A World of Presidia dinners, which will raise funds for the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, will be held in six American cities in February and March:
Philadelphia: February 28Six adventurous chefs have agreed to create menus based on the unusual and delicious products of the Presidia. They will feature products selected by Slow Food for promotion through Presidia projects in France, Italy, Madagascar, Ecuador, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Ireland. In addition, rare American breeds like corriente cattle and Navajo Churro sheep will be featured on the menus, accompanied by the wines of Oltrepo Pavese.
New York: March 1
Chicago: March 7
Minneapolis: March 8
Los Angeles: March 13
Portland: March 14
A World of Presidia will be the American launch of Slow Food’s international projects to protect agricultural biodiversity. If you are near any of these six cities, we welcome you to savor this initiative!
The cost for members will be $80 (with member number and confirmation of membership status); $100 for nonmembers.
For more information, or to make a reservation, visit www.slowfoodusa.org or call (718.260.8000) or email Sara [at] slowfoodusa [dot] org.
THINKFilm cordially invites Slow Food members to a special advance screening of Jonathan Nossiter’s epic and thought-provoking documentary about the wine industry, Mondovino. Following the screening please join the director, Jonathan Nossiter, wine importer Neal Rosenthal, who appears in the film, and other special guests for a post screening discussion to be accompanied by a reception featuring the food of Campanile and the wines of Rosenthal Wine Merchant.
When: Tuesday, March 1, 2005 at 6:30pm
Where: Clarity Theater, 100 N. Crescent Drive, Beverly Hills 90210
Cost: $45 per ticket for the screening, discussion, and reception. Tickets may be purchased at: Silver Lake Wine, 295 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles (323.662.9024) and at The Wine House, 2311 Cotner Ave, Los Angeles (310.479.3731).
Mondovino was shot on three continents, in five languages, over a three-year period. Juxtaposing artisanal wine growers with multinational conglomerates, and peasants with billionaires, Nossiter weaves together multiple family and multigenerational sagas, and uncovers a complex tapestry of rivalries, alliances, and conspiracies--all stemming from the production, distribution, and consumption of one of the oldest, most respected luxuries remaining. Mondovino gives voice to those who create, critique, and do commerce in wine, offering up a surprisingly prismatic, varied, and sometimes controversial glimpse into a product so many enjoy but so few truly understand.
Mondovino was one of the rare nonfiction films to be shown in the 2004 Cannes Film Festival’s main competition and was selected by New York’s Museum of Modern Art for its new Premiere series in December 2004. It opened in November in France where it instantly became a sensation with critics and audiences alike and it has been nominated for a César (French equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Film from the European Union.
Jonathan Nossiter has an unusual dual career that includes award-winning credentials as a filmmaker, sommelier, consultant, and wine writer. His other features include Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner Sunday, Signs and Wonders and Resident Alien.
The Santa Barbara Convivium has alerted us to an event tomorrow (Saturday), February 12, 2005, at the Downtown Farmers Market. (The Downtown Farmers Market is located at the corner of Cota and Santa Barbara Streets.)
From 10:00 am to 12:00 pm the Farmers Market will host a Love Trail and Raffle. Twelve local chefs will prepare aphrodisiac foods from Farmers Market ingredients for your pleasure. This event is a fundraiser for the Farmers Market Taste Education and community outreach efforts, supporting guided tours of the markets for schoolchildren, cooking demonstrations and samplings, bilingual recipes and outreach to neighborhood clinics, etc…
Cost of event: $25 per person for full tasting and raffle entry. Individual tastes can be purchased at the booths for $3 to $5. Raffle tickets are $5 each, 5 for $20. Prizes include getaways, romantic dinners, wine, and spa treatments.
If your pre-Valentine's Day plans include Santa Barbara, add the Farmers Market to your schedule!
Please join Slow Food L.A. at Clementine for the sweet and savory childhood favorites of chef-owner Annie Miller. Ms. Miller creates food for her seasonal café menu based on produce from the farmer's market, her childhood experiences, and her classical training. Her cooking is both thoughtful and vibrant.
When: Thursday, February 24, 2005 at 7:00 pm
Where: Clementine, 1751 S. Ensley Drive, Los Angeles. Phone: 310.552.1080 (Map)
Cost: $20 for members; $22 for nonmembers
Pay at the door (checks should be payable to Slow Food LA) but please RSVP to judibikel [at] aol [dot] com.
Chef-owner Annie Miller opened Clementine in 2000. Â Annie was born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has a degree from the Amherst College. Â She trained at the Cordon Bleu in London and after coming to Los Angeles in 1995, she worked at Campanile, Spago Beverly Hills, and La Brea Bakery. Â She has also traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe. "I wanted to take what I learned from my restaurant experience and offer something unique and homemade to the neighborhood," says Miller. Â "The best compliment I get is when someone tells me that something we make reminds them of how their grandma used to make it - I love that."
GET INVOLVED!
Are you energetic and do you want to get involved in the Los Angeles Convivium? We need a few good people for the Farm Committee. To plan and create good events we need the support of our members!
If you're interested, contact Mindy at mindypfeiffer [at] sbcglobal [dot] net.
The Culinary Historians of Southern California have alerted us to several upcoming events that may be of interest to you.
Saturday, February 12, 2005 at 10:30 am
FROM OUR VALENTINE: See's, A Sweet Success Since 1921
Local See's Sales Representative Jody Scott will discuss the history of See's Candy, Southern California’s favorite confectioner. Highlights will include a short film and product samples following the lecture. (Central Library Auditorium)
Saturday, February 26, 2005 at 2:00 pm
Screening of “Mildred Pierce� and a talk by Charles Perry on "Mildred Pierce: The suffering Pie Queen as Restaurateur.�
CHSC will host a pie raffle at the 2:00 screening (film also screens at 8:00 pm). The screening will be held at the Alex Theatre, 216 N. Grand Blvd, Glendale 91203. Admission: $9.50; children and seniors $8.00. For film information, call 818.243.2539; for pie information, or to volunteer your favorite homemade pie for the raffle, call 626.799.5314 or 626.355.6536.
Monday, April 11, 2005 at 7:00 pm
Although this is not a CHSC program, the CHSC reminds us that Ruth Reichl, Editor in Chief of Gourmet, will be speaking at the Central Library through the Library Foundation’s lecture series, Aloud. The title of the bestselling memoirist’s conversation with journalist Irene Borger is "Dancing with the Stars" and reveals Ms. Reichl’s “adventures in deception� as she goes undercover in the world’s finest restaurants. These adventures are the subject of Ms. Reichl's latest memoir, Garlic and Sapphires. The program is free. Reservations are strongly recommended. Please call 213.228.7025.