Quenioux, Manzke, Hatfield Cooking Demo Recap From Last Night's Pre-TOTN'10 Event

Last night Eater attended an intimate tasting event featuring demos from three top-notch LA chefs. Namely, Laurent Quenioux (Bistro LQ), Walter Manzke (formerly of Church & State), and Quinn Hatfield (Hatfield's). The tasting served as a preview for Taste of the Nation: Los Angeles, with all proceeds benefiting a non-profit, Share Our Strength. The evening was hosted by Angeleno Magazine at a non-traditional spot, Snyder Diamond, a kitchen showroom in Santa Monica. The open space helped to spread out the crowd and move the event along at a steady pace. Interested folks gathered around the demo areas, while others mingled near the wine bar, the Intelligensia coffee bar, or nibbled on cheese (from the Cheese Impresario) set out on multiple kitchen countertops in the back.

Chef Quenioux kicked off the evening, demo-ing a savory mushroom tapioca pudding topped with mirabelle plum sauce. It was served cold and the samples went quickly. Chef Manzke followed up with a more traditional appetizer familiar to Church & State fans, the Tarte Flambée (caramelized onions, bacon, cheese). Manzke was very friendly, pulling the tartes quickly out of the pizza oven while answering questions from the crowd. Lastly, Chef Quinn Hatfield wowed the crowd with his take on the croque madame, substituting raw hamachi for the ham, with a surprise layer of Prosciutto di Parma in the middle. A fried quail egg topped the crispy bread making for a sublime bite.

All three chefs shall partake in the June 6th Taste of the Nation event happening in Culver City. Score tix here. [EaterWire]
— Yvonne Ip