By Wendy Lemlin
When I first heard about Liberty Public Market, it was in its mid-construction stage in Point Loma’s Liberty Station. At that time the concept was to be San Diego’s answer to Seattle’s Pike Place Market— heavy on the retail farmers’ and provender’s market experience, with greengrocers, butchers, fishmongers, and artisanal food producers occupying most of the stalls, interspersed with a few casual take-out eateries. The original plan for Mess Hall, the proposed signature sit-down restaurant was to have an ever-changing menu based on what was available that day at the market stalls.
Sounded great, but, after numerous construction delays, and several re-conceptings, it didn’t quite work out that way. These days, Liberty Public Market is more food court and less market, although there are still several purveyors of the raw materials for making your own.
Happily, some of the original vision has been resuscitated with the adjacent weekly Liberty Public Farmers Market which launched in May and is open year-round on Thursdays from 2-7pm. And, beginning on June 29th, in conjunction with the LPM Farmers Market and several Liberty Station restaurants, the monthly Shop With the Chef Dinner Series takes farm-to-table one step further by offering a uniquely interactive experience for guests to learn about where their food comes from and how to prepare it, from a chef’s viewpoint.
One Thursday a month through September, a chef from a different restaurant in Liberty Station will host the dinner and market experience. The evening begins at 5:45 pm, when guests will assemble at the host chef’s restaurant. There, they will be privy to a behind-the-scenes introduction to the restaurant’s culinary program and discuss what is currently featured at the Farmers Market. Next, the chef will guide the dinner guests through the market on a personal tour, visiting the local farmers who’ve harvested the ingredients for the evening’s dinner and who will provide tastings of the fresh produce and ingredients. Along the way, the chef will reveal his/her thought process and inspiration behind that night’s menu. Finally, the guests will walk back to the restaurant where they will enjoy a farm-fresh multi-course dinner, using the ingredients found and purchased directly from the market earlier that day. The cost for the event is $50 per person (alcohol not included, but available).
Chefs and restaurants scheduled so far include:
June 29, 2017 Chef Phil Esteban, Soda & Swine Liberty Station
2750 Dewey Road #104 sodaandswine.com
Please call 619.501.9989 or contact suzie@sodaandswine.com for tickets.
July 27, 2017 Chef Accursio Lota, Solare Ristorante
2820 Roosevelt Rd. solarelounge.com
Please call 619.270.9670 or contact randy@solarelounge.com for tickets
August 31, 2017 Chef Michael Ground, Fireside by The Patio
2855 Perry Road, Building 8 firesidesd.com
Please call 619.432.2100 or contact reservations@firesidesd.com for tickets
September 28, 2017 TBD-stay tuned for details of the final event of the series.
