Did you make it over to UCLA this past Saturday for LA Loves Alex's Lemonade, possibly the best single day food event in the city every year? If not, that's okay because there's invariably going to be another one next year. Luminaries like Ludo Lefebvre, Roy Choi, Adam Perry Lang, Michael Voltaggio, Suzanne Goin, Hedy Goldsmith, Zoe Nathan, Mary Sue Milliken, and Valerie Gordon represented the city of Angels.
Coming from out of town, a stellar lineup of such chefs as Jenn Louis (Lincoln, PDX), Donald Link (Herbsaint, New Orleans), Lanchlan Mackinnon-Patterson (Frasca Food & Wine, Colorado), Chris Bianco (Phoenix), and Jonathan Sundstrom from Seattle's Lark.
— Among the hot tips swirling around the fest (once again), was that Chris Bianco is considering a Los Angeles outlet of Pizzeria Bianco, which would certainly shake up the pizza scene here.
— Adam Perry Lang's beef rib, which came out perfectly, sported the longest wait, which wasn't more than a few minutes. One of the best things about this festival is that the waits are nearly none existent.
— The tangy tomato slushie by Michael Voltaggio was sweet, sweet relief on the muggy afternoon.
— Miami transplant Hedy Goldsmith was chipper and excited about her move to L.A. She was spreading luscious chocolate on simple toast, making it one of the best dessert showings at the event. No word on where she'll land here after years at Miami's Genuine Hospitality Group.
Of course, there was plenty of Hollywood starpower there on Saturday, which included Giada de Laurentiis (who also held her own stand for her eponymous Vegas restaurant), Laura Dern, Colin Hanks, and Timothy Olyphant.
The fundraiser raised over $1 million dollars to raise awareness of and support research on childhood cancers.
