Summer is here and so is a new feature at Liberty Public Market: Shop with the Chef dinner series.
Part farm-fresh-dinner, part educational experience, the Shop with the Chef dinner series takes farm-to-table one step further by offering a uniquely interactive and intimate experience for guests to learn where their food comes from and how to prepare it. 
For $50 per person, guests are treated to a multi-course chef’s menu at each chef’s respective restaurant in Liberty Station beginning at 5:45 p.m. The ticket price does not include alcohol.
Organizer Ron Lachance, and the featured chef, will provide attendees with a behind-the-scenes introduction to each restaurant’s culinary program, while discussing what they will taste and see from the market’s participating growers and farmers. 
Each chef will guide guests through the market on a personal tour, visiting the local farmers who’ve harvested the fresh ingredients for the evening’s dinner. The chef will engage with guests and farmers, providing tastings of the fresh produce and ingredients, and share with them his/her thought process and inspiration behind the menu.  
After learning about the ingredients and communicating with the farmers, guests can indulge in a farm-fresh multi-course dinner back at the restaurant, crafted by a few of the most talented gourmands in San Diego (using the ingredients found and purchased directly from the market earlier that day). 
The dinner series kicks off Thursday, June 29 with chef Phil Estaban of Soda & Swine.
Boasting recognition by Food & Wine for “America’s Best Apple Pies” and Restaurant Hospitality for “Best Sandwiches in America,” Soda & Swine, at 2750 Dewey Road, has perfected a from-scratch menu rooted in two classic, nostalgic American mainstays: meatballs and apple pie. 
Esteban brings his world-class experience and culinary talent to the neighborhood eatery, having spent his previous years training in renowned kitchens such as David Chang’s Momofuku Ssam Bar, Thomas Keller’s Per Se, and Daniel Humm’s Eleven Madison Park, amongst others.  Dinner dates
• Thursday, July 27, chef Accursio Lota/Solare Ristorante, 2820 Roosevelt Road:
Sicilian-born Lota brings authentic Italian and Sicilian style and flavor to his executive chef position at Solare Ristorante. After growing up watching his mother and grandmother prepare family meals at their home in Menfi, Sicily, Lota pursued an Italian-grown cooking career gaining experience from top kitchens around the world including five-star Grand Hotel de la Minerve in Rome, the Four Seasons in Milan and “the Biltmore” in Santa Barbara, as well as the local fine-dining classic, The Marine Room.
Awarded Best Italian Restaurant and Best Chef in San Diego in 2017 (San Diego Magazine), Lota focuses on using fresh, local ingredients and hand-crafted pastas at his Southern Italian eatery. 
• Thursday, Aug. 31, chef Michael Ground, Fireside by The Patio, 2855 Perry Road, Building 8: San Diego native Michael Ground ditched his desk job and pursued a culinary degree from the Arizona Culinary Institute, leading him to train under the James Beard semi-finalist, Kevin Brinkley. After honing his techniques in French-, American-, and bistro-style cooking, Ground headed back to his hometown to gain valuable experience at some of the top dining destinations in the city, including working alongside executive chef Joe Magnanelli at the California-inspired Italian eateries within Urban Restaurant Group, before earning his current role as executive chef of The Patio Group. including Liberty Station’s Fireside by The Patio. 
• Thursday, Sept. 28: To be determined.