Costa Mesa, CA – As Share Our Selves (SOS) hosted their 26th Annual Wild & Crazy Taco Night on Thursday, April 4th, more than 700 people came to the SOS main campus in Costa Mesa to taste incredibly unique tacos invented by some of Orange County’s most recognizable names in food. Twenty-one award-winning chefs presented their inspired creations alongside craft beer from Barley Forge Brewing Co. and specialty margaritas provided by DesMaDre Tequila, Trevor’s at the Tracks, Sol Cocina and Sol Agave. With proceeds in excess of $75,000, all going towards the SOS Food Pantry, the night’s goal of helping feed those at risk of hunger in the community proved to be a wild success.
Following the same trend as in year’s past, there was an increase in attendees opting to participate in the VIP pre-event party which allowed dedicated foodies the chance to enjoy early access to all food and beverages while providing an opportunity to connect with the chefs directly. With all of the tacos designed exclusively for this event, many took advantage of allowing enough time to try these one and done creations and learn the inspirations behind each chef’s creation.
Every attendee had the opportunity to vote for the “People’s Choice Taco Award” presented by Yelp!, and the competition was stronger than ever. This year’s winner was Chef Alessandro Pirozzi of Pirozzi Corona Del Mar, Alessá Laguna Beach, and Salerno. Chef Pirozzi won over the crowd with his ‘Beauty and the Beast Taco’ which consisted of a red rose petal infused tortilla, homemade bison sausage, fresh grass, spicy house-made salsa verde, and julienne yellow and pink parsley.
All of the proceeds from the event benefit the SOS Food Pantry, which collects goods from restaurants, grocery stores, bakeries, caterers, and donors to distribute food to low-income and homeless residents in Orange County. Volunteers package the food for distribution five days a week, with a daily average of 235 families and individuals receiving groceries who normally wrestle with food-insecurity.
