On a sweaty, humid afternoon this past weekend, celebrities and chefs (and some who occupy both categories) mingled among Angelenos at UCLA's Royce Hall for the annual L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade, a food festival dedicated to raising funds to combat childhood cancer. This year's event was hosted by chef Suzanne Goin, wine director Caroline Styne and chef David Lentz, and raised more than $1 million. Everyone from Lena Dunham to Colin Hanks sampled bites both sweet and savory: Avocado tartare from Ludo Lefebvre's Trois Mec, falafel-battered onion rings from Susan Feniger's Mud Hen Tavern, pork pozole and fried pig ears from Redbird, ricotta cheesecake ice cream from Tyler Malek's Salt & Straw. A brief intermission during the afternoon saw a spirited auction take place, with a real battle occuring over the last item: a Women's Dinner featuring five talented female chefs, Goin among them. Three donors vied for the winning bid, ending with Goin taking the stage to announce that she would award all three of them—at $50,000 each—the multi-course dinner. Now that's girl power.
We tasted our way through the festival, sipped on drinks from Beau du Bois and Craftsman Brewing and gawked shamelessly at attending celebs. Check out our best photos from the day—and read more about this impactful event here.
