Enjoy a four-course meal with “Mediterranean flair” served outdoors at the Youth Garden Project to support a range of youth and community programs centered on gardening.
During the annual grow season, the nonprofit Youth Garden Project (YGP) hosts three fundraising dinners prepared by local chefs using produce grown on the site and from other area farms. YGP connects children and adults to fresh food via a community garden and various educational programs centered around gardening.
Fans of the YummyTown Mobile Mediterranean Food Truck will be happy to know that its chefs, Max Schon and Joelle Riddle, are cooking the Youth Garden Project’s first community garden dinner of the season on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m.
“They’ve become known,” since bringing their food truck to Moab a year ago, said Kate Niederehe, YGP operations and development director.
The “Mediterranean flair” will be added to the YGP garden dinner’s cuisine, similar to the food truck, but will be more upscale, said Schon.
Schon and Riddle had 15 years of fine dining experience before opening up their food truck. This event, with its plated courses, brings them back to their “roots,” Schon said.
The menu includes a falafel plate with hummus, pickled vegetables, and tzatziki (a yogurt, cucumber and dill sauce); a roasted, shaved and pickled beet salad with nuts, lettuces, veggies and a lemon vinaigrette. The third course is Persian-marinated chicken with mint chutney and vegetables, and for dessert, a pomegranate frozen yogurt with a puff pastry will be served.
Vegetarians and others with specific dietary requests can be accommodated when the chefs are notified in advance, Niederehe said.
“We will take care of them if we know ahead of time,” Schon said.
Dinner is served by YGP staff to guests seated around a large communal table in the gardens at 530 South 400 East.
The annual garden dinners are fundraising opportunities for the nonprofit organization, and a ticket to the dinner is $60. Private table seating is also available for an extra charge. The event is limited to 50 diners and reservations are required.
Enlisting the help of local chefs provide an opportunity for the chefs to showcase their culinary skills, Niederehe said.
All proceeds go to support youth and community programs, like the YGP summer camp, open Monday through Friday for nine weeks during the summer, and “garden classrooms” where kindergarten through sixth-grade students learn hands-on core curriculum activities in the garden.
The community Weed and Feed events offer people the opportunity to work in the garden in exchange for a free meal made with garden-fresh produce.
Chefs prepare for first fundraiser of the season
When: Saturday, June 9, 6 p.m.
Where: Youth Garden Project, 530 South 400 East
Cost: $60
Information: Visit youthgardenproject.org/gardendinner or call 435-259-2326
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