THE 10,000 BITES EVENT - AUGUST 17TH
The idea for this event started about five years ago after speaking to some of my restaurant guests about the best meals they enjoyed in different countries. I was amazed at the number of people who had not traveled much outside the United States or who did not have a good appreciation for different cultures and cuisines. While I have been very fortunate to have travelled to 6 of the 7 continents (still need to visit Antartica) over the last 30 years, I recognized the opportunity to create something that was both gastronomically unique and educational.
The idea of serving enough different bites from enough countries for the guest to actually recognize and appreciate the similarities and differences quickly flourished into an action plan and then a test dinner with 20 bites from four countries served to 80 guests at the World Food Championship in 2016. We prepped for a week and served 1600 courses with 7 chefs in about 2 hours without the use of a restaurant kitchen. To say we learned a lot from that event is a dramatic under statement! The success of that dinner lead to this once-in-a-lifetime culinary event where each guest will journey across 10 countries highlighting both the cultural and gastronomic uniqueness related to the common meal.
This event would not be possible without the help of Chef David Duarte who also saw the vision and quickly jumped on board to make it a reality, and the help and passion of all our invited chefs this year. One of the first chefs to say yes was my friend Dominique Crenn. As you may know she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and unfortunately will not be able to make the event this year. We will be donating a portion of the proceeds in her name for breast cancer research. The remaining proceeds will be donated to the James Beard Foundation.
My hope is that you emerge from this journey with a much richer understanding of different cultures and cuisines and a greater appreciation for what makes us all unique and wonderful.
McCartney Studios will be filming this unique event. Stay tuned to this page for updates.