My Evening at the Plate by Plate Benefit

Last Friday evening, I attended the second annual Plate by Plate Tasting Benefit, a night of food, drinks and giving back to the community at the Bently Reserve. The event was hosted by Project by Project (PbP), a national volunteer organization of social entrepreneurs that serves Asian-American non-profits in need by raising public awareness, volunteerism and capitol.

Each year, PbP’s chapters around the country (New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco) choose a common theme by which they will dedicate their work to help Asian Americans and the local community. In years past, PbP worked with organizations nationwide to champion a wide range of issues including domestic violence, political empowerment and media arts.

2011 is the year of education for PbP. With many schools and after-school programs feeling the pinch of budget cuts, it was important for PbP to champion for education and programs to empower youth. The San Francisco chapter proudly partnered with the Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES), an organization dedicated to empowering youth with limited resources through education, mentorship and service.  With over 400 volunteers providing tutoring and enrichment services to predominantly Asian American youth from immigrant families, OASES helps students improve their academic performance, learn leadership skills and gain the confidence to be successful in school, their careers and in their community.

This year’s Plate by Plate Tasting Benefit was held to raise money for OASES. Over 400 people attended this year’s event included drinks from 18 wineries and beverage companies and delicious tastings from over 20 restaurants and bakeries from San Francisco and its surrounding areas. I got the opportunity to sample wines from Peju, St. Supery and Joyce Vineyards and sparkling wine from J Vineyards. There was even some amazing limoncello from Ventura Limoncello Company. There were also some amazing eats from Luce, 5A5 Steak Lounge, Chaya Brasserie, Straits Café, HRD Coffee Shop, Jai Yun, Yank Sing, Venga Empanadas, Rendevouz Tapas Lounge and Osha Thai to name a few. I got to talk with chefs about their restaurants’ cuisine and their favorite dishes. It was a wonderful time. There was also a few great DJ’s spinning some great music and there was Pop Chips sponsored photo booth. And there was an awesome silent auction to help raise money for OASES with great items donated that included wine gift sets, jewelry, TiVo and gift certificates to restaurants and for travel, shopping and museums. I bid on a few items and am still anxiously waiting to hear if I won. There was even a very special appearance by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee who lent his support to the event and cause.

Plate by Plate was a wonderful event and I was so pleased to see such a great turnout – everyone coming together to support Project by Project and raising money for OASES. It’s still not too late to donate money to help OASES. To learn more about how you can help OASES, you can visit their website at www.oases.org.  To learn more about Project by Project’s work, visit www.projectbyproject.org.

You can check out my pictures from the event here:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you can, please do what you can to support OASES and PbP. Thanks for your support to this amazing cause.