Zoefoodparty x MouthBrain Sessions! 👅🧠🤝😎🌽🍅🍒🍹🍉

The evolution continues with new events all summer long

This past week we soft launched a brand new ZFP experience called the MouthBrain Sessions. It was so freaking special and all I want to do is host more and more of them and hopefully with some of you. I will be announcing a ticket drop very soon, so make sure to stay tuned for that.

MouthBrain Sessions are one-of-a-kind dinners that are also, in part, a hands on cooking experience. The entire menu gets formulated in real time by an intimate group of folks. I then improvise the recipes and we do some cooking together. These sessions are a celebration of Southern California’s remarkable farms, farmers, and produce, and a tribute to the seasons bounty. Hazzah! They are also an exercise in meaningful creative collaboration that take place over good food and wine, and a supreme way to connect around the table over so much more than just a meal.

The session began with a casual brainstorm. We looked at all the ingredients before us and figured out how we wanted to put it all together

I wanted to give myself a chance to reflect on these beautiful events by sharing them with you here in my newsletter. I think there will be a lot to glean from them. I’m inviting you to follow along here, and perhaps if you are in LA join me for an upcoming session. Paid subscribers will also get access to one or two of our improvised recipes from each session 👀

Here’s what we came up with on 7/26/24

---

The MouthBrain Sessions

easiest most refreshing lil cocktail

The most delicious wines from my favorite local spot to pick up a bottle. The owner and friend of the party, Nicole, always selects the most memorable choices Pasadena Wine Shop

We started with a table that was practically overflowing with raw ingredients all sourced from the South Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I read aloud a stream of consciousness poem, yep, you read that part correctly. Which more than anything was a reflection of my own feelings whilst shopping amongst the summer produce. I described juicy ripe stone fruit laying next to pops of cherry tomatoes and ears of corn, the inspiration for what we wanted to be eating was impossible to ignore. This is how we created our litany of dishes, 5 in total, 6 if you count dessert.

in a stroke of genius we paired cherry tomatoes, ripe nectarine, and baby corn, to make a sauce for our branzino dish. It was summertime incarnate!

The idea of cooking together as the main event stems from my my own interest and lifelong explorations. As my daughter’s preschool teacher is always saying, “teamwork makes the dream work”. And in this case, that could not be more true. I love what happens when ideas are fluid and creativity is shared openly without fear. As I like to say, it’s one part food, two parts party.

good food and great conversation

these zucchini blossom quesadillas were an after thought, in that I jumped up to make some after we had started eating, but that’s part of the fun of it!

We ended the evening with a perfectly refreshing combination of store bought vanilla gelato and watermelon granita. Topped with some crushed up olive oil tortas. Chef’s freaking kissssss.

Events like these remind me of what it was like to cook before we had all internalized social media’s ugly side effects. Because when I cook for and with people and not for the camera I find it to be my keenest form of expression. I think that deserves another Hazzah, don’t you?! Stay tuned for a bunch of session tickets dropping soon - this is something you really won’t want to miss.

vanilla ice cream and granita is simply it for me.

Ok, so here is how we made this one 😛. it’s incredible.

Melon & Halloumi Salad with fish sauce