Community Dinner: Italian and Malaysian Meatballs (Pick Up Only)

A one-plate dinner for pick-up only.  This is not a cooking class. See our registration policies here and our rules for in-person events here. 

With the cooler temperatures and shorter days, we welcome you to our dinner table to a cross-cultural plate of comfort. Two of our most seasoned and acclaimed chef instructors, Linda and Viola, return to Community Dinner to create variations of meatballs from Malaysia and Italy. As Viola and Linda have been teaching online since March 2020, we're so happy to invite you to our communal dinner tables to enjoy food from these two talented chefs.

A ticket will enable you to pick up a to go box anytime between 6-8:30 pm by checking in at the front door. If you prefer to dine-in, please evaluate our latest rules for in-person events here. Details for our first seating from 6-7 pm are here and our second seating from 7:30-8:30 pm are here. We are limiting our dine-in capacity at 30 people per seating; you are unable to transfer a "Pick Up Only" ticket for indoor dining.

MENU

Mom's Polpette (Beef, Veal and Pork) Stewed with Tomatoes over Ciabatta

Pork with Salted Cod Gua Bao with Sweet Chili Sauce 

Seasonal Side Salad

This menu contains the following common allergens: Wheat, Soy, Fish. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to attend, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket. Because we are cooking in large batches, we are very limited in accommodating allergens and dietary restrictions.

Viola Buitoni, chef instructor and food writer, was born in Rome and raised in Perugia, Italy. With stories and knowledge from six generations, her dishes cross the best of California agriculture with the finest Italian food imports. After moving to the US to attend NYU, Viola started Buitoni & Garretti, a catering kitchen and Italian fine foods shop in New York City. She later moved to San Francisco where she began lecturing and teaching Italian food tradition workshops at the SF Italian Cultural Institute and Italian Consulate. She teaches Italian cooking at 18 Reasons, The Civic Kitchen, and Milk Street year-round, and at the Puglia Culinary Center in the summer. In October of 2021, she will lead an immersive fall foraging workshop in Le Marche. She is a regular contributor to La Cucina Italiana US. She lives in the Mission District with her husband, son and tiny dog.

Linda Tay Esposito is a teaching chef whose food represents a tribute and commitment to the authenticity of the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. For the last 15 years, Linda has shared her passion and knowledge of East & South East Asian cuisines through Bay Area cooking schools - Cavallo Point, Sur La Table, Parties That Cook and Whole Foods Market. Linda’s teaching philosophy is to make these cuisines approachable to the home cook, while respecting the cuisine’s heritage and authenticity in taste. Besides 18 Reasons, Linda also shares her Nyonya food passion with Milk Street Kitchen and leads a community culinary program on Asian vegetables for Radical Family Farms.

An all-around food professional, Linda’s consulting work centers around helping food businesses flourish through the intersectional lens of food, sustainability and equity. Her past experience includes growing Hodo Foods from an artisanal producer to nationwide distribution, and building inclusive food places. Most recently she led the development of La Cocina Municipal Marketplace – using food as a creative approach to economic development by offering affordable, healthy food options and safe spaces while providing accessible business opportunities for low income, immigrant, women food entrepreneurs. Linda is a member of the Good Food Foundation advisory board and serves on their Equity Task Force. Linda lives in San Francisco. In her free time, she plants Asian herbs at the community garden at Fort Mason. Follow her on Instagram @flavor_explosions

_{Photo credit: Linda Tay Esposito}

ABOUT COMMUNITY DINNER

Once a month, we open our doors to friends new and old, welcoming all to our share a table and a delicious meal. Every month is something different, but it's always $15 and always tasty. Wine and beer are for sale at the event. Kids welcome!