John Cahill & Omri Aflalo, The Benchmark, featuring Allstar Organics
Saturday, July 8, 2017, 10:30 am - 11:15 am
Stop by the CUESA Classroom for a cooking demo featuring the seasonal bounty of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. This demo will highlight a farmer-chef relationship forged and sustained at the farmers market, featuring Allstar Organics.
Omri Aflalo and John Cahill met on a bench at the Culinary Institute of America as students, which marked the beginning of their friendship, a mutual respect, and an understanding of a shared vision that would manifest itself down the road. The two chefs instantly hit it off and formed a relationship that would last decades. As each chef went on to take the next step in the progression of their culinary path, they never lost sight of each other. So when Aflalo and Cahill, two accomplished chefs with a combined 30 years of fine dining experience between them, recently decided to unite once and for all, it made complete sense for The Benchmark project to be established. The name would serve as the perfect homage to their humble beginnings. A first-class education, coupled with years of intense fine-dining experience and a desire to innovate and soak up knowledge, is the best way to sum up Aflalo and Cahill’s path to The Benchmark, which is set to open this summer in Oakland.
Marty Jacobson and Janet Brown began Allstar Organics in 1944 on their 1.5 acres of land at their home in Langunitas. Since then they have expanded, adding crops, varieties, and value-added products. They run an all-weather farm with distinct seasons, growing an impressive 100 varieties of 10 primary crops. Their farm is premanently protected by the Marin Land Trust conservation easement.
All demos take place in the CUESA Classroom (under the white tents in front of the Ferry Building) and are free to the public, with recipes and samples for all.