Local, regional and national chefs to gather Downtown for culinary charity

David Moye | Downtown News

Thanksgiving isn’t until the end of the month, but San Diego foodies will have reason to give thanks for a feast happening Nov. 9.

Kelvin Restaurant at the W San Diego is hosting a Celebrity Chef Tour benefitting the James Beard Foundation and some of the region’s finest chefs will be coming together to create a fantastic multiple course dinner paired with premium wines, beers, and spirits.

Proceeds from the $150 all-inclusive dinner will go to the Beard Foundation’s general funds and be used for scholarships for culinary students and educational outreach, among other things. The foundation is named after James Beard, a 20th Century food writer and chef who is credited with helping create a uniquely American culinary tradition.

The Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour started in 2004 and has been to San Diego on two earlier occasions: 2006 and 2011. Foundation spokesman Jeff Black credits the tours with helping to raise the level of culinary interest in this U.S.

“When Julia Child, Chefs Peter Kump and Wolfgang Puck were working on the Foundation’s mission statements many years ago, one of those mission statements included ‘bringing food to the level of fine art,’” Black said. “We think that has been accomplished. Today’s chefs are like artists and rock stars, they can’t walk into public venue without being mobbed. And the food and wine just keep getting better.”

The celebrity chefs at the Nov. 9 event include “Top Chef” finalists CJ Jacobson and Casey Thompson, Colorado-based chef Kelly Liken, as well as Amanda Baumgarten from Herringbone in La Jolla, Anthony Sinsay from Burlap in Del Mar, and Kelvin’s own head chef Kevin Harry will act as host.

Harry has participated in two previous Chef tours and said the events are highlights for both guests and the chefs.

“I love the high of cooking under pressure –- those were one of those moments when I had to make sure there were no mistakes; food must be good!” he said. “I have cooked at two previous events which really give each chef the chance to show their best dishes, the pressures and emotions are the same as being at the [James Beard House in New York], but you have fellow chefs to take some of the pressure off.”

Each chef will create one appetizer and an entree that will be paired with a wine and Belgian beers. Then guests will sit down for a multi-course dinner where each course is paired with a wine.

“Each chef will come out of the kitchen and describe their course to the guests,” Black said. “During the dessert course all of the chefs involved in the dinner come out and greet the guests and answer the guests questions.”

The menu is still being worked out, but Chef Thompson is planning to make Fire Roasted and Duck Fat Basted Deckel Beef with Charred Koyari Squid, Red Abalone, Olives and Anchovy – paired with Chase Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

The chefs are a mix of local, regional and national names, but the menu tends to focus on showcasing local ingredients, something that Harry, a Canadian who spent 10 years in New York is a highlight of being a chef in San Diego.

“Food here is great and produce is fresher! I also love it when I can just walk in a regular bar and have pizza and burritos and not get disappointed,” Harry said. “I can honestly say [San Diego] has been a great influence [on my cooking], working with the cooks to see different methods and flavor profiles has ignited me to take my favorite dishes and give it a local spin.  I love Duck Confit and what better way to make it local then do a Duck Confit Quesadilla with Brie and Shiitake Mushrooms?”

Black said the old adage, “Too many cooks spoil the broth” won’t come into play.

“What’s nice about this event is that each chef brings his or her own course to the menu and they prepare their own dish and then all the chefs help out when they plate their course at the dinner,” Black said. “At our St Louis dinner this year, we had 12 guest chefs in the kitchen. The camaraderie and the food were fantastic. Egos don’t get too far when all the chefs work together in one kitchen.”

Harry concurred and said the kitchen camaraderie is one reason why he wanted to host the event at Kelvin.

“We somehow have the same basic principles in the kitchen, so when I hosted the venue a few times, I prepared and arranged everything that I thought would make their lives easier in my kitchen,” he said.

“Everyone is really good about organizing any requests ahead of time. There are very minimal episodes, nothing worth discussing about. I am generally happy with the chefs I worked with. It always ends up with us having beers and shot or two or more after the service.”

For more information about the Celebrity Chef Tour swinging through San Diego, visit:  celebritycheftour.com/events/The-W-Hotel-Kelvin-Restaurant.html.

San Diego native David Moye writes Weird News for the Huffington Post. You can learn more about him at  huffingtonpost.com/David-Moye