James Beard Award-nominated chef Michael Reed and his wife, Kwini, have given diners yet another reason to visit their praised Anaheim restaurant, Poopy and Seed.
Starting Thursday, July 3, and continuing throughout the summer, Poppy and Seed will host “Poppy Presents: Us Friends,” a new chef collaboration series set in the eatery’s stellar garden. The inaugural dinner will feature a powerhouse duo: Stephanie Izard and Shota Nakajima.
Stephanie Izard is a culinary icon, have been the first female winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef.” She received a James Beard Award in 2013 and was named one of Food and Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2011. Izard is the executive chef and owner of a family of popular restaurants, including Girl and the Goat, Little Goat, Duck Duck Goat and Cabra in Chicago, as well as Girl and the Goat and Cabra in Los Angeles and Valley Goat in Silicon Valley.
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Joining Izard in the kitchen will be Shota Nakajima, a three-time James Beard Awards semifinalist. Nakajima has made a name for himself at his first spot, Adana in Seattle, and at his own pop-up, Kobo Pizza, where he served Detroit-style pizzas with a Japanese bent. He also appeared on Food Network’s “Iron Chef Gauntlet” and made it to the top three on “Top Chef: Portland’ while being voted fan favorite.
The combined prowess of chefs Reed, Izard and Nakajima will culminate in an exclusive seven-course dinner on Thursday, July 3, at Poppy and Seed .Guests will get the chance to mingle with the chefs and enjoy pre-dinner cocktails before being seated in the restaurant’s garden setting. The menu will feature two dishes each from all three chefs, with Reed providing the dessert to conclude the evening.
Future guest chefs will be announced at a later date. The Reeds, Izard and Nakajima cultivated a friendship by their numerous TV appearances; upcoming chefs might also be names with which gastronomic TV viewers are familiar. Stay tuned.
Tickets for the dinner run $300 per person and can be purchased via OpenTable. For those wishing to punch up the evening care of a little bubbly, a select set of champagnes, ranging from Moët & Chandon Vintage to Dom Perignon) can be be added for an additional cost. Fifteen percent of the proceeds will go to No Kid Hungry, a national campaign that focuses on ending childhood food insecurity.
Doors open at 6 p.m. with cocktails served from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m.; dinner starts at 7:15 p.m.
Find it: Located in the Anaheim Packing District, 350 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim