Photo Essay: Meals on Wheels San Francisco Star Chefs and Vintners Gala 2013, part one: the appetizers

Every year in the spring, I marvel at the San Francisco Meals On Wheels organization as well as Nancy Oakes, owner of Boulevard and Prospect and chair of the annual Meals on Wheels black tie fundraiser Star Chefs and Vintners Gala. I can’t imagine the logistics of having to get all those chefs and wineries and bars to work together to throw an event that has become one of the most significant food and wine event in the bay area. The minute you walk in, champagne is handed to you and station after station of the top restaurants in the SF bay area offer you appetizers and nibbly bites. From fried frog legs to ahi tuna with avocado and daikon skewers to raclette style cheese, with glasses of wine, cocktails and adult punch in between the bites, the toughest part is trying to say no to seconds as you rush from table to table, trying not to miss anything.  It’s no wonder that the 26th annual event beat their record by raising nearly $2.2 million this year, enough to provide 430,000 meals. Of course, AJ and I ran around trying to capture on our camera as much of the food as possible (without getting any of it on our tuxes as we stuffed it in our mouths). All for the sake of you, my dear readers. It’s a tough life, but someone has to do it. And yes, you’re welcome.

Be sure to come to check out Part Two of the Meals on Wheels photo essay, featuring behind the scenes photos and the three course dinner.

Special thanks to Meals on Wheels & Charles Zukow Associates for the allowing AJ and me into the Gala to cover and photograph the chefs. Even though tickets were provided, there was no monetary compensation for his blog post and all opinions are my own.