Throw-Down On The Farm,                                                                                        6-24-14

This was an event that I participated in yesterday with 9 other chefs.  It was a fund raiser put on by the East Bay Food Revolution and founder Trace Williams. This is all part of the food revolution started by famed TV chef Jamie Oliver to combat obesity, specifically with children. Trace is putting together the funds for a center to educate children about food and nutrition here in the East Bay. I was very happy to help and be small part of such a worthy cause with big goals. It was held at Sunnyside Seedlings in Richmond where I volunteer in the garden on Wednesdays for the Bay Area Gospel Mission of Richmond.

I'm a big boy now, and I struggle with my weight daily. I was never an obese child, quite the opposite in fact, but I see so many children who are obese here in the city, and it is depressing. The culture of cheap unhealthy over processed fast food, and it's relationship to the health problems, and cost of health care world wide is staggering. Are we headed in the direction of the movie Up?  Is an animated fiction going to be our reality?

I have always felt privileged that I was raised up in a food family i.e., people who grew, and cooked their own food. My Polish grandfather Marcel owned a bar and restaurant a hundred years ago. We didn't have a lot of money but we were wealthy in terms of food. My Mom  Mary worked in the business for almost 70 years. Our home was built  on my Italian grandma Angelina's little farm. Mom and Dad Rocco owned a cafe' for a time till the Danbury flood of 56' washed it away.  My aunt Dolly and Uncle Jimmy had a successful Italian  restaurant for 50 years where myself and my cousins all worked. Good healthy food was a priority. We hardly ever ate out.  Why would we? We could make better food at home. My mother taught me how to cook at a young age because she knew I loved to eat, and I was fascinated with her skills in our little kitchen, and the incredibly delicacies she would make.

We work so hard today in this country that there is barely the time to shop, prepare and cook food. If you don't have any culinary skills I can imagine that cooking can be intimidating, not knowing where to start. Couple that with the lack of exercise and you've got a recipe, no pun intended,  for obesity. If you start life overweight it's damn near impossible to loose it and keep it off.

This was a great time for me to hang out with other chefs, make some new friends, share thoughts, and sample some amazing food. I wasn't one of the winners, and in the end it was a tie between chef Alex Tamburro with his off the chart ravioli and chef Chris Grant from the Mississippi Delta with his crawfish creme brulee'. Yeah you got it, crawfish creme brulee'.

I made  rabbit, with dates and pearl onions. It was a long day for me.
I know I was the oldest chef there, so today I blog and rest, walk the dogs and clean up, maybe have some ice cream. Actually Geri just made some buttery banana nut bread, even better.

I want to thank my sous chefs  Brendan Lathum and Victoria Wagner my sister-in-law, and my nephew Cassius for helping out with cooking and serving.

Also, special thanks to Trace for including me in this wonderful melange of talent. I'm honored.

Peace,

Make Food, Not War

Cassius (foreground)  and the Caliente Sisters

Chef Alex Tamburro winner

Chef  Scott Pampuch and Chef Alli Sosna

Chef Jeremy Enfinger

Chris Dykes...executive chef Bay Area Rescue Mission center

Caliente Sisters Crew

Chef Chris Grant and Chef Alex Tamburro co-winners

Jeremy, Scott and Chris

The People

Brendan serving...Victoria and Cassius background

Group shot...Trace Williams 4th from left