3 Food Events You Should Know About: L.A. Mag’s Island Style Cook-Off; Taste of Farmers Market; Bommer Canyon BBQ

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Pupu, L.A. style: Los Angeles Magazine’s Island Style Cook-Off is underway, celebrating pupu this month. Four Angeleno chefs accepted the challenge to creatively interpret the Hawaiian appetizer, and the resulting dishes are on the Web for all to judge. There are also recipes posted to try at home. Voters will determine which two will go to the event finale, where the chefs will vie for the Hawaiian Islands Master Chef title. Taste the pupu creations for yourself and sip some island-style drinks (with umbrellas, of course) when the final throwdown commences June 29 at Santa Monica’s Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows. Tickets are $20 per person, available online at lamagislandstylecookoff.eventbrite.com. Check out the competing chefs and their entries below:

Mark Gold from Eva Restaurant: Roasted foie gras with sushi rice, tea-smoked plum and grated yuzu.

Neal Fraser from BLD Restaurant: Hawaiian tuna poke, wasabi tobiko and sambal crème fraîche.

Eric Greenspan from the Foundry on Melrose: Chile-glazed Spam with saffron pineapple risotto and coconut-crusted shrimp.

Brendan Collins from Waterloo & City: Seared foie gras, char siu tete de Spam, caramelized pineapple sherbet and five-spice brioche.

Taste This! The third annual Taste of Farmers Market, a tasting tour of the market’s restaurants, bakeries, confectioners and grocery shops, returns next month. On July 12 from 5 to 9 p.m., visitors can sample dishes of worldly origins and witness cooking demonstrations by Evan Kleiman, host of KCRW-FM (89.9)’s ‘Good Food’ program. The event is a celebration of the Original Farmers Market, which opened in July 1934. Ticket prices range from $35 to $65, available online at www.farmersmarketla.com or by calling (323) 933-9211.

BBQ in Bommer Canyon: Generally not available to the public, Bommer Canyon in Irvine opens its ranch-style doors July 10 for the annual Bommer Canyon BBQ. Slow Food Orange County will host the event, which features a barbecue chicken dinner accompanied by live music and guest speaker A.G. Kawamura, former secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Proceeds will benefit local nonprofits committed to the principles of Slow Food, including community gardens and farmers markets. Tickets are $50 per person, available online at www.brownpapertickets.com. 1 Bommer Canyon Road, Irvine, slowfoodoc.org.

ALSO:

The Sweet Tooth: Paso Almonds brittle

Father’s Day dining guide 2011

Q-&-A with Fig executive chef Ray Garcia

--Caitlin Keller