24 Chefs and Restaurants Announced for the Ya Gotta Try This Tasting Party

The Second Chance Foundation, along with sponsor Sugar House Casino, will present the first Ya Gotta Try This Tasting Party, on Thursday, October 2, 2014, at Independence Visitor Center (6th and Market), starting at 6:30pm. Fox 29’s Mike Jerrick and District Attorney R. Seth Williams will host an evening filled with must-try dishes and drinks from 24 local bars, restaurants and eateries, including Noord, Palladino’s, Rouge, Cuba Libre Restaurant Rum Bar, Geechee Girl Rice Cafe, Verdad, Kitchen Consigliere Cafe, Circles and others. Bru Craft and Wurst, U-Bahn and Yards Brewing Company will sample free beer. Southern Wine & Spirits will sponsor the complimentary open bar. Festivities will include music and dancing, silent auction, prizes and much more. Tickets are on sale now for only $50 general admission and $100 for VIP at www.yagottatrythis.com. For more about the beneficiary, please visit www.secondchancephiladelphia.org.

“I am supporting The Second Chance Foundation simply because I believe in second chances. It is that simple,” said Fox 29’s Mike Jerrick. “The foundation provides funding for organizations which are helping at risk youth get back on track and give them resources and encouragement to turn their lives around.”

The Ya Gotta Try This Tasting Party was created by Jerrick (a Board Member of The Second Chance Foundation), along with Williams, and a committee of community volunteers. The event will pay homage to Jerrick’s weekly segment that shows off an unusual, unexpected, exceptional and/or adventurous dish from one of the great restaurants in the region. The line-up for this inaugural year includes restaurants from Old City, South Street, East Passyunk, Mt. Airy, South Jersey and everywhere in between. Participants and their dishes will include:

• Bridget Foy’s – New dish for fall “Cracker Jack Sundae” with popcorn and peanut butter ice cream
• Brulee Catering by Chef Jean-Marie Lacroix – Asian crabsalad in a sesame cone, smoked salmon mousse with dill and chives in squid ink cone, sun dried tomato pesto hummus in fire roasted tomato cone
• Chhaya Cafe – Thanksgiving Waffle featuring a sausage and sage stuffing waffle, topped with roasted turkey, gravy and cranberry
• Circles – Pork Belly Moo Ping Pao Buns
• Cuba Libre Restaurant and Run Bar – Chilled cilantro soup and corn-truffle mousse
• Fat Jack’s BBQ – Carolina pulled pork sliders with hickory smoked pork smoked for over 18 hours on Tennesee Wood
• Geechee Girl Rice Cafe – Southern delicacy with fried apple and peach handpies
• Headhouse Crab & Oyster Co. – Smoked salmon and egg salad crostini
• Kitchen Consigliere Cafe – Sausage meatballs made from 100% Italian sausage, pumpkin stuffed gnocchi in brown butter sauce with glazed walnuts and gorgonzola cheese and dried cranberries
• Ms Goody Cupcake – Drunken cupcakes with Elvis (Wells Banana Bread Beer with banana and chocolate chip cake, peanut butter frosting and chocolate dipped bacon on top) and Bx3 (white cake with blueberries soaked in Fegley’s Brew Works Blueberry Belch, with tart lemon buttercream and accented with lemon rind shavings)
• Moonshine – Blackened chicken pesto gnocchi and Spanish arancini
• Nick’s Roast Beef –  Ground bacon burgers in classic (with lettuce, tomato, cherry pepper aoli and cheese) and Southwestern (featuring jack cheese, fried pickle and housemade salsa)
• Noord – House smoked salmon with dill vinaigrette and remoulade
• Palladino’s – Truffled Grissini with handcrafted breadsticks with truffle butter, parmesan and prosciutto
• Rouge – Baked macaroni and cheese
• Sano by Michael Scipio – Menu to be announced
• SliCE – The Granny Pizza with sliced Granny Smith Apples baked withGorgonzola cheese and cranberries and topped with candied walnuts
• St. Lucifer Spice – St. Lucifer Spice’d Freshly Popped Popcorn and St. Lucifer Spice’d Bar Snacks
• SugarHouse Casino Refinery Restaurant – Not Your Mama’s Meatloaf featuring a ground beef meatloaf with sweet potato and boursin hash, wilted swiss chard and stewed green tomatoes
• Taproom on 19th- Squeal of Fortune with hickory smoked pork shoulder with hickory smoked sweet Italian sausage, with Southern Carolina mustard slaw on a potato roll
• Verdad – Pork carnitas taco with agave BBQ, mahon, malbec poached plum
• Xochitl – Chicken Tacos with housemade tortillas, ancho braised chicken, crèma, avocado, cotija cheese and pickled onion

Bru, U-Bahn and Yards Brewing Company will host complimentary beer tastings throughout the event. Guests can also enjoy an open bar, with donated spirits from Southern Wine & Spirits as well as dance to tunes by DJ Malc Geez.

Pledge your extra support to The Second Chance Foundation by bidding on exclusive and luxury experiences in the silent auction, including:

• Fly on the trapeze with Fox 29’s Quincy Harris at Fly School Circus Arts
• Spend the afternoon at Eviama Life Green Spa and Boutique with Fox 29’s Jennaphr Frederick
• Accompany Philly Chit Chat Hughe Dillon as he shoots an exclusive society event this fall
• Enjoy an afternoon of pampering and shopping with Fox 29’s Alex Holley at Lord & Taylor Bala Cynwyd
• Join Fox 29’s Mike Jerrick for the opening of Palladino’s on East Passyunk
• Feast and drink with your friends on custom-made wurst at Bru
• Be one of the first to experience U-Bahn opening in Midtown Village this fall
• Join the ultimate “Woman of the Week” Marilyn Russell at Ben FM then join her for a special lunch
• Win registration for two to the event of the year – Diner en Blanc Philadelphia 2015

Fox 29 talent scheduled to volunteer their time at the event include:

• Mike Jerrick
• Kerry Barrett
• Jennaphr Frederick
• Karen Hepp
• Alex Holley
• Lauren Johnson
• Chris Murphy
• Caitlin Roth
• Sue Serio
• Dawn Timmeny

Tickets are on sale now for $50.00 general admission or $100 for VIP admission at www.yagottatrythis.com. VIP tickets include early access with the talent at 5:30pm, special appetizers and a VIP gift. For more information, follow @yagottatry #yagottatry14 on Twitter, like Ya Gotta Try This Tasting Party on Facebook, or call 215-840-9216.