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Food and Friendship… Al Fresco

Food and wine editor Bonnie Graves teams with renowned Chef David LeFevre of Manhattan Beach Post and his good friend, Chef Giuseppe Tentori, for the perfect South Bay brunch and wine pairing.

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We all know that good food is made great when shared with great friends. But when the chefs themselves are also great pals, you know you’re in for a memorable meal. That’s the case with Chef David LeFevre of local favorite Manhattan Beach Post, who is hosting a new collaborative series called “Can You Dig It?” in which he’ll pair a farmer and a chef for an extraordinary brunch that celebrates both friendship and farming. We caught up with David for his inaugural kick-off weekend, featuring produce from Maryann Carpenter of Coastal Organics farm and guest chef Giuseppe Tentori, who flew in from Chicago for the fun.  

Giuseppe and David cooked together in the trenches under Charlie Trotter in Chicago back in the day, and this past year both of these talented young chefs realized lifelong dreams of opening their own establishments. Tentori’s Boka and GT Fish & Oyster are runaway hits in the Windy City, while LeFevre’s MB Post has entirely redefined dining in the South Bay. As LeFevre puts it, “Cooking again with Giuseppe, now that we both have our own places, is really like coming full circle for me.”  

Happily, we at Southbay were able 

to corral these two busy guys for a very special lunch served al frescoin the gorgeous backyard of local foodies Bill, Susan and Ashley Weintraub of Manhattan Beach. Like a lot of us, Susan had simple plans for improving her outdoor dining space, but once Matt Preuss of The Cutting Edge Landscape in Redondo got involved, the project expanded with gorgeous results.  Passionate about dining, the Weintraubs’ home is one where food, wine and restaurants are hot topics—a place we wanted to share with our foodie readers too. Enter Mitch and Paula Langstein, also Manhattan Beach residents and winners of a dining contest offered on the OurSouthBay Facebook page. The lucky duo invited two other local couples to share this culinary experience with their hosts.

Incorporating Maryann’s gorgeous produce into our Southbay brunch was the main goal of Giuseppe and David when it came to menu planning. Served alongside MB Post brunch classics like pecan sticky buns and LeFevre’s wildly addictive bacon-cheddar biscuits were inventive dishes like Giuseppe’s gorgeous red beet rice balls served atop arugula fresh from Coastal Organics, a dish made perfect with the addition of some serious black truffle shavings. Similarly, carrots pulled from Maryann’s farm just hours before they’re used make for a heavenly carrot cake that’s light years apart from one made with dusty, industrial veggies.