Foodies With Benefits

Who Is Coming to L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade This Year

Sorry, Giada wont make it this year
Sorry, Giada wont make it this year Photo: Tatiana Arbogast

L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade, the children’s cancer benefit organized by Suzanne Goin, David Lentz, and Caroline Styne, will return on Sunday, November 6th, bringing back one of our favorite food events of 2010. The lineup of participating T.V. star hosts has been amped up for 2011, with honorary chairmen Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka attached, as well as M.C. duties being taken by Jimmy Kimmel, and a host committee including Will Ferrell, Laura Dern, Timothy Olyphant, Carla Gugino, Adam Levine, and Marc Summers, among others**. Better yet, the event will feature chefs both homegrown and coming to L.A. from all over the U.S.

One of the best parts of last year’s event was the chance to meet the out-of-state chefs we hear so much about, in a setting that is much more about cooking and community than it is about hype, pyrotechnics, or razzle dazzle. Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Michael Cimarusti, Neal Fraser, Nancy Silverton, Danny Elmaleh, Anthony Keene, and Goin’s whole crew from AOC, Lucques, and Tavern will be among the prominent powers representing L.A. this year, but the lineup is equally composed of chefs coming from outside our city limits.

Some of the toques we’re most excited to see in action are New Yorkers April Bloomfield and Gabrielle Hamilton, Philly’s Jeff Michaud of Osteria Restaurant and Amis Restaurant, Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon in New Orleans, Seattle’s Maria Hines of Tilth, and Chez Panisse’s Russell Moore. Who else is coming from afar? Here are a few of the chefs we’re really psyched to welcome to L.A., broken down by geography:

San Francisco

Michael Tusk, Tusk
Joseph Manzare, Zuppa SF
Gilbert Pilgran, Zuni
Greg Lindgren, Rye, Rosewood

Miami

Hedy Goldsmith, pastry chef at Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink

Chicago

Brian Huston, The Publican
Paul Kahan, Blackbird

New Orleans
John Besh, Restaurant August
Susan Spicer, Bayona

New York

Jonathan Waxman, Barbuto

Philadelphia

Marc Vetri, Vetri Vetri

Seattle

John Sundstrom, Lark

Colorado

Lachlan Patterson, Frasca Food and Wine

More details on the lineup can be found, along with $175 to $400 tickets, on the L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade website.

**This post was updated to omit the name of Giada DeLaurentiis, who will not be here personally, but will be represented by someone from Giada’s Kitchen.

Who Is Coming to L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade This Year