Local Nonprofit, Berry Good Food, Releases Date For Next “Seeds For The Future” Dinner

Berry Good Food’s signature annual dinner, Seeds for the Future—an unforgettable event with San Diego and Baja’s sustainable culinary community of chefs, farmers, fishermen, winemakers, distillers, and brewers—will be held Sunday, August 6th, 2023, at the sleek indoor-outdoor Julep venue in Mission Hills, San Diego.

Funding School Gardens for Agriculture and Healthy Eating Education

Proceeds from the nonprofit organization’s dinner will help fund its annual school garden grants. Since 2017, Berry Good Food (BGF) has awarded more than $65,000 in grants to 30 schools and educational organizations with garden projects that enhance the teaching of agriculture and healthy eating in our shared bioregion of San Diego and northern Baja.

Funding from last year’s “Seeds for the Future” dinner allowed Berry Good Food to re-launch its school garden grant program after a three-year hiatus due to Covid, awarding $15,000 to seven local schools in December 2022.

Emceeing the event will be Herb & Wood’s Executive Chef and Food Network star Carlos Anthony, who participated as chef at last summer’s “Seeds for the Future” dinner along with Animae’s Chef Tara Monsod, and since then has partnered with Berry Good Food’s school garden program by leading cooking classes at three of its partner elementary and middle schools during the 2022-23 academic year.

Seeds For The Future: Evening Program and Reception

The evening will begin with a brief reception that includes wine from family-owned and sustainably-farmed Pali Wine Co., a signature cocktail made from seasonal ingredients by Snake Oil Cocktail Co., and light bites at appetizer stations before being seated.

Preparing the delicious 4-course dinner menu will be Chef Aarti Sanghavi of Urban Kitchen Group, Chef Erik Aronow of Marisi, and Chef Miguel Valdez of Liberty Call Distilling, topped off with a decadent dessert from Pop Pie Co.

Menu highlights will be inspired by a generous donation of grass-fed beef from SonRise Ranch in Oceanside, local and sustainable seafood from TunaVille Market and Grocery, and top-quality fruit and vegetables from Specialty Produce, a family-owned San Diego business for more than 30 years.

New this year, Berry Good Food is excited to present our inaugural Food Leader Awards to four local members of our community who educate and engage the public about eating locally and responsibly: San Diego Magazine’s publishers Troy and Claire Johnson, Herb & Wood Chef Carlos Anthony, and a local teacher at one of BGF’s partner school gardens.

Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on exciting auction items like dining and wine experiences, hotel stays, photo sessions, and “Treasure Boxes” containing surprise gifts. A portion of the auction items will also be available to the general public for bidding on BGF’s website the week leading up to the event.

Upcoming Grant Cycle and Application Process

BGF was also able to provide instructional hands-on support to award recipients like expert-led classes on gardening and cooking techniques, as well as teaching the process of photosynthesis with Berry Good Food’s signature “Seeds for the Future” workbook, available in English and Spanish.

The upcoming 2023 BGF grant cycle will begin in October with an application available for local schools and educational organizations in San Diego County to download from the BGF website.

Tickets

Tickets for the August 6th dinner are $185 and available here with limited capacity. Two VIP tables of 6 people, with exclusive gifts for those guests, will also be available for purchase.

See you there, San Diego!