Living Coast Discovery Center to Host Annual Farm to Bay Event on Saturday, Aug. 8
Culinary Chair Chef Nicolas Bour, dozens of San Diego’s top restaurants, breweries farms and other purveyors team up to support coastal wildlife, education and sustainability
SAN DIEGO – The Living Coast Discovery Center, a nonprofit zoo and aquarium on the southern edge of San Diego Bay in Chula Vista, will host Farm to Bay, its sixth annual culinary celebration, on Saturday, Aug. 8 from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The unique tasting event brings together some of San Diego’s finest restaurants, breweries, farms and more to support the center’s coastal wildlife, education and sustainability programs in its largest fundraiser of the year.
This year, Nicolas Bour, executive chef at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, has joined the Farm to Bay event as culinary chair. Bour currently oversees the award-winning food and beverage offerings at the resort, including Mistral, Market Café, and La Cantina. He previously served as executive chef for the Rancho Bernardo Inn, where he was responsible for creating the signature restaurant Avant. Bour was born to a French father and American mother and was raised on a working organic farm in Canada. He learned the concept of farm-to-table dining from an early age and sharpened his professional skills working alongside James Beard and Michelin-star chefs in some of the country’s best restaurants. With a passion for fresh, local, organic ingredients, Bour creates ambitious and memorable dishes that have been enjoyed by numerous celebrities and dignitaries, including two U.S. presidents.
Confirmed restaurant partners for this year’s Farm to Bay celebration include: Eclipse Chocolate Bar & Bistro, 1500 Ocean at the Hotel Del Coronado, Waypoint Public, Tidal at Paradise Point Resort, Mistral at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, Table 926, Kitchen 4140, Sushi on a Roll, The Fishery, Tabletop Commons, Local Habit, and Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara.
A number of local farms and other specialty purveyors will be participating this year including: Bread & Cie, Suzie’s Farm, Sage Mountain Farm, Santa Monica Seafood, Pacific Wild Shrimp, L.A. Specialty Produce Co. and Connelly Gardens.
The event will also include wine, beer and spirits samplings from The Lost Abbey, Karl Strauss Brewing Co., Rough Draft Brewing Co., Bay Bridge Brewing, Duck Foot Brewing Company, Ballast Point, Mike Hess Brewing, Quigley Fine Wines, Wiens Family Cellars, Azunzia Tequila, Kill Devil Spirit Co., Malahat Spirits Co., Old Harbor Distillery and California Fruit Wines.
Farm to Bay is the only San Diego food and wine event set within a protected national wildlife refuge, where guests can enjoy a unique, intimate nature and wildlife experience alongside dozens of native species.
The event includes samplings from an estimated 30 to 40 hand-selected restaurants, farms, breweries and wineries, as well as live musical performances on multiple stages, live and silent auctions and up-close animal encounters with the Living Coast Discovery Center’s beloved animal residents (including sea turtles, sharks, rays, hawks, eagles, owls and more).
In keeping with the Living Coast’s commitment to the environment and sustainability, the Farm to Bay event committee, led by master composters from the City of Chula Vista, have taken the necessary steps towards producing a zero-waste event. In 2014, as a result of their efforts, 77 percent (or 516 pounds) of event waste was recycled or composted and diverted from landfills. This represented a 46 percent reduction in waste from the previous year. This year, the team will continue to build on this success by utilizing more earth-friendly materials and processes.
Tickets for the event go on sale June 1 for $80 at www.thelivingcoast.org. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets early as the event is expected to sell out again this year. In 2014, the sold-out crowd of 500 helped the Living Coast achieve its highest net proceeds in the event’s history, raising $85,000 through sponsorships, ticket sales, auction proceeds and Raise the Paddle donations.
The event is made possible by the generous support of its sponsors, including San Diego Gas & Electric, UTC Aerospace Systems – Aerostructures, Port of San Diego, Mission Federal Credit Union, Sprouts Farmers Market–Chula Vista and Eastlake, BAE Systems, Baldwin & Sons, Republic Services, Loews Coronado Bay Resort, Pacifica Companies, The Securities Center, General Dynamics NASSCO, Seven Mile Casino, The Waitt Foundation, Hoffman Hanono Insurance Services, Miller Hull, Wells Fargo and Kathleen and Ben Vallejos. Media partners for the event include San Diego Magazine, San Diego CityBeat, Edible San Diego and Easy 98.1 FM.
Additional sponsors and food and beverage partners continue to be added to this event. For inquires relating to participation or to donate an item to the live or silent auction, contact Jessica LaFave at jessica@thelivingcoast.org or (619) 409-5906.
About the Living Coast Discovery Center
The Living Coast Discovery Center, a 501(c) 3 educational zoo and aquarium located within the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge on Sweetwater Marsh, began operating as a non-profit in 2010 after assuming operations of the Chula Vista Nature Center. The Living Coast Discovery Center offers hands-on exhibits and up-close encounters with more than 350 plant and animal species native to Southern California coastal habitats, including endangered sea turtles, sting rays, leopard sharks, jellies, shorebirds, reptiles and a large collection of raptors such as hawks, falcons, owls, American bald eagle, golden eagle, and more. More information about the Living Coast Discovery Center is available at www.thelivingcoast.org or (619) 409-5900.
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