Mountain Valley is honored to parter with the prestigious James Beard Foundation in 2022 for their 10th annual Taste America® culinary series. Taste America brings together chefs, special guests, and diners from across the country to celebrate the local independent restaurants at the heart of our communities.
For the tour, some of the nation’s finest culinary experts will come together in 20 markets across the United States to represent a shared mission of “Good Food for Good”. Each market with its featured chefs will showcase the centrality of American food culture and celebrate diverse communities, leading the way to a future culinary industry where all can thrive.
We kicked off this partnership earlier this summer at Silver Street Studios in Houston with a talented group of chefs who created out of this world savory and sweet bites for an evening of incredible food, drink, music, fun and support for the hospitality industry.
We kept the crowd hydrated with our award-winning premium original spring and sparkling waters, including a special All Together mocktail created by our very own Culinary Ambassador June Rodil of Goodnight Hospitality in Houston.
This flavorful alcohol-free beauty was made with passionfruit-rosemary syrup and citrus juice then topped with Mountain Valley Sparkling Spring Water and garnished w/ rosemary sprig and dehydrated grapefruit. It was a hit! We'll share the recipe soon.
In addition to the best spring and sparkling waters, the stars of the show were the chefs and the unique dishes they created, the menu included:
Michelle Wallace of Gatlin’s BBQ in Houston
Hickory-Smoked Catfish with Deconstructed Dirty Rice
Cassie Shortino from Phoenix
Smoked Pork Loin with Pickled Blueberries, Tonnato, and Fennel Frond
Gustavo Baharona of Hinoki Sushiko in Chicago
Squid Noodles with Wagyu XO Sauce
Dawn Burrell of Late August in Houston
Cured Salmon with Tamarind Tiger Fry, Cucumber, and Crunchy Salmon Skin
Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu of KIN in Houston
Ceviche with Lemongrass Leche de Tigre, Chili Oil, and Sesame Crisp
Christine Ha and Tony Nguyen of Xin Chao in Houston
Vietnamese Wagyu Meatball
Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar in Houston
Star Crossed Lover Bars > Puffed Rice Squares with Salted Caramel and Chocolate
Ruben Ortega of Xochi in Houston
Lemon–Ricotta Cake with Strawberry Consommé, Vanilla–Orange Blossom Cream, and Lemon Verbena Gel
Kaitlin Steets of Theodore Rex in Houston
Tomato Toast
We are proud to support the James Beard Foundation's mission to celebrate, support, and elevate the people behind America’s food culture. Want to learn more? Check out their website here and, even better, join us at an upcoming Taste America event, tickets available here.
