Gala: Fiesta of Life

Gala? Fund Raiser? Who cares. The event was for my favorite charity in San Miguel, Feed the Hungry. And what a lovely event it was. I'm so glad we went. At first we were going to work as volunteers for the event but we decided that we just wanted to go and enjoy. The Fiesta of Life was featuring a dinner prepared by Patricia Quintana. I've already written about Senora Quintana, the Ambassador of Mexican Cuisine. My only regret about the event was that I didn't take my camera so that I could show you where we went and what we ate.

Cocktails were served in a wonderful house. We don't know whose house it was but I heard that it was two old houses that had been put together about two years ago. If I wrote that the house was like a maze, I would give you the wrong impression because there was nothing closed in about the house. But arches led to a patio that was surrounded by rooms with porticos, and another path led to a pool and stairs led to a terrace and roof top and...... The place was beautiful.

I kept following the trail to the patios and terraces and checking out the garden plantings. Oh my there were some wonderful fountains and plant arrangements but for the most part the plants looked like they had been there forever. Not like they were "arranged." And everywhere there were chaise lounges or chairs and tables so that you could sit down and rest for a moment.

But the lively music of the Angelettes kept you moving. And you never had to worry about looking for something to drink or eat. There were delicious morsels being passed constantly as well as wine or margaritas. I found out that the supervising cooks for Feed the Hungry made the botanas. They had worked with a chef to learn how to make them but did the work for the party and the botanas were delicious, really first-class.

From the home where the cocktails were served, we boarded buses for the Calderon hacienda outside of San Miguel off of the road to Celaya. I had heard about this hacienda before but this was my first time to see it. It has been restored, but not too restored. You still feel the history. A Marachi band greeted us and set the stage for the festivities. Tents had been set up in the open patio around the pool and the tables were gleaming with dishes and silver.

Senora Quintana's menu was amazing.
Entrada - Chilled Avocado Soup Atlixco Style with Garnish of Crisp Tortilla Strips, Tomatoes, Onions, Chile and Creme Fraiche

Plato Fuerte - Chicken in Yellow Mole with Pepicha Herb and Hoja Santa
Chayote and Zucchini
Black Bean Tamal

Postre - Caramelized Almond Custard with Pine Nut Clusters

We saw a short movie about the children and the kitchen in Los Ricos de Abajo and a multi-media presentation about one of the newest and the most distant kitchens for a Chichimeca school.

We had a great evening and I know that all the contributions to Feed the Hungry will be used well and that it is going to help them continue to serve a hot meal to 3500 children who otherwise might not be able to eat very well everyday. My congratulations to Mary Murrell, President of the Board of Trustees, the Board, and everyone who worked on the event and most definitely my thanks for all the hard work they do all through the year along with all the volunteers who help every week to keep the kitchens in operation.