On Saturday, I had the privilege of indulging in one of the most anticipated events in the San Francisco food scene – SFChefs 2010. This was the 2nd annual culinary event celebrating food, wine, and spirits. This event celebrated the unique flavor, diversity and bounty of Northern California.

Inside the Grand Tasting Tent at SF Chefs

There was a great mix of people present including local chefs from over 25 renowned restaurants, 30 winemakers, 10 distillers, brewers, media, luminaries, authors, vintners, mixologists, culinary experts, local farmers, and ranchers. And it was all for a good cause as SFChefs supports the Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Foundation, granting scholarships to students entering culinary and hospitality programs.

The chefs hard at work preparing decadent bites

The various SFChefs events included food demos, classes, seminars, luncheons, happy hours, after-parties, cooking competitions, mini tastings, and, of course, grand tastings. I attended the Saturday Grand Tasting, aka the Urban Garden Party, held in Union Square.

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Here are some of the exciting highlights of the day.

I decided to kick off the day with dessert. This bite was a lovely little cheesecake cup by Campton Place (below). It was a light and creamy take on cheesecake and its crust was buttery and delicious.

White Gazpacho Rock Shrimp Pimenton, The Ahwahnee

One of my favorite dishes of the day is below. It was a delicious white gazpacho with rock shrimp pimenton by The Ahwahnee. The beautiful green color came from cucumber skins. Great flavors!

Shrimp Thai Salad with Mango in Chili Lime Dressing, Luques Restaurant & Bar

These next two bites I enjoyed so much that I decided to dine at their restaurant, Grand Cafe, on Saturday evening. The first dish was a gougère (like a savory profiterole) stuffed with artichoke mousse & truffle and topped with an heirloom tomato. It was so delicious. The second bite was the classic French macaronwhich was crusty and sweet and left me wanting more.

Pickled Cherry Tomato Bruschetta Broccoli Rabe Pistou & Goat Cheese, Ryan Scott 2 Go

As an aside – I will jump to Saturday night quickly. My friend and I decided we did in fact want more of that macaron and headed over to Grand Cafe. It was a convenient walk right from our Union Square hotel. From the beginning, the staff was friendly and accommodating. They remembered us from the SFChefs earlier in the day and thanked us for choosing to dine with them. Chef Michael Koenig checked on us over the course of our meal to ensure it was to our liking. I must say the food at Grand Cafe really is amazing. I ordered the Saint Jacques au Riz Noir which was scallops, black risotto, asparagus, fava beans, and English peas in sauce vierge. It had such great flavors and it was my first time eating black risotto. The risotto itself was so good I would eat it alone. For dessert, we continued to feast.