Community Dinner: Italian and Malaysian Meatballs (First Seating)
A one-plate dinner with beer and wine available for sale. This is not a cooking class. This seating is limited to 30 guests. See our registration policies here and our rules for in-person events here.
With the cooler temperatures and shorter days, we welcome you to our dinner table to a cross-cultural plate of comfort. Two of our most seasoned and acclaimed chef instructors, Linda and Viola, return to Community Dinner to create variations of meatballs from Malaysia and Italy. As Viola and Linda have been teaching online since March 2020, we're so happy to invite you to our communal dinner tables to enjoy food from these two talented chefs.
This ticket page is for the first seating from 6-7 pm. We do not have reserved seating and dining will take place at communal tables. We are limiting the capacity of this seating to 30 guests (if you attended Community Dinner in the past, we used to fit 40 people in each seating). We also have an option for guests who prefer to take their meal to go: whether to eat at nearby Dolores Park or in the comfort of their home. Click here to reserve a plate for pick-up only.
MENU
Mom's Polpette (Beef, Veal and Pork) Stewed with Tomatoes over Ciabatta
Pork with Salted Cod Gua Bao with Sweet Chili Sauce
Seasonal Side Salad
This menu contains the following common allergens: Wheat, Soy, Fish. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to attend, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket. Because we are cooking in large batches, we are very limited in accommodating allergens and dietary restrictions.
Viola Buitoni, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her dishes cross the best of California agriculture with the finest Italian food imports. After moving to the US to attend NYU, Viola started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop in New York City. She later moved to San Francisco where she began lecturing and teaching Italian food tradition workshops at the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She teaches Italian cooking at 18 Reasons, The Civic Kitchen, and Milk Street year-round, and at the Puglia Culinary Center in the summer. In October of 2021, she will lead an immersive fall foraging workshop in Le Marche. She is a regular contributor to La Cucina Italiana US. She lives in the Mission District with her husband, son and tiny dog.
Linda Tay Esposito is a teaching chef whose food represents a tribute and commitment to the authenticity of the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. For the last 15 years, Linda has shared her passion and knowledge of East & South East Asian cuisines through Bay Area cooking schools - Cavallo Point, Sur La Table, Parties That Cook and Whole Foods Market. Linda’s teaching philosophy is to make these cuisines approachable to the home cook, while respecting the cuisine’s heritage and authenticity in taste. Besides 18 Reasons, Linda also shares her Nyonya food passion with Milk Street Kitchen and leads a community culinary program on Asian vegetables for Radical Family Farms.
An all-around food professional, Linda’s consulting work centers around helping food businesses flourish through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. Her past experience includes growing Hodo Foods from an artisanal producer to nationwide distribution, and building inclusive food places. Most recently she led the development of La Cocina Municipal Marketplace – using food as a creative approach to economic development by offering affordable, healthy food options and safe spaces while providing accessible business opportunities for low income, immigrant, women food entrepreneurs. Linda is a member of the Good Food Foundation advisory board and serves on their Equity Task Force. Linda lives in San Francisco. In her free time, she plants Asian herbs at the community garden at Fort Mason. Follow her on Instagram @flavor_explosions
Photo credit: Linda Tay Esposito
ABOUT COMMUNITY DINNER
Once a month, we open our doors to friends new and old, welcoming all to our share a table and a delicious meal. Every month is something different, but it's always $15 and always tasty. Wine and beer are for sale at the event. Kids welcome!
For our second seating at 7:30 pm, please click here. Click here to reserve a plate for pick-up only.
