Enjoy a special evening at LACMA, dedicated to the love of food and art while exploring the museum. Start this fun evening with a tour of the exhibition Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art, which celebrates one of the most distinctive aspects of Japanese art: the depiction of animals. Underpinned by Japan’s spiritual heritage of Shintō and Buddhism, the Japanese reverence for nature—and the place of animals within that realm—is expressed in a variety of artworks. You will find artistic representations of animals real and imagined, including lions, dogs, cats, fish, insects, dragons, and phoenixes. Learn about the various roles animals have played in Japanese culture.

Then move to Ray’s & Stark Bar to enjoy a creative vegan Japanese dinner specially designed by executive chef Phillip Martin, featuring seasonal ingredients. The vegan menu is inspired by the Buddhist ritual of releasing captured animals that was practiced in Japan.

Program:
5:30–6:30pm: Tour led by Maite Gomez-Rejón’
6:30–8pm: Dinner at Ray’s & Stark Bar at LACMA

Menu:
First Course: Vegetable Yakitori (Winter Squash, King Trumpet, Asparagus, Yuzu Kosho, Sudachi Air, Lime Gel); Wine Pairing: Domaine de Cala, Rose, 2018, Provence, France

Second Course: Hand Made Buckwheat Noodles (Shiitake, Scallion, Nori, Yuzu, Sesame, Pickled Shaved Vegetables); Wine Pairing: Alvear Fino, Pedro Ximenez, Montilla, Spain, N/V

Entrée: Forbidden Rice Curry (Tofu, Radish, English Peas, Salsify, Bell Peppers, Eggplant, Opal Basil); Wine Pairing: Xion, Alberino, Spain, 2018

Dessert: Green Tea Cheesecake (Yuzu Curd, Almond Crust, Blueberry, Raspberry Sorbet); Wine Pairing: S.A. Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr, Riesling Auslese, Mosel, Germany, 2009

Maite Gomez-Rejón, the founder, ArtBites has a BFA from the University of Texas at Austin, an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Grande Diplome from the French Culinary Institute. She has worked in the education departments of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum and has worked as a private chef and caterer.

Admission is $100 LACMA members, $134 LACMA members with wine-tasting; $110 general public, $144 general public with wine-tasting; 

Price includes tour, dinner, and parking. The menu is offered prix fixe and subject to change; please refrain from substitutions. Wine and specialty cocktails available at additional cost. Wine pairing option includes four wines, one chosen for each of the four courses. Refunds will be granted only if the event is canceled. For ticketing support, contact educate@lacma.org

What: Celebrate Food and Art
Where: LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., LA, 90036
When: December 8, 2019; 5:30pm – 8pm
Website: https://www.lacma.org/