Foodies With Benefits

Spanish Fly Holding CommuniTEA Bakesale for Victims of Hurricane Sandy, Saturday in KTown

Two tastings and classes look at tea history and the global tea scene
Two tastings and classes look at tea history and the global tea scene Photo: Spanish Fly

Farid Zadi’s Spanish Fly Gastropub is brewing up a benefit for victims of Hurricane Sandy this Saturday. Called the “Tea Aid CommuniTea Fundraiser,” Zadi and partner Susan Park are staging a three-part event, with a bake sale, chef’s table dinner, and two separate tea tastings and history sessions with Hancha Tea’s Yoon Hee Kim, the director of the Korean Tea Culture Foundation. During the bake-sale, the couple will also debut their new line of Mediterranean baked goods and pastries under the name Marconeta Bakery, while coffee and additional pastries are offered by KTown’s IOTA and Patisserie Eguchi. What else is on the schedule for Saturday?

The bake sale will run all day from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M., with proceeds going to post-relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy victims. At 1:00 P.M. the first focused tea tasting, called “The Green Teas of China, Korea, and Japan,” will take place, serving as an educational primer for tea-heads to “identify the major green tea producing regions, classic leaf styles, flavor characteristics and steeping techniques.”

This will be followed at 3:00 P.M. with a session called “Tea 101: From Garden to Cup,” that looks at different tea varities around the world tapping Hee Kim’s travel photos and knowledge. Suggested donations are $30 for one session, $50 for both, and 100% of proceeds from anything sold that day at any of these components go to American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

At 5:00 P.M. Spanish Fly’s “Chef’s Table” will start, with Zadi preparing tea-inspired dishes to pair with tea-based cocktails. Seats are limited to just twelve guests, and the suggested donation is $50 per person, or if you’re so inclined, you can offer even more for your seat to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Reservations for the dinner and classes can be made at 310-999-1841 or over email. Anybody else who wants to eat well while helping out our hard-hit friends on the East Coast can come by from 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. for the bake sale.

Spanish Fly Holding CommuniTEA Bakesale for Victims of Hurricane Sandy, Saturday