The 2006 fall charity event season is in full swing. The 10th Annual Chef Celebration event will kickoff on October 3rd at Pamplemousse Grill. 50 of San Diego’s finest award-wining chefs are participating. Every Tuesday and Thursday through October diners will be treated to a five-course meal at some of the city’s best dining establishments like; Pamplemouse, JRDN, Savoy, Croce’s, Baleen, Thee Bungalow, Terra and Café Japengo.

For the first time this year, Chef Celebration has partnered with the San Diego Culinary Institute. A $75 donation per person will establish 2 annual scholarships in honor of the late Harold Meyberg, who founded the school and built its world-class reputation for training the finest culinary graduates.

This event is a collaborative effort by local chefs who donate their talent, time and energy to raise money for the culinary scholarship program. Each chef will contribute one of their most notable recipes and throughout the dinner make special appearances to mingle with the guests.

Q and A

We were lucky enough to spend a few minutes speaking with one of the star chefs, Jeffrey Strauss of Pamplemousse Grill.

Q: Tell me about Chef Celebration. How long have you been involved?

Jeffrey Strauss: I’ve been involved for about 7 or 8 years now. I was very lucky. I grew up in a situation where my parents told me that they don’t care what the cost of education is. Not everyone is in that situation. That’s one of the biggest things that got me into this, to help kids achieve some of the benefits that I had of an education early on. The second part I like so much is hanging out with 5 chefs all cooking dinner together in a big kitchen; it’s a hoot.

Q: I understand that earlier in your career you were a

“Chef to the Stars”?

JS: I’ve been very fortunate. I’ve cooked for seven different presidents, cooked for several diplomats, affluent people as well as those with celebrity status.

Q: How would you describe the cuisine at Pamplemousse?

JS: Eclectic French Continental. We do many different things. What we care about is getting the best quality ingredients available. I’m not scared of spending $20, $30, $40 a pound for the highest quality. I have no problem buying white truffles at $2,000 a pound or buying Beluga caviar at an all time high. I know there are chefs out there who swear by local ingredients, local ingredients only. I prefer to use local ingredients, but if there’s another part of the world that’s producing something better, I have no qualms about using it.

Q: What is your favorite season for cooking?

JS: Mid to late fall because it’s cold enough to go with heavy foods, it’s warm enough to stick with some of the lighter foods and it’s the start of truffle and mushroom season – so many items coming back that have been scarce for months and some of the summer items still available.

Q: Perfect fall foods?

JS: Fall tells me I’m going to get my acorn squash and I’m going to fill them with casserole of lobster, shrimps, scallops and a crab champagne mélange. Mini pumpkins are here so I’m going to make pumpkin and game potpies in individual pumpkin shells. It’s a whole different creativity. It’s not overly heavy but heavier than summer foods. For some reason or another, fall is the introduction to hearty upscale food.

Q: Secrets of butter for the amateur cooks?

JS: My motto has been, “more butter, more better”. When in doubt, add butter. Butter is great! I love to make sauces and add finish with butter. I love to take reductions; a beure blanc with a reduction of tarragon and vinegar, white wine and shallots. I take the juices of wild mushrooms and reduce it to a glaze and whisk in fresh butter. If you’ve poached fish, reduce the remaining liquid and whisk in butter. Butter should be cold; it should be cubed and added slowly over a medium heat. Again; mushrooms are my favorite but really, butter and anything.

Q: What did you have for dinner last night?

JS: I had my favorite sandwich in the world; a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich.

**Chef Celebration menu for Pamplemousse Grille Dinner** PDF (323KB)

Seabass

For menu information and reservations, please contact host restaurants directly by phone or email. Chef Celebration dinners require a $75 donation per person, with $40 going towards the nonprofit scholarship fund.

Tuesday, October 3rd - Pamplemousse (858) 792.9090

514 Via de la Valle, Del Mar, CA 92075

Thursday, October 5th - KICKOFF EVENT at San Diego Culinary Institute

8024 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa, CA 91941

Tuesday, October 10th - JRDN @ Tower 23 (619) 993.1213

723 Felspar St., San Diego, CA 92109

Thursday, October 12th - Savory (760) 634.5556

267 El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024

Lobster Macaroni

Tuesday, October 17th - Croces (619) 232.0077

802 Fifth Ave., San Diego, CA 92101

Thursday, October 19th - Thee Bungalow (619) 224.2884

4996 West Pt. Loma Blvd., San Diego, CA 92107

Tuesday, October 24th - Baleen (858) 581.5954

1404 Vacation Road, San Diego, CA 92109

Thursday, October 26th - Terra (619) 985.8202

3900 Vermont St., Ste. K, San Diego, CA 92103

Tuesday, October 31st - Café Japengo (858) 450.3355

8960 University Center Dr., La Jolla, CA 92122

Bon Appétit