ChefCelebration

Remember how I said chef collaboration dinners are becoming a thing? Well I just found out about this nonprofit called Chef Celebration that brings together a group of more than 50 local chefs who raise money by putting on an annual spring dinner series to fund scholarships for other aspiring San Diego chefs. I can appreciate the concept of chefs laying the foundation for a future of other great chefs to follow in their footsteps. The group has been around for 20 years and has raised more than $283,000 for 100+ scholarship recipients. The lower and mid-level cooks who receive the scholarship are sent to an all-inclusive training course at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa, Calif. with all their expenses paid.

The 2016 dinner series began in March (sorry for the late notice!) but you still have three opportunities to check it out. Reservations are available from 5 to 9 p.m. and should be made by calling the host restaurant directly. Select beer or wine pairings for each menu are available for an additional fee. The series culminates on May 1 with a food and beer festival featuring food from 14 local chefs.