Michele StuevenL.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Stand, hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin, business partner Caroline Styne, and Chef David Lentz, will hold its 13th annual cookout in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 4, and tickets are now on sale. The 2024 event raised more than $1.6 million for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation at the Royce Quad on the UCLA campus.
Last year at the live auction, dinner with Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly, at their barn in the Hollywood Hills sold to the winning bidder for $80,000.The Kimmels donated the one-of-a-kind dinner featuring food prepared by some of the Kimmels’ favorite star chefs, like Marc Vetri, Adam Perry Lang, David Chang, Jon Shook, Vinny Dotolo, and Chris Bianco.
The highly anticipated Women Chefs Dinner featuring Nancy Silverton, Suzanne Goin, Sherry Yard, Nancy Oakes, and special guest Chef Alice Waters, along with wines curated by Caroline Styne, was sold to two bidders, raising $160,000.
The popular Men Chefs dinner, featuring chefs Josiah Citrin, Walter Manske, Michael Cimarusti, David Lefevre, and Three-Star Chef William Bradley of Addison, raised $40,000. Lunch with celebrity foodie and producer Phil Rosenthal and special guests raised $9,000.
This year’s massive chef lineup includes Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco, Clark Staub and Jill Davie from Full of Life Flatbread in Los Alamos, Jazz Singsanong from Jitlada, Jeremy Fox and Matthew Schaler of Birdie G’s, Kris and Sarah Yenbamroong from Night + Market in Venice, Ludo Lefebvre from Petit Trois, Michael Reed of Poppy & Seed, Neal Fraser from Redbird, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken from SOCALO, and many more. See the full list here.
Suzanne Goin,left, and Caroline Styne (Dylan + Jeni)
The dynamic duo of Goin and Styne, which also oversee all food concessions at the Hollywood Bowl, have just entered a partnership with The Music Center and Sodexo Live!, which will manage food and beverage programming across The Music Center’s four venues in Downtown L.A. including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum as well as the onsite restaurants Kendall’s Brasserie and Abernethy’s; the wine and cocktail bar known as The Mullin Wine Bar; and other food service offerings on the campus. They will introduce their signature programming to all catering services and Founders’ Rooms at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Ahmanson Theatre under the reimagined Hope & Grand Events by Lucques.
The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival, hosted by Tastemade, returns for its second year of culinary delights beginning on Friday, Nov. 7th, through Sunday, Nov. 9, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
The 2025 festival will bring together notable chefs from across the nation and Southern California for a weekend of signature bites. The event will showcase a lineup of the city’s most celebrated chefs, including Stephanie Izard, Gabe Bertaccini, Antonia Lofaso, Giorgio Rapicavoli, Brooke Williamson, and brother duo Michael and Bryan Voltaggio. There will also be appearances by Food Network star Michael Symon of Lola, Claudette Zepeda of Leu Leu, Avner Levi of CENTO Pasta and Raw Bar, and Jazz Singsanong of Jitlada.
The weekend pass offers access to all three days of unlimited tastings. Friday and Saturday will feature grand tasting events, and Sunday’s programming will conclude with The Final Bite: Peroni’s Italian Affair, an Italian-themed celebration hosted by Peroni, the official beer partner of The Los Angeles Wine & Food Festival..
The festival helps support Event Zero Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a positive environmental and social impact in the events industry.
Marc Murphy (Courtesy Crossroads Kitchen)
On Tuesday, Sept. 16, chef Tal Ronnen will host another guest chef dinner at his popular plant-based restaurant Crossroads Kitchen, this time with acclaimed chefs Cat Cora and Marc Murphy for an entirely plant-based, Mediterranean-inspired dinner. For one night only, all three chefs will collaborate on a five-course tasting menu, featuring exclusive dishes like moussaka tacos with sesame filo dough, braised lion’s mane mushrooms, whipped potato, and salsa verde, pan-roasted cauliflower and puree with a Sicilian lemon caper sauce, and a vegan tiramisu for dessert. Tickets are $75 per person and can be reserved on OpenTable
What’s Popping Up is a column in the L.A. Weekly that explores everything new in food and drink.