Cuisine del Sol is a collection of recipes and stories from greater LA’s best and most celebrated chefs and restaurants who have participated in the Pier del Sol event supporting Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC). ricotta cheesecake - pg 25 Pier del Sol is an annual family fun event on the Santa Monica Pier and Pacific Park. Guests enjoy unlimited rides and games, an outdoor VIP brunch, music and entertainment, arts and crafts, a silent auction, and so much more! The event was started 20 years ago by Maria Shriver, Anita Green, and Leo and Ivy Chu, with a vision to fundraise for the athletes of SOSC in a relaxed atmosphere. Pier del Sol remains the same 20 years later: food, fun, and sun on the pier! Special Olympics Southern California enriches the lives of more than 26,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and their communities through high-quality, year-round competition and training opportunities in an inclusive culture that stresses athletic excellence, rewards determination, emphasizes health, promotes acceptance, and celebrates personal achievement. lobster salad with citrus vinaigrette - pg 38 “I promise you this, you will be inspired by the athletes, you will be moved by the athletes, and when you attend Pier del Sol and support Special Olympics, you will have a warm and positive feeling.” - Athlete and Global Messenger, Marco Martinez seared duck breast with black cherries- pg 93 Special Olympics Southern California | 1600 Forbes Way, Ste. 200 | Long Beach, CA | 90810 | 562.502.1100 | www.sosc.org dedication Pier del Sol is the largest fundraising event for Special Olympics Southern California, involving some of the best and most celebrated chefs and restaurants in the greater LA area. Their support contributes to the success of the Pier del Sol event, and the Cuisine del Sol cookbook is a way to celebrate them, the history of Pier del Sol, and the 20 years of providing food, fun, and sun on the pier for the entire family. Cuisine del Sol is dedicated to all of the athletes of Special Olympics Southern California. You demonstrate courage, joy, determination, and strength on a daily basis on and off the playing field. You inspire people to open their hearts and minds to anyone with different abilities, while bringing together communities to unite and support one another. Special Olympics may change your lives, but you also change the lives of those around you. Proceeds from Cuisine del Sol benefit the athletes of Special Olympics Southern California. Sponsor Credits 1 Miguel Cruz + Henri Abergel 39 Foreword from Maria Shriver 2 Mistral Introduction from Anita Green 3 red wine braised prime beef short ribs Introduction from Leo and Ivy Chu 4 Acknowledgments and Gratitude 5 2002 Pier del Sol 43 Special Olympics Southern California 7 Santa Monica Pier 9 Tanino Drago 44 Pacific Park 11 Tanino Ristorante funnel cake cupcakes artichoke salad pumpkin sage lasagna 1997 + 1998 Pier del Sol 15 2003 Pier del Sol 47 Gino Angelini 16 Angelini Osteria Tony Esnault 48 risotto with white truffles Spring + Church and State kefir panna cotta with strawberry and basil 1999 Pier del Sol 19 table of contents Tom Fraker 51 Bradley Ceynowa 20 Melissa’s Produce Company Pizza Antica watermelon radish tacos warm brussels sprouts salad fall harvest salad with sparkling cider vinaigrette ricotta cheesecake 2004 Pier del Sol 55 Michael Cimarusti 23 Providence + Connie and Ted's Stephanie Franz 56 wild alaskan halibut with burdock and shiso The Strand House blueberry buckle coffee cake with cardamom sauce Josiah Citrin 27 Mélisse + Charcoal Venice 2005 Pier del Sol 59 cabbage baked in embers with yogurt, sumac, and lemon zest Neal Fraser 60 2000 Pier del Sol 31 Redbird + BLD + Fritzi Dog redbird posole Brendan Collins 32 Birch 2006 Pier del Sol 63 grilled spring asparagus with fried duck egg Peter Garland 64 2001 Pier del Sol 35 Porta Via organic kale and quinoa salad Collin Crannell 36 The Lobster Alain Giraud 67 lobster salad with citrus vinaigrette Maison Giraud maine scallops with leek fondue and pistachio sauce Della Gossett 71 Olivier Rousselle 104 Spago Beverly Hills Luxe Hotel vanilla bean kulfi basil roasted rack of lamb with caponata and lamb jus 2007 Pier del Sol 75 2012 Pier del Sol 107 Phil Kastel 76 Max Stefanelli 108 Daily Grill Terroni Restaurant aunt ronda’s monkey bread capunti al ragu di agnello / lamb ragu pasta gazpacho soup 2013 Pier del Sol 111 2008 Pier del Sol 79 Yoya Takahashi 112 Josette LeBlond 80 Hamasaku Normandie Bakery black cod and edamame gohan crème brûleé 2014 Pier del Sol 115 2009 Pier del Sol 83 Roger Thomas 116 David LeFevre 84 Avec Nous Manhattan Beach Post + Fishing with Dynamite mango bourbon bread pudding truffle honey laced fried chicken Don Whittemore 119 Annie Miler 87 Dandy Don’s Homemade Ice Cream Clementine chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream icing 2015 Pier del Sol 121 2010 Pier del Sol 91 Brooke Williamson + Nick Roberts 122 The Tripel + Hudson House Andreas Nieto & Joseph Mills 92 lamb burger Westin Bonaventure cast iron seared duck breast with black cherries 2016 Pier del Sol 125 Gerardo Ochoa 95 Sherry Yard 126 El Cholo iPic Entertainment + Helms Bakery green corn tamales profiteroles with chocolate sauce and coffee gelato Richard Pink 99 Index 130 PINK’s Famous Hot Dogs pink’s poli-bacon burrito dog 2011 Pier del Sol 103 Special Olympics Southern California Eunice Kennedy Shriver started Special Olympics in Chicago in 1968 to show the world that her sister, Rosemary, and other people with intellectual disabilities could–and would succeed–when given an opportunity and are treated with dignity and respect. Nearly 50 years later, her vision has grown from a small camp in her backyard to a worldwide movement of acceptance and inclusion. Special Olympics is the largest sports organization in the world and enriches the lives of more than 4.7 million athletes with intellectual disabilities in 170 countries through sports, health, and leadership programs. Through the power of sports training and competition, people with intellectual disabilities become more independent, build self-esteem, and live healthier lives. Special Olympics offers more than sports and is the largest healthcare provider to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Changing Hearts and Minds Locally In 1969, Mrs. Shriver asked family friend and Olympic gold medalist, Rafer Johnson, to lead the expansion of sports training and competitions to California. What started with three athletes has blossomed into one of the leading programs in the world. Special Olympics Southern California serves more than 26,000 athletes from San Luis Obispo County to San Diego County. Southern California athletes train and compete in 12 year-round sports along with participating in health and leadership programs. The Power of Sports Sports help our athletes see themselves for their abilities, not disabilities. Their world is opened with acceptance and understanding in their communities as stereotypes are broken down. The athletes become confident and empowered by their accomplishments. They also make new friends as part of the most inclusive community on the planet-a global community that is growing every day. Our athletes become stars on and off the sports field. They inspire people in their communities and elsewhere to open their hearts to a wider world of human talents and potential. This changes attitudes and changes lives. At Special Olympics, we believe that sports can teach us all important lessons. When we train and strive for a goal, it teaches us to dream. When we struggle, it teaches us determination. When we win, we find joy. And if we lose, we can find the strength to try again. “You are the stars and the world is watching you. By your presence you send a message to every village, every city, every nation. A message of hope. A message of victory.” -Eunice Kennedy Shriver at the 1987 Special Olympics World Games in Indiana. 7 foreword maria Special Olympics is all about family; always has been, always will be. My mother started it in the backyard of our home and it has grown into the largest movement for people with intellectual disabilities in the world. shriver Throughout my life people have come up to me to share stories of how this movement has impacted their life and their family’s lives. They share stories about being coaches, volunteers, huggers, translators, timers, chaperones, doctors, nurses, physical therapists-the list goes on and on. The Special Olympics family is broad and all-inclusive. Everyone has something to bring to the table. That's why I'm so happy to be writing the foreword to this cookbook to honor and express gratitude to all of the amazing chefs who have brought their food, their talent and their expertise to Pier del Sol. Each year they come out and give their time and their love. Pier del Sol was started 20 years ago by Anita Green and myself. We wanted to create an event that the whole family could attend; an event that was about play, family, good fun and good food. Pier del Sol has grown into the most successful fundraiser for Special Olympics Southern California. How did it do that? It did it with Anita Green nurturing it forward. It did it because of all the thousands of volunteers who work on it all year long, year after year. And it did it with the help of the great chefs and restaurants that are highlighted here in this book. Leo and Ivy Chu worked hard to connect local restaurants to the mission of Special Olympics and this extra special event. They asked friends in the food industry to step up and show up-which they did.