Hot Pink Lunch, Swank Farm, Loxahatchee, Fla: Benefitting Women

Loxahatchee, Fla.— Swank Table’s Hot Pink Lunch celebrated Florida women on February 9th. This female dominated farm event had chefs, farmers, authors, a sommelier, a pianist, a singing quartet, and many hot pink wearing guests. There were also some men, helping the chefs, pouring alcohol, and acting as arm candy for the female guests, some even wore pink. Proceeds went to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.


Florida based Chef Lauren DeShields, Chef Julie Frans, and Chef Paula
DaSilva getting showered with fresh rose petals at Swank Table's Hot
Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Under the direction of Chef Linsay Autry, this year’s Hot Pink Lunch went smoothly. “There was a real sense of cooperation,” said Autry in regards to having so many female chefs at the event. “It was hard to tell whose crew belonged to whom because everyone helped out.”

Florida farm-to-table Chefs Lauren DeShields (Market 17, Ft. Lauderdale), Julie Frans (Essensia, Miami), Paula DaSilva (1500 degrees, Miami), Autry (Sundy House, Delray), and Amanda Fernandez (Whole Foods Market, Wellington) transformed Swank Farm produce into gourmet treats.

Pastry Chef Sarah Ortiz (Dallas, Texas) handled dessert and sommelier Mariya Kovacheva (Cafe Boulud, Palm Beach) took care of wine and cocktails.  

Kovacheva's strawberry champagne cocktail at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Kovacheva prepared a spicy welcoming champagne cocktail made with sweet Swank Farm grown strawberries, ginger alcohol, lemongrass, and black pepper. 

Front five-acre grow bag section of Swank Farm,
Loxahatchee, Fla.

Darrin Swank, co-owner of Swank Specialty Produce & Farm, gave a tour of his five-acre grow bag field. This is where he grows produce in dirt. The rest of his crop is grown hydroponically in two large shade houses.

Co-authors Katie Farmand and Heather McPherson
autograph their latest book--Field to Feast, at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

After the tour, the 138 guests took a short stroll to an appetizer tent where they sampled chef prepared gourmet bites of Swank's produce. They also bought copies of the book--Field To Feast--featuring Swank Farm.

Female singing barber shop quartet serenades guests,
at Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Then guests were directed to the flower drenched back tent for a sit down meal made complete with a singing female barber shop quartet.



Chef Autry's fresh and roasted beet salad at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Chef Autry created the first course: a delicious salad of roasted and raw beets, mixed with fresh mache greens, charred chick peas, and creamy local goat cheese.



Chef Frans' Thai style mahi mahi escabeche at Swank
Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

A moist Thai-style mahi mahi came next, created by Chef Frans. It was arranged on a crunchy bed of pickled Swank Farm grown vegetables and bathed in an exotic coconut-ginger-lemongrass juice.

This came with brown rice, eggplant, mustard green, and green curry stuffed peppers.



Chef DaSilva's grilled sausage and pork belly dish at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

Chef DaSilva's course was smoky grilled sausage and braised pork belly. It had a creamy polenta base and crunchy pickled Swank Farm pepper relish.

It came with loaded eggplant topped with fresh chevre goat cheese, tomato sauce and micro-greens.


Chef DeShield's White Water clams dish at Swank Table's
Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

The last course, grilled White Water clams, by Chef DeShields, sat on a fresh bean salad, baby fennel, smoked butter, and shaved black radish that looked a lot like coconut.

Tangy grilled beans and cabbage, set on  pickled vegetables came as her side dish.




Dessert, by Chef Ortiz, had some surprising ingredients. She managed to transform the humble root vegetable--beet-- into a sweet white chocolate mousse.

It was topped with chocolate dirt, Florida citrus, crunchy candied beets, yogurt air cake, and beet micro-greens.

Chef Ortiz's white chocolate & beet mousse dessert at
Swank Table's Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

 

Just before lunch ended, the reason for the meal came full circle when approaching servers asked, "Would you like a breast?"

Breast-like pink champagne cupcakes at Swank Table's
Hot Pink Lunch, Loxahatchee, Fla.

They were carrying trays loaded with candy button topped, pink frosted, champagne cupcakes, supplied by dd's Cupcake Shoppe (Jupiter, Fla.).

To find out more about the Breast Cancer research Center you can go to: www.bgrfcure.org

To find out more about Swank Table farm lunches, you can go to www.swankspecialtyproduce.com