Tag Archives: cancer

Social Saturday – 13th Annual American Cancer Society Taste of Hope

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On May 10, 2018, I attended the American Cancer Society 13th Annual Taste of Hope event in New York City. I purchased my VIP ticket at $275 which included a gift bag and early access to the food and festivities.  The event had two honorees:  Sarabeth Levine was this year’s culinary honoree and Chef Antonio Prontelli was this year’s survivor honoree.

My top 5 favorite savory tastings from the event were the:

  • The Smith’s Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with White Truffle Cream
  • Calle Ocho’s Pastelillos Cubanitos
  • Jing Fong’s BBQ Roast Pork Pastry Puffs
  • Casa Nonna’s Siamese Agnolotti
  • L’Amico Fontina Cappelletti with Wild Mushroom and English Peas

My top 5 sweet tastings from the event were the:

  • Bonsai Kakigori’s Strawberries and Cream Kakigori
  • Loi Estiatorio’s Yiaourti Me Meli
  • Melt Bakery’s Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
  • Java Melts
  • Frose & Campari Popsicles

Below are images from the event.

There were a lot more stuff at the event. The event set up gets better and better every year. There were a lot of wine tastings, beer tastings and emerging food companies promoting their products.  More importantly a lot of the food tastings were on the healthier side; there were salad variations, ceviches, and barbecued dishes.

I can’t wait to visit these restaurants during the upcoming restaurant week if they participate.  Stay tuned.

Social Saturday – Taste of Hope 2017 & Taste of Hope Comes to Broadway

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Happy Saturday! Trying to stay cool on this end, I’ve recently had a brief meeting with the committee at the American Cancer Society and guess what?! They will be hosting another event – the first ever Taste of Hope Comes to Broadway this coming Monday July 24.  This is another opportunity for people who were unable to attend the 12th Annual Taste of Hope that took place on Tuesday May 9th.  Another plus to this Monday’s event is the cost of admission is only $50 and it’s 100% tax deductible.  Tickets to this event can be purchased here or at the door.

M Friedman Taste of Hope eblast v4Below are images from the 12th Annual Taste of Hope event that took place on May 9th.

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The food options were overwhelming but I was semi health conscious this time and did not consume as much carbs so I did not eat the sandwiches that was offered.   In addition, some of these restaurants are also participating in this season’s NYC restaurant week, which also starts on Monday and it goes until Friday August 18. Stay tuned for a post containing my recommendations for this season’s restaurant week.

Meatless Monday – Purple Potatoes

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Happy Monday! Happy First Day of Spring! It’s almost midnight and its been weeks since my last post.  For the past several weeks I’ve been recovering from a herniated disc where sitting in one position was absolutely painful.  On a brighter note, I’ve been working on mastering several dishes and reading more culinary cookbooks and science research for inspiration.  But…

Back to business.  It’s Meatless Monday and I want to add that since March 1st I’ve given up meat for forty (40) days for Lent.  So for the next several weeks, majority of my posts will be mostly vegetarians and/or vegan.

For today, we will be focusing on one of the healthiest potatoes to consume: The Purple Potato.  One weekend, I went to Fairway with my parents and came across a bag of small purple potatoes for $2.50 so I brought a bag because I heard really good things about them.  During this research journey, I came across this image below from Dr. Axe summarizing the benefits of consuming purple potatoes.

PurplePotatoGraphic

After reading Dr. Axe’s summary on purple potatoes, I did a little investigation on to additional evidence based research within the last five (5) years.  The following confirmed:

  1. Purple potatoes contained high level of anthocyanins, which prevent inflammation and inhibit cancer growth especially breast cancer, gastric cancer and colon adenocarcinoma (Sugata, M, Lin CY, and Shih, YC, 2016).
  2. Another study showed that baked potato extracts have reduced colon cancer stem cell growth along and lowered the number of tumors (Charepalli, et al, 2015)
  3. Anti-microbial potential against Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa especially during consumption (Ombra, MN, 2015).

After the investigation of this native South American crop, I came across a recipe from Chef Aaron Sanchez, who by the way is this year’s honoree for the 12th Annual Taste of Hope.

1 bag of small Peruvian purple potatoes = 70 calories for 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons.

8 tablespoons of olive oil = 120 calories/tablespoon (Pantry)

1 tablespoon of dried oregano = 15 calories/tablespoon

1 tablespoon of minced garlic = 15 calories/tablespoon

Dash of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of dried cilantro = 5 calories/tablepoon

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Overall taste of the potatoes were good and very flavorful especially with the olive oil, garlic, oregano and cilantro mixture.  Plus all four mixture components carry health benefits as well.  This is a very healthy, filling and budget friendly dish that can be consumed more than once.  Stay tuned for more!

 

 

Throwback Thursday- Taste of Hope

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Happy Thursday! It’s been a week since my last post plus I’ve been getting over a sinus infection/cold/sore throat. As a result my meals has been chicken soup and miso soup. 

Anyways today’s Throwback Thursday post will be about a charity event that I am honored to be a part of the Benefit Committee for. It’s the American Cancer Society Taste of Hope. This year, they will be hosting their 12th Annual event on Tuesday May 9, 2017 in New York City. Early Bird tickets start at $175 for general admission, but the best deal is $450 for two premium tickets, which includes a gift bag. 

Below are images from last year’s Taste of Hope event. I have had the privilege to purchase a ticket and donate to this great cause. 

Bombay Sapphire Cocktail

Calle Ocho – Guava BBQ Meatball Slider

Triomphe – Foie Gras Mousse Hazelnut & Rooftop Greens

The Leopard at Des Artistes – Gnudi

Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Todd English Enterprises – Crispy Duck Buns

Delicatessen – Steamed Shrimp Dumplings

Nobu – Tuna Sashimi with Tofu Aioli

Magnolia Bakery – Banana Pudding, cupcakes, chocolate chunk cookies

BLT Prime – Salt Brick Beef with Aji Amarillo

Serendipity- Frrrozen Hot Chocolate

The food options were overwhelming but thanks to one of the honorees who provided direction that I was able to enjoy the best aspects of the food sampling. Obviously I was not paying attention on what was being consumed was healthy. 

Another plus is some of the restaurants are also participating in NYC restaurant week. Stay tuned for a post containing my recommendations for this season’s restaurant week.