Team Cherry Bombe hosted our 3rd Annual Mentor/Mentee dinner at Socalo Restaurant in Santa Monica earlier this month, in partnership with S.Pellegrino® Natural Sparkling Mineral Water and Bouvet Ladubay. We invited some of our favorite L.A. chefs to bring their mentees for an special evening of conversation, community, and great food.
Socalo was the perfect location for the event, as the chef/owners Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken have mentored countless folks over their decades-long careers. Guests were greeted with Bouvet sparkling wine, passion fruit margaritas, and mezcal mango shrubs. We also sipped on watermelon agua fresca, S.Pellegrino®, and Acqua Panna® Natural Spring Water.
For dinner, Susan and Mary Sue put together a beautiful spread, including Mexicana chopped kale salad with a red wine agave vinaigrette, grilled adobo-marinated branzino with tomato citrus salsa, tamarind BBQ chicken with watermelon orange salsa, and corn esquite with chipotle aioli. For dessert, we were treated to churros Tijuana with chocolate sauce & sweet crema and a surprise cake that Mary Sue had baked earlier that day.
Bouvet Crémant De Loire, Bouvet Sparkling Rosé, Pighin Pinot Grigio, and Parallèle 45 Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge were paired with each course.
The Mentor-Mentee dinner also celebrates the spirit of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy, a global cooking competition, for chefs 30 and under, that supports top talent and nurtures their professional development while connecting them to the world’s most renowned culinary names for mentorship, education, and more. The competition is currently underway and the finals are taking place next year in Milan. For more, visit sanpellegrinoyoungchefacademy.com.
Photos by Emily Ferretti