Renowned Chefs of the Greater Bay Area Use McDonald’s Ingredients to Create Gourmet Charity Dinner

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--McDonald’s of the Greater Bay Area invited three well-known Bay Area chefs to use the very same ingredients you would find in your local McDonald’s to create a one-night-only gourmet dining experience to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Bay Area and Harvest from the Heart. The event, held last night at the California Culinary Academy, showcased McDonald’s high-quality ingredients through unexpected and innovative recipes and presentation.

“I was excited to participate in this event so that I could put my creativity to the test and design three unexpected and enjoyable courses”

Community leaders and local media gathered for the dinner to enjoy innovative creations by Chef Ryan Scott of Market & Rye in San Francisco, Chef Beverlie Terra of Chaminade Resort & Spa in Santa Cruz and Chef Sophina Uong of Picán in Oakland.

“We are thrilled to be able to share the message of our high-quality ingredients in an unexpected way to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area. It is true that many of the ingredients found in our restaurants are the same you’d find in your own refrigerator including the more than $375 million of California agricultural products purchased by McDonald’s in 2011,” said Crystal Sawyer, McDonald’s USA Pacific Sierra Region marketing director.

Dishes at the event included a Chilled Roast Tomato Soup Sip and Three-cheese Panini made with McDonald’s tomatoes and cheeses, a 24-Hour Braised Mickey D’s Sugo including gnocchi created from McDonald’s hash browns, and a Chocolate Hazelnut Chess Pie that used poached strawberries and an ice cream cone crust.

“I was excited to participate in this event so that I could put my creativity to the test and design three unexpected and enjoyable courses,” said Chef Ryan Scott, executive chef of Market & Rye in San Francisco and “Top Chef” Season 4 contender. “The quality and variety of available McDonald’s ingredients really allowed all the chefs to create inventive dishes worthy of any of our restaurants while supporting great causes.”

The chefs had access to the full range of quality ingredients used in McDonald’s restaurants to create their three-course menu. The multi-course dinner highlighted McDonald’s 100 percent USDA-inspected beef with no fillers or preservatives, white meat chicken and quality ingredients used in restaurants everyday such as USDA Grade A eggs, dozens of types of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, blueberries and milk.

A donation was made on behalf of each guest in attendance, which adds to the $2 million that local McDonald’s restaurant owners have already contributed to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area over the past two years.

About Greater Bay Area McDonald’s Restaurants

The Greater Bay Area McDonald’s Cooperative is comprised of individuals who own and operate 255 McDonald’s restaurants in the 15-county Bay Area region. Local McDonald’s owner/operators are committed to their communities, supporting programs including Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of the Bay Area, the Ronald McDonald House in San Francisco and the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, two dental Care Mobiles serving the Peninsula and Contra Costa County, and the RMHC Scholarship program. Follow McDonald’s of the Greater Bay Area on Twitter @McD_BayArea for up-to-date information, announcements, and prize giveaways.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area

Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Bay Area is dedicated to helping children through three core programs. The Ronald McDonald Houses at Stanford and in San Francisco offer a home-away-from-home to the families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals, while the Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles in Santa Clara and Contra Costa Counties provide oral health services to children who would otherwise go without treatment. Each year the Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarship Program provides scholarships to deserving high school seniors from disadvantaged communities with limited access to educational opportunities.

About Harvest from the Heart

Now in its sixth year, Harvest from the Heart was originally started by Chef Ryan Scott, his mother Patricia, and Dad #2 Danny, simply to feed people. It was based on the idea of people inviting over those who have nowhere else to go on Thanksgiving Day to cook for them, feed them and make them feel welcomed. We bring people together as a community to cook, assemble food, package and deliver it to people around San Francisco and the Bay Area. This empowers anyone who helps and inspires them to think about others throughout the year. Our hope and goal is that we will be able to expand this simple idea to other cities, counties and states while remaining true to our mission of feeding people.