If your sourdough starter could use a little help from Nancy Silverton or you’ve been dying to know how Ludo Lefevbre gets that Petit Trois omelette so perfect, now’s your chance: Thanks to a little fundraising initiative called #AskChefsAnything, you could snag a virtual session with your favorite L.A. culinary pro—and you won’t have to share.
The online auction kicked off today and works like this: For the next four days you can bid on virtual hangouts with more than 30 chefs and L.A. culinary leaders, and if—we mean when—you win, you’ll receive a one-on-one chat with the person of your choosing. You can politely ask for quick demos, figure out your summer wine must-tries, get pointers for your own home cooking—you name it.
Once the auction closes and you’ve won, you’ll send the money securely via PayPal and receive an email about coordinating your call with the chef on the platform of your choice. Soon after, if it’s over a video service such as Zoom, you’ll be sent the meeting’s special URL code to access your one-on-one time, and from there, you’re free to ask your chef as many questions as you can in half an hour’s time.
The auction launched in New York City at the end of April and managed to raise more than $32,000, tripling the fundraising goal and enabling the delivery of more than 300 meals to food-industry immigrant workers in need. The L.A. iteration runs today through this Sunday, May 10—so if you’re still in need of a Mother’s Day gift, this could be a great idea—and it raises money for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network’s fund to help immigrant workers.
This means you can chat with Felix’s Evan Funke or Rossoblu's Steve Samson about fresh pasta; grill pitmaster Burt Bakman of SLAB and Trudy’s Underground Barbecue fame; catch up with James Beard Award rising-star nominee Jon Yao from Kato; and light up your cooking thanks to tips from culinary cannabis visionary Vanessa Lavorato, and it's all for a great cause.
This fundraiser isn’t just limited to chefs, either. A few of the L.A. round’s big names also include Los Angeles Times dining critic Bill Addison; sommelier and restaurateur Matthew Kaner; actor and Somebody Feed Phil host Phil Rosenthal; wine writer Marissa Ross; and Yola Mezcal founders Yola Jimenez, Lykke Li and Gina Correll Aglietti who can walk you through the ins and outs of agave.
You can find the full list of chefs and food writers on offer—and their current bids—right over here. May the odds be ever in your favor.
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The #AskChefsAnything fundraising auction runs today through Sunday, May 10. Bids can be placed online now.
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