Santa Monica Chef Kim Vu will show off the treasure of the strawberry in a five-course dinner at her private dining room on Wednesday, May 24 as part of the LA Times Food Bowl, a month-long, regional food festival.
Vu, the owner of Vucacious Catering on Lincoln Boulevard, was challenged to use the strawberry in both savory and sweet dishes in her Vietnamese-inspired, French-influenced dinner, officially named The Strawberry: from Asia to California. The five courses will be a banh mi tartine, cha ca va long, spiced duck breast, lemongrass curry eggplant, and a dessert of tamarind strawberry claufoutis.
“The strawberry is a distinctly Californian ingredient,” Vu said. “Coming up with this menu was a challenge, but I love a good challenge.”
Vu opened Vucacious Catering in 2012, having noticed a disparity between the quality of restaurant food and service and that of catering companies. She has worked in food and hospitality since 1996, bringing years of back- and front-of-house experience to her business. While Chef Vu’s dishes are usually offered only for corporate and social private events, this pop-up dinner brings the Vucacious Catering experience to the public for one night only. More information and tickets for the May 24 event are available at http://www.vucacious.com/food-bowl/
