Taste of the Nation Re-cap

Sunday, September 26th, Taste of the Nation was held at Sanctuary, to benefit hungry children in America. 100% of ticket sales went to support Share Our Strength’s efforts to end childhood hunger.

Guests were invited to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail reception and silent auction, and later be seated for a 5-course dinner with wine pairings, prepared by one of the city’s finest chefs. Each table of 10 was assigned a specific region of the country, truly making the experience a “taste of the nation”.

Here’s a quick recap of my attendance:

From 4:30-6:00pm, master mixologists from the 11 participating restaurants, each created a signature cocktail and pitched their specialty drink to the crowd… in hopes of winning the popularity contest. Every mixologist brought their best… and their game face.

Here’s how the cocktail competition worked: After sampling all of the cocktails, guests had the opportunity to purchase $1 raffle tickets and were asked to drop their ticket stubs off to their favorite mixologist. Each ticket counted as 1 vote in the cocktail competition. The restaurant with the most tickets at the end of the competition won (winner: Alex from Four Seasons with his delicious, spicy cocktail creation).

During the cocktail competition, guests were also offered bottled water, wine or beer (Stella Artois, with a take-home glass) and were invited to enjoy a lavish, cheese spread provided by Mouco, and appetizers from The Herb Box.

Before I knew it, mingling time was over (time flies when you’re having fun, right?) and we were ready to be seated. The event’s staff was extremely kind and helpful assisting everyone to their assigned table. The participating restaurants and its assigned regions were:

5th and Wine (Denver) / BLT Steak (Omaha) / Cafe ZuZu (Kansas City) / elements (San Diego) / Four Seasons (Austin) / Iruna (Miami) / L’Auberge de Sedona (Napa) / Market Bistro (Santa Fe) / Oakville Grocery (Seattle) / Posh (New Orleans) / T. Cooks (Memphis)

I found myself seated at Iruna’s table, ready to savor Miami cuisine. Immediately, I noticed two, huge gift bags in my seat: take-home goodies! Who doesn’t love schwag?

Iruna’s table décor was stunning and brightly colored… truly Miami-inspired. Culinary genius, Chef Aaron May, welcomed us, and made sure to check that no one at our table had any special diet restrictions or food allergies (I happened to be seated near a guest who is allergic to dairy, and Chef Aaron accommodated all of her needs, even making her a special dessert!) That’s exactly what the entire evening was like: individual attention and interaction with the chef, making it an intimate experience. I, for one, cannot ask for more than that from a meal. Great conversation, getting  to learn more about the chef’s culinary point of view and passion for cooking, great food and to top everything off, our wine glasses were never empty. Now, on to the menu:

The evening’s amuse-bouche was this:

amuse-bouche

A kit-kat bar (yep, you read that right) topped with caviar, bull’s blood greens and a drop of olive oil. Surprisingly, it worked! (You might have thought that Chef May had pulled a fast one on us -believe me, so did we- , but no plate was left with so much as a crumb.)

1st course: Scallop and Sweet Potato Ceviche

1st course: Scallop and Sweet Potato Ceviche

2nd course: Caribbean Sweet Shrimp in Sherry Sauce

2nd course: Caribbean Sweet Shrimp in Sherry Sauce

3rd course: Salt-cured Pork Tenderloin with Moros y Cristianos and Sour Orange Mojo

3rd course: Salt Cured Pork Tenderloin with Moros y Cristianos and Sour Orange Mojo

4th course: Ropa Vieja with Pipperade and Sofrito Sauce

Ropa Vieja with Pipperade and Sofrito Sauce

5th course (dessert): Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberries

Lemon Cheesecake with Raspberries

My favorite? The main course. The pork tenderloin was to die for and was brilliantly paired with the Moros y Cristianos (a dish made of black beans and rice) and topped with Sour Orange Mojo (a traditional Cuban marinade made with sour orange juice, red onion and parsley). The Sour Orange Mojo gave the dish just enough acidity, with a hint of citrus-y sweetness to really bring home the Miami inspiration.

Chef Aaron and his team did an excellent job at my table. I was able to sneak around the banquet room to “spy” on a few of the other chefs, and everything looked (and smelled) absolutely delicious. The event was a huge success and an unforgettable experience… all for a great cause.

Follow Taste of the Nation on twitter (@tastenation) for updates, and check out tweets from other foodies during the Arizona event by searching the #TasteArizona hashtag.

To learn more about Share Our Strength and how to get involved, visit strength.org.

A big thank you to everyone who helped execute Taste of the Nation… it was a wonderful experience!