The Casual Spin-off of Bal Masqué Has Arrived

Cochon is throwing a fried chicken and champagne party this week with live music from Rik Slave’s Country Persuasion to benefit the Link Stryjewski Foundation, but it sold out a while ago. The good news is that more themed dinners are on their way in the form of an Oktoberfest block party and a dim sum dinner, according to a report by Ian McNulty.

The Link Stryjewski Foundation, founded by Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski, is known for its Bal Masqué, which, in past years, was a ritzy $1000 ticket affair featuring celebrity chefs from around the country. It usually kicks off the night before the main event with an intimate dinner by Mario Batali. This year, the annual fundraiser will arrive with some major changes to the pricing.

In the report, Link says that the fundraising is for the city and should be accessible to all the different kinds of people who come to his restaurants. To that end, the much more affordable and approachable special theme dinners are meant to widen the support base for the charitable organization.

So far, the organization is planning a ticketed Oktoberfest block party to be held outside Cochon and Butcher on October 1, and a dim sum dinner at Calcasieu in November, recalling Link’s early days of cooking in San Francisco, home of so many dim sum joints.

The annual Bal Masqué will be held on January 20 this year, with the dinner led by Mario Batali on January 19.

UPDATE: This story was updated with new information on Bal Masqué’s 2017 ticket prices.

MORE READING

• To Expand Support, Chef-Run Link Stryjewski Foundation Taps Fried Chicken, Oktoberfest, Dim Sum [ADVOCATE]
• Bal Masqué [Website]
• Link Stryjewski Foundation [Website]