New Chefs, Drinks and Dishes Debut at Taste of the Nation 2015

Creekstone Farms' David Katz and Philly chef Jen Zavala at Taste of the Nation

By A.D. AMOROSI

On May 3, Taste of the Nation, the largest charity event from Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry initiative, held its annual festival in Philadelphia at Loews Hotel with 50 of the city's best chefs, bartenders and restaurants giving away food and drink for a good cause. The event raised over $35,000 for No Kid Hungry and its beneficiaries, which equates to giving children access to 350,000 meals, according to Samantha DeNafo from Share Our Strength.

Avenue Delicatessen's Reuben Arancini

The party debuted some great new chefs and menu items. Opa - Sansom Street's Greek restaurant - introduced its new chef Bobby Saritsoglou to the world with several different mezedes (small plates of appetizers). Townsend on East Passyunk Avenue served meaty escargot with lima beans in a light crème sauce. The Grand Lux Café in Camden, NJ made a hearty grilled cheese-and-short rib sandwich and gave away fresh baked cookies in order to announce its June 25 opening. The Avenue Delicatessen in Lansdowne, PA introduced its new snack – a Reuben Arancini, a deep fried risotto ball with corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. Creekstone Farms served up a gorgeous rare cut of beef on a simple bed of lettuce, The Red Owl Tavern made a delightful beef short rib with pickled spring vegetables over creamy polenta, and Square 1682 served a chilled spring pea soup with seared arctic char that was a perfect dish for spring.

Taste of the Nation was a great place to sample beverages, too. Christina Rando from Brick + Mortar, Dan Lam from 1 Tippling Place and Jesse Cornell from Vesper all made dynamic cocktails, while the Bloody Mary with the shrimp and cornichons from Jerry's Bar was more of a meal.

For more info on Share Our Strength and No Kid Hungry visit ce.strength.org.

Photos ©A.D. Amorosi 2015

Posted on Wednesday, May 6, 2015