James Beard Dinner

I got a call back in November from a woman from the “beer house”, is the way I heard it from my host.

I figured my bar manager forgot to make a beer order. I was shocked to find out it was the Beard House (better known as the James Beard Foundation, in the industry). They had heard a lot of great things about sola and wanted to invite me to New York to cook there. What an honor.

Never in my life (or I should say “my culinary life”) was this ever on the radar. Really. I cooked and then owned a restaurant because it’s what I did, what I knew and because I enjoyed it. I never even considered this to be a possibility. I hadn’t even considered it. Ever

So here I am talking to the woman from the James Beard House. She was lovely, kind and complimentary.

She invited me (and some of my staff) to come to cook! Display our wares, so to speak.

The James Beard House is so deeply rooted in culinary history and tradition. The whole ordeal is rather daunting.

I’ve spoken to other chef acquaintances I have in the city to get ideas and suggestions and personal experiences.

Alex is heading up the organizing while we are there, I’m figuring how we’ll get us and everything to new york!

We’ve now been planning it for months. It’s a logistic nightmare getting everything we need to New York, but we are excited as hell. We’ve got the hotel, airline tickets, food and wine donations, flowers. And now we just have to pull it off.

We are offering the dinner we will be serving in new york at sola on may 1st… Two reasons. We want to share it with our guests. And we need the practice!

We hope you’ll come, enjoy, and wish us luck

Mahalo and Bon apetit