Local Flavor loves any event that feeds the giving spirit as well as appetites.
And the 29th annual Great Chefs event fits all the criteria.
The event, which takes place Wednesday, May 1, at 5:30 p.m., features an “Around the World” theme and will spotlight appetizers from various cultures. The food will be made by regional restaurants including Constantino’s Catering and Events, Pete’s Place at the Manor, Peculiar Slurp Shop, Terra Preta Prime and Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar, among others.
One dish guests can expect is Harvest’s Teriyaki Vegetable and Rice Bowl, prepared by sous chef John Michael Ayala-Rodriguez.
The recipe from Harvest, a farm-to-table restaurant that works with regional farmers to source products and ingredients, earned a $50 gift card for WRC through Local Flavor Gives Back.
Ayala-Rodriguez explained that the dish is a typical teriyaki bowl made with different kinds of veggies and flavors. He advised that cooks can make the dish their own, adding different kinds of meat, like chicken or beef, or substituting different kinds of vegetables.
Local Flavor has many teriyaki bowls but this dish’s blend of sweet and savory flavors was out of this world. If this sampling is any indication, guests at the event will get a taste of some of the best dishes area chef’s have to offer. Ayala-Rodriguez is just happy to use his skills for a cause like Great Chefs.
“It’s a great event and a great cause,” he said. “It’s always nice to be able to get out into the community and help (however) we can.”
Tickets for Great Chefs, which is the center’s biggest fundraiser of the year, are $75, available through eventbrite.com. The event benefits WRC’s safe housing program, which prioritizes emergency housing options for adults and children who are in immediate danger, or are in a potentially dangerous situation or homeless due to the violence.
The center as a whole provides shelter, a crisis hotline, advocacy and other services to victims, both male and female, of domestic violence, sexual assault and related dangerous situations in Lackawanna and Susquehanna counties.
Lisa Lapinski, service manager at Harvest, said being involved with the community and helping the area for the greater good is a cornerstone of the restaurant.
“We’re excited to be part of such a wonderful event helping the community,” Lapinski said. “It’s all part of what we do here.”
Jason Farmer / Staff Photographer
Contact the writer: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT on Twitter
Harvest Seasonal Grill & Wine Bar’s
Teriyaki Vegetable and Rice Bowl
1/2 cup charred broccoli florets, small to medium size
1/2 cup roasted cauliflower florets, small to medium size
1/4 cup sugar snap peas
1/4 cup carrots, shredded
1/4 cup edamame, shelled
1/4 cup asparagus, blanched, cut to 2-inch length
2 1/2 cups cilantro lime rice (cooked according to package instructions)
6 tablespoons ginger soy glaze
2 tablespoons cashews, toasted
2 tablespoons blended oil for sautéing
Micro spring onion/leek for garnish
Heat 2 tablespoons blended oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add broccoli and cauliflower to pan over medium and saute for 1 minute. Add snap peas, carrots, edamame, asparagus and saute additional 30-45 seconds. Add ginger soy glaze to pan and toss over heat until glaze reduces slightly and glazes vegetables. Plate rice in bottom of a bowl. Pile veggies over center of the rice, pouring glaze from pan over vegetables. (Glaze should not puddle in bottom of bowl.) Scatter cashews over vegetables and rice. Garnish with micro spring onion/leek if desired.
If you go
What: 29th annual Great Chefs
When: Wednesday, May 1, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Scranton Cultural Center at The Masonic Temple, 420 N. Washington Ave.
Details: Tickets are $75 and can be purchased at eventbrite.com. Proceeds benefit Women’s Resource Center’s safe housing program.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
