Slow Food Miami at Essensia at The Palms Hotel and Spa

SLOW FOOD MIAMI HOSTS “SNAIL SOCIAL” HAPPY HOUR AT ESSENSIA FARM-TO-TABLE RESTAURANT

Slow Food Miami will hold the latest in its series of monthly “Snail Social”  Happy Hours on Tuesday, April 12, 2016 from 6PM-8PM at Essensia Restaurant + Lounge, the farm-to-table restaurant at The Palms Hotel & Spa in Miami Beach, featuring Executive Chef Venoy Rogers, winner of Food Network’s Chef Wanted.

Attendees can look forward to savoring appetizers featuring such ingredients as kale, cilantro and arugula from the Chef’s organic garden. What you see is what you get (to eat)! In true farm-to-table fashion, take a garden tour with Chef Venoy before sunset to get a peek at where your ingredients are grown.

In addition to some of the regular menu favorites like the Tempura Avocado, garnished with cilantro lime crème fraîche and tomato chipotle jam, there will also be special off-the-menu appetizers created just for Slow Food guests. Depending on what Chef Venoy harvests from the garden that day, guests can expect to enjoy hors d’oeuvres that might possibly include:

·         Garden Kale & Organic South Florida Wild Mushroom Albondigas drizzled with nasturtium vinaigrette

·         Buffalo Cauliflower with a garden herb ranch dressing

·         Fresh From Florida Certified Angus Beef garnished with pickled onions, tomato and an avocado crema

Each guest will receive one complimentary glass of wine, and drinks are half-off until 8PM. Guests are invited to stick around for dinner afterwards to savor more of Chef Venoy’s specialties. Slow Food attendees wishing to stay will receive 20% off dinner at the restaurant.

This event is open to the public. Snail Socials are hosted by different Snail of Approval chefs and restaurants throughout Miami on the second Tuesday of every month.
Other participating chefs and restaurants will be announced throughout the season via Slow Food Miami’s mailing list and social media tagged with #snailsocial. Follow Slow Food Miami on Twitter @slowfoodmiami and Facebook to stay current.

Essensia at The Palms Hotel and Spa is located at 3025 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33140. Phone: (305) 908-5458; http://www.essensiarestaurant. com

Snail of Approval

The Slow Food Miami Snail of Approval Award is not unlike the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval in that it helps guide South Floridians and visitors to food that is good, clean and fair by identifying and honoring those producers, purveyors and artisans who contribute to the quality, authenticity and  sustainability of the food we eat and the beverages we drink in Miami. Quality is fundamental – food must taste good and be good for us. Quality includes: the freshness and wholesomeness of ingredients. Authenticity means that the food is true to its source, from local growers and producers. Sustainability means that we must pay attention to the consequences of how we produce and distribute food. Nominations are based on known restaurants and chefs who actively source local produce and ingredients within our farming community. Nominations are then reviewed by the Slow Food Miami Snail of Approval Committee, who also conduct on-site visits and follow up calls to farmers.

Slow Food Miami

Slow Food Miami is the local chapter of Slow Food USA, a national non-profit dedicated to supporting good, clean and fair food for all. We support our local community from the ground up – from the Edible School & Community Gardens we plant to encourage the enjoyment of food that is local, seasonal and sustainably grown; to the local growers and artisan food makers we support for their use of sustainable methods.
Through culinary, educational events and fundraising we support our Edible School & Community Garden Program, and aim to also raise awareness of good, clean and fair food as a cornerstone of pleasure, culture & community.

Essensia at The Palms Hotel and Spa

Celebrated for its casually-elegant dining room and al fresco seating on the magnificent terraces overlooking the hotel’s tropical gardens, Essensia Restaurant offers a seasonal selection of wholesome global cuisine with a genuine emphasis on premium local and sustainable ingredients, where possible. Following a farm-to-table philosophy, Essensia takes great pride in being a conscious restaurant where the purity, freshness, integrity and taste of the ingredients used are at the center of each flavorful dish prepares. Essensia works closely with local farmers and carefully selected purveyors to provide a culinary experience that nourishes and satisfies on many levels.

Executive Chef Venoy Rogers

Chef Venoy Rogers joined the Essensia team in July 2015. He came to Miami by way of San Diego, where he was Executive Sous Chef and Interim Executive Chef at W San Diego.  He has maintained Essensia’s local, organic and seasonal approach, while adding his personalized ‘New American fusion’ style to the menu. “My philosophy in the kitchen is definitely to have fun with food and express myself from the heart,” Chef Rogers says. “To make good food you need great ingredients. Essensia is organic and healthy—but in a way that’s unique and unexpected.” A San Diego native, Chef Rogers is a 2006 graduate of the Culinary Institute of Platt College in Oklahoma City. In 2013, Rogers won Food Network’s Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell.