It's fair to say that Los Angeles is saturated with food festivals, especially in the summer. From night markets to vegan fests, food and wine festivals to food and beer festivals, our weekends are filling up with all-you-can-eat fêtes that usually come with a hefty price tag.
For the past few years, the LA Times has hosted The Taste, a three-day food festival at Paramount Studios. But they've just taken things up a notch with the announcement of a brand new (and, get this, month-long) festival called Food Bowl. For the entire month of May, the city will fill with food programs, pop-up dinners, internationally renowned chefs (Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of Osteria Francescana and the subject of a Chef's Table episode, will be one of the participants) and a slew of other events and specials. The focal point of the event is Night Market, an outdoor food market held at Grand Park from May 10-14. With over 50 restaurants and food trucks, live entertainment and drinks each night, it's poised to be a summer staple similar to 626 Night Market and Chinatown Summer Nights.
But perhaps the most encouraging aspect of Food Bowl is the message behind it. The event will focus on raising awareness about food waste, hunger and sustainability through donations, third-party initiatives and charities (which will be announced, along with a schedule of events, on April 1). It's a noble cause, and one that is particularly relevant to food festivals, where half-eaten dishes often end up in the trash and where the amount of food waste is shameful.
Other celebrity chefs participating include Magnus Nilsson, chef at Fäviken in Sweden; Fergus Henderson, chef and founder of St. John in London; and Rosio Sánchez, chef-owner of Hija de Sánchez in Copenhagen. Events will be hosted by the LA Times food staff—Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold, editor Amy Scattergood, deputy editor Jenn Harris and Test Kitchen director Noelle Carter—and restaurants that are interested in participating can sign up on Food Bowl's website until March 7.
More details are expected to roll out in the coming days, but for now, Food Bowl is gearing up to be L.A.'s largest food festival yet—and we can't wait to check it out.
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