ENCINITAS — A collaborative culinary benefit event featuring lots of popular local chefs and interactive foodie stations is happening this Sunday, Oct. 27, at Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas.
Two local nonprofits, Berry Good Food and Coastal Roots Farm, are hosting the event, called Revive Our Roots, to support regenerative agriculture, food justice and inspiring change for future generations.
“There is a huge opportunity to increase awareness about our shared values and missions through partnering with like-minded organizations like Coastal Roots,” Jessica Waite, restaurateur, local food advocate and board president of Berry Good Food, said in a news release. “We are so excited to create an experience where our community can engage with local educators while enjoying the amazing locally focused food and beverage that San Diego is known for.”
Revive Our Roots will feature delectable creations from San Diego’s top chefs known for sustainable sourcing, including two alums from the Bravo TV show “Top Chef,” Dakota Weiss, executive chef at Sweetfin Poké in San Diego, and Giselle Wellman, director of culinary and garden at San Diego Jewish Academy, and Chef JoJo Ruiz from Hotel Del Coronado’s Serẽa and Lionfish, recognized by James Beard Foundation as a Smart Catch Leader for his seafood program and commitment to sustainable seafood.
Other featured chefs include Jamie Brawn from Homestead Solana Beach, Davin Waite from Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub in Oceanside, William Eick from Matsu in Oceanside, Christopher Logan from The Plot, opening soon in Oceanside, Andrew Bent from LOLA 55 in San Diego, Phillip Esteban from WellFed in National City, Justin Vaiciunas from Luca at The Guild Hotel in San Diego and Marcus Twilegar, a locally focused chef consultant.
Ashley Abed, with Berry Good Food, said all the featured chefs are local examples of chefs who are passionate and dedicated to sustainably sourcing their produce and protein used in their restaurants in San Diego.
“Not only are these some of San Diego’s most talented and celebrated chefs in our community that guests love to interact with, but they are also supporting our local farmers and food system here in San Diego,” Abed said.
Hard kombucha brand Boochcraft will be pouring sips of its new fall flavor made with local produce, while Coastal Roots will be pouring wine made from grapes grown on the farm.
There will also be farmer meet-and-greets, various interactive education stations and a silent auction that includes local culinary experiences and unique handmade items.
The hosts are aiming to make this event as zero waste as possible with chef station composting and multi-use forks and cups. Guests are encouraged to support this effort by bringing their own reusable water bottles to fill at available water stations.
The event costs $95 per person and runs from 1 to 4 p.m. Proceeds from the event will be shared between Berry Good Food and Coastal Roots Farm and their aligned missions to connect and support a healthy food community for all.
Abed said the missions that both organizations support are critical not only to the health of humankind but to the planet. She said food justice is being a part of the solution to help bring access to healthy nutritious food to the people who need it most — people who are food insecure and don’t have the resources to nourish themselves with nutritious food options because of barriers such as their economic or racial background.
“Access to healthy, nutritious food should be a universal right for every human being,” Abed said.
Regenerative agriculture not only produces healthy food in a healthy environment, she said, but it can reverse climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil biodiversity — resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.
Abed said the event will make an impact by supporting and raising awareness of those causes, and it will give attendees an amazing experience on the farm.
“We want people to get closer to the source of their food, in a fun, interactive way,” Abed said.
