TasteTV and Sonesto Redondo Beach Collab on TASTE AWARDS Tastemakers Luncheon at SOL Restaurant
In honor of the 15th Annual TASTE AWARDS, TasteTV and the Sonesta Redondo Beach collaborated on the first Tastemakers Luncheon at SOL Restaurant in Redondo Beach, California. The TASTE AWARDS celebrate the year’s best in food, fashion and lifestyle programs in film, on television, in streaming and online video, in podcasts, on radio, and in photography.
This exclusive and private event was a luxurious gastronomic delight overseen by Japanese, French and SoCal-cuisine trained Executive Chef Hayato Yanai, who was in charge of SOL’s opening in 2022. Attendees represented a celebrity and tastemakers lineup from the previous night’s award show in Beverly Hills. They included Lisa-Renee Ramirez (Recipe.TV / Allen Media/ President, Lifestyle Networks & Executive Producer/Director), A.K. Crump (CEO of TasteTV), Michelle Harris (host and producer of Alive and Well TV), food podcast and TV host Margaret McSweeney (Kitchen Chat, Les Dames d’Escoffier) TaiwanPlus TV host Jason Wang (Jason’s Table: Masterful Dishes), Ukrainian-born award winning fashion designer Nizie Emirshah (Fashion News Live Network), cooking host Michelle Ullmann (What’s On The Menu with Michelle Ullmann), Susan Kirby (The Bikini Chef), Canada-based chef and cookbook author Paula Stachyra (Queen of the Grill), actress and author Holly Hester (Fashion News Live Network), filmmaker Ann Huang, and Ian Jardiolin (Fashion for Conservation).
Inside of SOL’s, light and airy dining room, surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and presented on modern rustic long tables, the menu for this tastemakers luncheon was a studied combination of local and exotic flavors. Dishes in the spotlight were:
HAMACHI CRUDO with olive oil, lemon, shallot, cherry tomato, caper parsley, paprika oil
PORK BELLY BRIE TOAST with sourdough, mushroom, pickled onion
GREEN CURRY SALMON with fingerling potato, bell pepper, zucchini, squash spinach, wonton crisp
CREME BRULEE
Each course was a fantastic and mouthwatering creation, with the final creme brûlée bringing guests to gasps of appreciation with its light and expert execution.
The Tastemakers Luncheon also included three delicious cocktails, created by resident mixologist “Juanito.” Each represented some of the best ingredients and spirits available, with the Japanese gin based White Negroni being extremely popular that afternoon.
For those who preferred wine over cocktails, resident Sommelier and Director Addison Foley, an industry veteran with experience in high-end establishments across the globe, offered a selection of exquisite reds and white’s from SOL’s curated wine cellar inventory. This included a savory 2021 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Siduri Wines.
A very tasteful event, indeed!
