C-CAP, the non-profit Careers through Culinary Arts Program works with underserved high school students in public schools around the country to help prepare them for college and career opportunities in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Students work with chefs in some of the country’s top restaurants to provide them with hands-on experience working in the commercial culinary arts environment. This was the setting for the latest C-CAP Los Angeles dinner that was held at the new (and not yet even opened) Redbird Restaurant at the Vibiana special events center.
Vibiana is a special events facility in the beautifully restored Cathedral of St. Vibiana’s in downtown Los Angeles. Opened in 1876, the cathedral suffered heavy damage in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The archdiocese wanted to demolish the building and build a new cathedral but a protracted lawsuit with the Los Angeles Conservancy resulted in a compromise deal where the archdiocese would rebuild on a nearby property and the damaged building was deeded over to the City of Los Angeles. A developer bought St. Vibiana’s in 1999 for $4.6 million and undertook the restoration, which also included over $4 million in seismic repairs.
Celebrity chef Neal Fraser came up through several top restaurants including Wolfgang Puck’s Eureka Brewery & Restaurant and Spago, Hans Rockenwagner’s Rox and Joachim Splichal’s Pinot Bistro and went on to open several successful restaurants including Boxer, Rix in Santa Monica, Grace, BLD and Fritzi Dog at Farmer’s Market. Fraser, his wife and business partner Amy Knoll and restauranteur Bill Chait operate Vibiana and also provide event catering services there. Recently, the three took the next step to create their new restaurant “Redbird” at Vibiana.
The C-CAP event offered Chef Fraser the opportunity to give the restaurant staff a dry run prior to the official opening while working in the kitchen guiding seven C-CAP students who help prepare the banquet.
The evening opened with wine and hors d’oeuvres in the Vibiana courtyard. Wine was served from three different distributors (Kiwi Distributing, Guadelupe Wines & Bonny Doon Vineyards) who generously donated their delicious beverages. Chef Fraser gave the crowd a personal tour of the restaurant (still under construction) and the kitchen before everyone was seated at a single long banquet table.
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| Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare |
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| Greg Sabin & Terri Henry Kiwi Distributing |
Wines Served at the Reception:
Cable Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (New Zealand)
Rosso di Montepulciano DOC (Italy)
Metairie Chardonnay (France)
Cable Bay Central Otago Pinot Noir (New Zealand)
Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare (California)
Cavas Valmar Tempranillo (Baja California)
Gaia Cabernet Sauvignon Syrah Tempranillo (Baja California)
Cavas Valmar Chenin Blanc (Baja California)
Sauvignon Blanc (Baja California)
Wines Served at Dinner:
Gamling Duck Chenin Blanc (Santa Ynez Valley, CA)
Seigneur de Fontimple Vacqueyras (France)
If you would like to learn more about C-CAP Los Angeles, you can visit their website at C-CAP Los Angeles. There you will see information about their next event at the International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Los Angeles on October 19. If you would like more information, you can contact their Director, Mitzie Cutler, at mitz207 “at” aol.com.
A full set of photos from the event can be seen at: http://www.jimrea.com/zenphoto/CCAP2014
The TinyURL for this posting is http://tinyurl.com/CCAP-Redbird
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