You have to respect a person who fearlessly pursues their hustle.

I’m talking about the type of person who works long and hard to achieve a dream regardless of how difficult and draining it may be. People like that are hard to find, mainly because they’re always busy. My food friend, Bernadette Low is that type of person. While I’ve known her for less than a year, I’ve quickly grown to admire her and the passion she has towards becoming a chef. I have a great deal of respect for her because she’s one of the very few people I know who has impeccable ambition toward accomplishing her goal. She’s on the road to school while most are hitting the snooze button and she pushes herself to perfect skills others may disregard. In between all that she has on her plate, I was proud to hear she would be a part of a pop up dinner in Downtown Los Angeles. Working alongside a good friend of hers, Chef Bernadett Vanek, I was so humbled to be invited. I said yes immediately.

“Harvest of the Season: The Last Summer Dinner” was held in a small venue in the Arts District. Walking in to the space I saw a beautifully decorated dining table with name-tags of familiar food friends. LA Foodie, Tanaya’s Table, Food Within Reach, and Hungry Hugh were just a few in attendance. As I saw glasses of wine being poured with friends in sight, I new the night was off to a great start!

Before a single plate came from the kitchen, we were introduced to Chef Bernadett.With the most sincere praise, we learned that Chef Bernadett has a farm to table style of cooking with a strong European influence. In all the dishes she creates, she tries to use local and seasonal produce while supporting sustainable farming. From a professional standing, I loved how well versed in cooking she seemed. From a personal standing, I loved how amicable and pleasant she appeared. We then found out that she developed the menu we would be sampling and Bernadette would be her right hand in the kitchen along with another food friend Evi. As she smiled and walked away with Bernadette and Evi to continue cooking, waiters arrived with food.

To keep us quiet and patient as the main dishes were cooking, we were given Hors d’oeuveres. I would love to say that I was modest when these came around, but that’s not the case. The small starters took a beautiful slice of fig that was paired with rosemary, walnut, and small serving of goat cheese. Each bite came with a playful succession of flavors and textures. There was a creamy and velvety consistency from the goat cheese, a stiff and brittle texture from the cracker, and a subtle fruity and mildness from the fig. The first one of these tasted exciting, the third one was delicious, and the sixth one tasted like I was forming an addiction. Thankfully my friends and managed to pull me to sit at the table.

The first plate to the table was the California Toast. I’ve never been a fan of the hyped variations of toast that have become popular as of late, so I was not excited about this one on the menu. When it arrived, it looked pretty, but it was still just toast with a smear of avocado cream. I looked at it a little longer and the charred corn and micro cilantro looked appealing. I moved it around to take a few photos and then the smell of the tomato ceviche and goat feta started to pull me in. Giving it an honest chance, I was shocked at how much I loved this darn toast! Everything tasted and smelled tremendously fresh as if a farmer brought it to the pop up just minutes prior. The avocado cream was so smooth and creamy that it comes off like a perfect paste to the toast. The cilantro had a gentle fragrance and the bread is lightly toasted so that it was neither too hard or soft. I inhaled this and wanted more. I was so honest with Chef Bernadett and Bernadette that I had to tell them how much they won me over with it. I begged for a second one. Chef Bernadett laughed, but I was serious.

I’m still waiting for that second toast.

Following the toast was the Green Gazpacho. A small bowl had a petite serving of the chilled soup consisting of lemon cucumber, chèvre mousse, green coriander, watermelon, and cilantro. The gazpacho was nicely textured with bursts of sweet juice from the watermelon rounds. While most of my friends felt a pronounced taste of cilantro, I on the other had didn’t taste much of it at all. Either way, I liked the soup so much that I finished it with an affinity to the watermelon that brought it all together.

The main dish for the evening was the Summer Moussaka. Lamb, heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, potato mash, and oregano oil was plated beautifully. Sitting vertically, this dish was the meat I was waiting to have. What made this dish one that I loved was how well each element worked together. While each part was great on its own, I liked it most when my fork had a little bit of everything. The fluffy potatoes, fresh vegetables, and tender lamb were truly delicious when in unison.

The final dish was dessert. A beautiful Peach and Almond Eaton Mess was placed in front of us to close the dinner. A small almond cake in a glass was accompanied by peach, raspberries, a lemon verbena crème whip and meringue. Spoonful after spoonful, this was such a lovely dessert! The cake was a perfect weight so that it didn’t feel like it weighed me down after the dishes prior. The whip was so light and the fruit added a pleasant accent. My only regret when I finished it was I didn’t ask for a second.

As the dinner came to a close and we were politely ushered out, I was so glad to see my friend Bernadette accomplish a goal of hers. To work alongside a chef she admires creating beautiful and delicious plates was inspiring! I loved that Chef Berndett was able to create such creative plates and that a friend of mine had a hand in it—literally. After all the delicious food, the only thing that I haven’t let go of is the fact that I never got a second piece of California toast.

I don’t think I’ll ever let that go.

Ever.

Follow Them.
Chef Bernadett Vanek: Website, Instagram, and Facebook.
Bernadette Low: Instagram
Evi Aki: Website, Instagram, and Facebook.