Why You Should Always Attend Events Headlined by Chefs

Unlike me, Mike Madden has his priorities in order. At noon yesterday, he was at the Center for American Progress to hear food writer Mark Bittman plug his new book and Spanish chef Jose Andres expound on all matters edible. And he was amply rewarded for his presence:

Finally, in full disclosure, I should probably point out that the Center for American Progress had advertised that "a light lunch" would be provided for anyone who came to listen to the talk. That's fairly common at thinktank presentations; it usually means a sad, Saran-wrapped turkey sandwich and some chips, so I was planning on skipping the food and getting something later. For this event, though, it turned out Andrés had brought over boxed lunches from Jaleo, his tapas restaurant. They included anchovy-stuffed olives, little slices of chorizo wrapped in potato chips (which may have been one reason why Andrés said he didn't want the government mandating calorie labeling at all restaurants), some Spanish ham and cheeses, sauteed peppers, a little tin of white asparagus and a half-sandwich of tomato and cheese.

Which reminds me: The Washington Post should really invite David Chang down to address its editorial board. I bet he's got a lot of interesting things to bring say.