What to Eat at Liberty’s Kitchen’s Gala at the Ace Hotel

On September 15, 2017, Liberty’s Kitchen will throw its annual fundraising bash, called Come Grow With Us, at the Ace Hotel, bringing together 20 of city’s top chefs and restaurants working alongside Liberty Kitchen trainees in one venue. T-Ray the Violinist and DJ RQ Away will provide music and there will be an open bar, dancing (with a bigger dance floor this year), as well as silent and live auctions. As of today, there are fewer than 60 tickets left.

This year’s event honors restaurateur Jeff Gulotta with the 2017 Youth Advocate Award, and graduates Nadja Sampson and Da'Mon "Tumma" Keelen with the Youth Achievement Award. Gulotta regularly hosts Liberty’s Kitchen trainees at MoPho.

There are lots of amazing auction items this year, like a private dinner for 10 by chef Mike Gulotta, a Phoenix vacation home for one week with two roundtrip airline tickets, an in-home whiskey tasting for 10 with snacks provided by Kenton’s, and a pizza party with the Theo’s food truck for up to 75 guests.

Since there are at least 20 different dishes, it’s best to have a plan of attack before it starts. Eater is here to assist with the full list of confirmed dishes. Without further delay:

• Alto at the Ace Hotel: Smoked vasca wings
• Avo: Octopus gemelli
• Emeril's Delmonico: Louisiana wild boar meatball with eggplant caponata and toasted almonds
• Josephine Estelle: Canestri - cacio e pepe
• Kenton's: The Kenton's chilled oyster
• Kingfish: Tuna tartare, miso aioli, marinated cucumber, five spice potato gaufrette
• Liberty's Kitchen: Spicy chicken curry
• Liberty's Kitchen School Nutrition Program: Vegetable quinoa, roasted garlic hummus, and falafel on a pita chip topped with tahini sauce, chicken vegetable kebab
• Maypop: Whole roasted eggplant with goat feta and warm bacon vinaigrette
• MOPHO: MOPHO khoa soi, coconut braised chicken, peach sambal
• Restaurant R'evolution: Breakfast pate en croute with duck bacon and pear butter
• Roux Bistro: Praline pork belly in steamed bun and Asian slaw
• Seaworthy: Gulf ceviche
• Shake Sugary: Amaretto praline cheesecake and strawberry passionfruit tartletts
• The Ruby Slipper Cafe: Chocolate-covered candy bacon
• Carmo: Caldinho de mandioca (Brazilian casava soup)
• Domenica: Burrata cheese with Northshore honey, sea salt, and grilled bread

Liberty’s Kitchen’s seventh annual Come Grow With Us Chef Showdown will go down on September 15 at the Ace Hotel from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the patron party beginning at 7 p.m. All proceeds benefit youth programming including workforce training, leadership development, and healthy school meals. Tickets here.