Recap: L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Brings Out the Culinary Stars

PHOTO by JENNIFER BASTIAN

It would’ve taken a superhuman appetite to try everything at the third-annual L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, which packed nearly 40 chefs and even more bartenders, brewers and vintners onto the lawn of historic Culver Studios. But that didn’t stop some 1,200 attendees from trying. Between ticket sales and some luxurious auction items, over $500,000 was raised for childhood cancer research—L.A. Loves Alex’s is by far the city’s best culinary event with a conscience.

PHOTO by JENNIFER BASTIAN

Donald Link (Herbsaint and Cochon) brought with him the flavors of Louisiana: a cool black-eyed pea salad, a knob of excellent Cajun sausage and a hunk of boudin turgid with rice and pork. Whereas many of the day’s plates seemed only like festival-sized bites, Link’s felt like a fully formed dish, a complete Cajun meal downsized only to accommodate the bacchanal. 

L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Returns to Culver City

L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, the city’s finest food festival with a cause, is back September 29th from Noon to 4 p.m. at Culver Studios in Culver City. Hosted by Chef Suzanne Goin (Lucques, AOC, Tavern), business partner Caroline Styne and Chef David Lentz (The Hungry Cat), the third-annual event will once again benefit pediatric cancer research. This year’s roster of chefs, mixologists and vintners continues to impress, pulling big names not just from Los Angeles (Michael Cimarusti of Providence, Nancy Silverton of Mozza, Eric Alperin of The Varnish), but also New York (April Bloomfield of The Spotted Pig), Chicago (Paul Kahan of Blackbird, avec and others) and beyond. Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka will serve as honorary co-hosts and Jimmy Kimmel will serve as emcee. Noted Jitlada fan Aziz Ansari will be present, as will his Parks & Recreation co-stars Adam Scott and Jim O’Heir. Keep your eyes peeled for stars from The Office, Girls and Criminal Minds as well.

Tickets are $175 ($100 of which is tax deductible), inclusive of all food and drink. Find more info here.

To Do: Taste of the Nation

Eat for a good cause on June 14th for Share Our Strength’s 21st annual Taste of the Nation at Culver City’s Media Park. Organized this year by Too Hot Tamales Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, the festival is aimed at ending childhood hunger in America. Find the presumably delicious details below:

More than 45 of the city’s finest restaurants and mixologists will participate in the gastronomic event. Led by Chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Border Grill and Ciudad, the event will honor Chef Nancy Silverton of Mozza for her outstanding contributions to nutritional education and philanthropy; feature on stage cooking demonstrations by Milliken, Feniger as well as Michael Mina of XIV; a “Mole Cookoff” hosted by food critic Jonathan Gold; special apperances by Food Network TV personalities and an enriched VIP experience and exciting live and silent auctions.

Participating restaurants include The Bazaar at SLS, Tiara Café, Ford’s Filling Station, Locanda Del Lago, Fig, Akasha, Angeli Café, Animal, Church & State, Comme Ca, Craft LA, Fraiche/Riva, Gelato Bar, Grace/BLD, Jar, Joe’s Restaurant/Bar Pintxo, K-Zo, Loteria Grill, Lucques/AOC, M Café/Chaya Brasserie, Melisse, Mozza, Nobu, Palate Food + Wine, Rivera, Susan Feniger’s the Street, The Foundry on Melrose and more.

Leftovers: Akasha

Earth-conscious eating in Culver City:

PHOTO by ROSHEILA ROBLES

Dig deep enough into Akasha’s details and it’s easy to see how the restaurant might remind some of that nagging culinary stereotype that paints Los Angeles as a city of light-stomached grazers, a population seeking little more than patches of macrobiotic greens and oxymoronic slabs of cruelty-free meat. Chef Akasha Richmond, after all, is dedicated to green ideals, and her Culver City restaurant follows through with organic everything. Even the servers are outfitted in eco-friendly garb. But visit Akasha for its stated purpose – food – and any thoughts of overzealous environmentalism will be pushed right out of your mind.