It has been beyond distressing and deeply heartbreaking to witness the Covid crisis that keeps unfolding in India, and some local restaurants are rallying to help raise money to support relief efforts by The American India Foundation. Even when our beleaguered restaurants are suffering from the pandemic’s toll this past year, they are still coming together to donate 50 percent of their sales on Tuesday May 25th.
Restaurants participating in Dining for India include Amber India (San Francisco, Los Altos, San Jose), Aurum (Los Altos), Besharam (San Francisco), Bhoga (San Francisco), Broadway Masala (Redwood City), New Delhi (San Francisco), Rooh (San Francisco) and Rooh (Palo Alto). Whether you dine in, order takeout, or delivery, 50 percent of food sales will be donated. Thanks in advance for your support of this fundraising night.
I also want to call attention to this fundraiser for a local bartender, Paul Wakefield, who was tragically hit by a car on his bike after finishing a shift at Driftwood in SoMa on Sunday evening (May 9th). His condition is reportedly “stable and non-life threatening, but his head injury is very serious,” and his path to recovery will require help from the community. Best wishes to Paul and his friends and family.
We owe a lot to everything CUESA has done to support our farmers, restaurant industry, and community during the pandemic, and a great way to show your gratitude will be reserving a picnic basket for CUESA’s Summer Picnic on Sunday June 13th. 30 restaurants, bars, breweries, and wineries will be contributing locally grown and made goodies to the basket, available for home delivery or pickup at the Ferry Building (If you opt to pick up, they’ll have some outdoor seating and a DJ, making it a picnic party).
Each picnic basket includes everything you need for an extravagant summer lunch for one, with seven sweet and savory bites and five seasonal beverages. Choose from three different summer produce themes (Berries, Stone Fruit, or Cucurbits) representing the best of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Unlock discounted pricing per picnic basket when you purchase multiple baskets and host a picnic party with your pod; tickets and pricing here!
Here are a couple cocktail events: 18 Reasons is hosting their first cocktail (and hopefully last virtual) spring fundraiser, Libations for Liberation, on Thursday May 20th. All proceeds will benefit 18 Reasons’ free Cooking Matters program for low-income families, which offers grocery donations paired with live, hands-on cooking and nutrition classes to more than 3,500 households each year.
Alta Journal is hosting a happy hour event, Alta Live @ 5, on Wednesday May 26th at 5pm on Zoom. It’s free, but the optional cocktail delivery from Rye on the Road is $50. Michael Bauer and Alta contributor Nicholas Mancall-Bitel will talk locally sourced cocktails with Greg Lindgren of Rye on the Road.
