Chefs Cook up a Beast of a Feast for Charity
For the third year, Chef John Paolone and his wife Kimberly hosted Feast of the Beast at their popular restaurant, Cafe Firenze in Moorpark. The event raises much-needed funds for the Boys and Girls Club of Moorpark. Beast is the operative word as chefs presented such uncommon fare as beef tongue pastrami, braised boar shoulder and even goat!
In addition to the culinary artistry of Chef John and Cafe Firenze, this year’s chefs included representatives from:
- Tierra Sur
- Scratch Food Truck
- Disgustingly Delicious Coffee House and Bakery
- Pas de Deux Confections
Dishes were paired with wine and beer, courtesy of:
- Fabio Viviani Wine
- Cafe Firenze Winery
- Herzog Wine Cellars
- Blendz Winery
- Magnavino
- Cantara Cellars
- Enegren Brewing Company
- Four Brix Winery
Tempting Tastes
Can Solivera rounded out the participants with their imported Spanish olive oil. Guests were invited to sample their lemon-yogurt-olive oil cake. A dense, pound cake-like confection, the delicate flavor of their oil enhanced 
rather than overpowered the delicious dessert.
Tierra Sur’s smoked lamb shoulder was sweet and tender. Served on naan with a turmeric pickle and green harisa, the flavors perfectly balanced.
Scratch Food Truck brought their beef tongue pastrami with fries and cheese curd. They paired it with wines from Fabio Viviani Wines and beer from Enegren Brewing Company.
Disgustingly Delicious offered two selections: a braised boar shoulder slider with goat cheese and ricotta, and bison pastrami with pickled onion, cabbage, bitter lettuce and citrus vinaigrette. Both were delicious (but not disgusting) and that special kind of different that makes your palate stand up and take notice. Chef Robbie Jaegge certainly achieved the “delicious” part of his name though he has definitely learned to make his dishes more attractive since his days at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris where instructors told him his food tasted delicious but looked disgusting.
Team Cafe Firenze
Chef John and his staff showed the Diner’s Choice award from Open Table was no fluke. Even before tasting his melt-in-your-mouth Porchatta, we experienced the gracious hospitality Cafe Firenze is known to offer. They also served a goat sugo with home made pasta, micro greens and parmesan cheese.
Taking Her Dedication from Dance to Dessert
Anastashia Chavez took the dedication and drive for perfection she learned as a ballet dancer into her current passion, Pas de Deux Confections. Known for her craft beer infused desserts, she added a sweetness to the event with three desserts:
- Chocolate Ganache Cake with red wine poached pears and mascarpone cream
- Beerimisu with Enegren’s mild stout and house made beer toffee
- Key Lime Mousse with ginger cream
Guests of the event wandered from the restaurant’s charming back patio, through the restaurant and bar and congregated around tables and under cabanas to enjoy food, conversation and music. The evening was complimented by a classic car display and a silent auction.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Watrous of Dine.Savor.Repeat. and used with permission. Please contact Jesse to use any photographs contained herein.
