A couple of weeks ago I randomly found out about a chocolate dinner in Denver hosted by Foodscapes (Soul Cocina) and Seres appropriately held at the Denver Posner Center for international development. I went in thinking it would be primarily about chocolate, but mostly it was about ecological impacts and farming communities highlighted through chocolate. Roger Feely of Soul Cocina partnered with Seres to create a 4 course meal made with chocolate.
It was a good experience meeting new people in the Denver area but learning more about the people Seres and Foodscapes reaches out to help. Their mission is to educate the locals with better eco and farming techniques to be friendlier to the environment for sustainability. This dinner was meant to inspire actions and learn about the people of these communities.
An evening of food pairings with slide shows of the people in Guatemala who have become community leaders in their area thanks to the help of organizations like Seres. Also we got to see the influences of Chef Feely from the people whom he has helped and learned from by traveling to these areas and partnering with Seres.
Foodscapes is a project that explores the journey of ingredients from seed to table. The journey is documented in live space through creative expression at events and within workshops using culinary arts, storytelling, dance, music and theatre. The journey will also be documented in virtual space through creative expression on-line via a web-series using video, photography, poetry, sound and more. We also record snippets of the sounds created on the journey (tractors, train rides, sizzle of oil on the grill, slapping of tortillas against palms...) to use as the sound samples to build the musical score/audio collage.
SERES mission is to create a new generation of future makers, supporting the emergence of local leaders by educating and empowering young people to launch and lead environmentally sound programs. SERES work seeks to create impact by empowering vulnerable communities to address our most critical issues starting with the least likely source: the youth. As the voices of the future who will be left with a legacy of unresolved environmental, social and economic problems, SERES recognizes that engaging with and involving this generation is essential in the development of smart solutions that lead us towards healthy, thriving and sustainable societies.
SERES current focus is on youth and young adults in Guatemala and El Salvador, where there are 15 million people – more than 60% of the population – aged under 30 years of age. Our goal is to harvest this untapped potential and use it to create positive change for good.
Each table was presented with little wrap packs of Sees chocolates donated to the events. As well as wines and a specially made Horchata stations. Samples of chocolates were made available too from TCHO, Endangered Species, Poco Dolce, Mast Brothers, and others.
This meal was also entirely vegan with the exception of the Horchata made with white chocolate.
**Bare with my cell phone pictures taken with low-lights settings. I didn't bring my Nikon for this event.
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Crispy Cumin Cacao Garbanzo Beans (not pictured).
Easily the most addicting little treats present on the table. Cumin is highly addicting and the crunchy beans made for an awesome snack.
Citrus Salad with Cacao vinaigrette
Grapefruits, oranges, fennel, pomegranate seeds, radishes and hazelnuts with a pomegranate molasses smear and cacao nib vinaigrette.
They came around and poured the vinaigrette on the salad so it's not pictured. Very bright and refreshing salad. The plate could have done without the pomegranate molasses since it had the seeds already on the plate. The molasses was way to tart, but a liberal dousing of cacao nib vinaigrette helped tone it down. Very bright and palate awakening.
Red Beet Fritters • Oaxacan Molé • Confetti Squash • Radish Leaf Rice
Awesome course. Delicious red beet fluffy fritters smothered with an amazing molé. About a billion roasted seeds and nuts are in it with rich spices and cacao. It was a deeply spicy mole but one that I could actually eat for a change. I have a super sensitive palate that doesn't allow for too much heat. But a slow building complex heat isn't out of bounds. Smoky and rich. It was served with pickled veg, spaghetti squash, avocados, latin rice, and purple potatoes. An extremely colorful plate, hearty, filling, and delicious. The color of those beet fritters were just fantastic. Hopefully emails will go out soon for the recipes. Everyone wanted the molé and beets recipe.
Dark Chocolate Almond Pot De Creme • Persimmon • Pomegranate
A rich pot de creme made with almond milk accented by tangy pomegranate seeds and persimmon. Smooth, creamy, and rich. A heavy ending that didn't tip us over the edge. Although it looks like it could be runny from the picture, it was nice and thick.
This evening was not only educational and informative but cheap as well. The event only cost $40. And even though it was all vegan food, it was delicious, filling, and well executed. We had a great time and were unexpectedly taught something about the world. As I mentioned before, we thought it was going to be a tasting. Thankfully it was much more than that.I encourage anyone reading this to read up about Seres and their future projects. Help fund them.
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