |
| Afghanistan Azerbaijan Bangladesh Indonesia Iraq Kazakhstan Japan Korea Nepal Pakistan Philippines Qatar Saudi Arabia Singapore Sri Lanka |
Ghana Kenya Mauritius Morocco Tunisia |
Belgium Germany Moldova Ukraine |
Bahamas Barbados Bolivia Chile Dominican Republic Ecuador Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Paraguay Peru Uruguay |
PRICE: General Admission – $65.00
Includes all the global sips and bites and live entertainment
VIP – $95.00
Includes one-hour early entry to meet chefs, taste their offerings, and network with embassy community elite
For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.eventsdcembassychefchallenge.com/home_2017#tickets
Today, World Central Kitchen opens ticket sales for Dine-N-Dash, the primary annual fundraiser for José Andrés’s international organization focused on smart solutions to hunger and poverty. The June 7 event is a raucous progression with the anticipated participation of more than 30 of Washington, D.C.’s best restaurants, and includes appearances by nationally recognized food celebrities, including Andrew Zimmern.
“We are excited to be having our fifth Dine-N-Dash this year!” Andrés said. “I cannot believe it has already been five years. We have a goal of raising $500,000 for World Central Kitchen, and it is incredible that in our first year we raised $75,000, and now we are hoping to raise a half a million dollars. I am so happy to see how this event has grown.”
Now in its fifth year, Dine-N-Dash aims to raise over $500,000 to support World Central Kitchen’s smart solutions to hunger and poverty, which include food safety and sanitation training, building school kitchens, clean cookstove conversion, and job creation. The D.C.-based brainchild of celebrated chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen operates under the direction of Brian MacNair, mobilizing its Chef Network to tackle issues of poverty and hunger in a growing list of countries that includes Haiti, Cambodia, Zambia, and the Dominican Republic. Chefs like Victor Albisu, Tom Colicchio and Erik Bruner-Yang have travelled with the organization for on-the-ground action and instruction.
“We have a lot of fantastic fundraising events in D.C., but Dine-N-Dash is really something special,” MacNair said. “We don’t hold this in a food hall or event space. We bring our community of supporters into the restaurants to experience not only the chef’s food, but the feel and design of their spaces and the character of the neighborhood. World Central Kitchen is all about connecting a global food community for the betterment of all, and Dine-N-Dash reflects that idea in a really fun way.”
Dine-N-Dash will take place on June 7 from 6-10pm. This year, over 30 restaurants are expected to participate, a huge increase from the six that took part in the event’s first year. Originally located in Penn Quarter, the Charles Schwab-sponsored event is now split evenly between the original neighborhood and the busy 14th Street corridor. Guests select a starting restaurant when they buy a ticket, and from there progress from establishment to establishment at their whim, with each offering a selection of 6-8 dishes and 4-6 drinks. There will be live music at many of the participating restaurants, and a selection of the city’s finest food trucks will ensure that even trips between restaurants will be delicious.
VIP ticketholders will be invited to the VIP–only pre-party pop-up sponsored by MGM National Harbor that brings Andrés’s FISH and the Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse to Penn Quarter at a soon-to-be disclosed location. The pre-party will be hosted by Andrés and attended by celebrity chefs, including Andrew Zimmern and Ted Allen. The pop-up space will open to the public at 7pm.
When: Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Time: 6-10pm
Price: General Admission: $125, VIP: $400
Tickets: Available today at https://dinendash.info/
Participating Restaurants To-Date Include:
- Penn Quarter
- Bantam King
- China Chilcano
- Del Campo
- Denson
- Graffiato
- Jaleo
- MGM National Harbor Pop-up with Fish by José Andrés and Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse
- Oyamel
- Pepe (food truck)
- Proof
- Rocklands (food truck)
- SEI
- Zaytinya
- 14th Street
- Black Jack
- B Too
- Colada Shop
- Dangerously Delicious Pies (food truck)
- Dirty South (food truck)
- Doi Moi
- Estadio
- Ghibellina
- Lupo Verde
- Pearl Dive
- Policy
- Sotto
- T Street Block Party with Taqueria Nacional, Colada Shop and Ice Cream Jubilee
Aloha, Washington! Radiator is bringing Hawaiian flavor to D.C.’s 14th Street Corridor on Friday, June 23. Aromas of roasted pig in the summer air will direct tiki-lovers to Radiator’s patio for a luau party complete with hula and fire dancing.
For a $50 all-inclusive ticket, on the first official Friday night of summer, Washingtonians can embrace “island time” al fresco with a full tropical spread of Hawaiian classics and frozen tiki favorites. Tommy Bahama shirts, puka shell necklaces, Moana costumes, and comfortable sandals are welcome and strongly encouraged for “hanging ten” in style. Executive Chef Jonathan Dearden will be on the patio firing up his La Caja China with whole roasted pigs. Lead Bartender and native Hawaiian, Sarah Rosner, will be pouring piña coladas and frozen “Eddie Would Go” cocktails with Okolehao (a Hawaiian ti root spirit).
The luau party will be from 5:00-9:00 p.m. Professional Polynesian dancers will be performing hula and fire dancing throughout the evening, with a special dance lesson at 7:00 p.m. for ticket holders.
Tickets are $50, include all food and drink, and can be purchased at this Eventbrite link.
Radiator’s Rotating Rooftop Pop-Up
Shhh…it’s a little D.C. secret that the Kimpton Mason & Rook Hotel has a rooftop. This spring and summer, the Radiator team is popping up on the Mason & Rook rooftop with a different monthly theme. April’s “Cocktail” theme was an ode to the 1988 movie, and May’s “Radiator on the Green” theme was a cheeky take on a rooftop country club. Keeping with the luau love, June will be the month of all things Hawaii. The tiki-themed pop-up begins at 5:00 p.m. every day from June 1-30, 2017.
- Cochinita Pibil
- Al Pastor
- Grilled Chicken
- Carne Asada
- Braised Chicken Mole
