Nose-to-Tail: Guest Chefs Dong Choi and Cliff Pollard

Join Us for Nose to Tail: A Guest Chef Dinner

Join Farming Hope for a special evening celebrating whole animal cooking, regenerative agriculture, thoughtful winemaking, and community around the table.

For one night, Chef Dong Choi, Executive Chef of The Slanted Door, joins Cliff Pollard, Founder of Cream Co. Meats, for a thoughtfully curated Nose to Tail dining experience featuring responsibly sourced ingredients and wine from Aperture Cellars.

Throughout the evening, guests will enjoy a seasonal menu that explores the connection between chefs, ranchers, winemakers, and the ingredients they work with. Each course will celebrate culinary craftsmanship, responsible sourcing, and an approach to food that values every ingredient with intention.

Your participation in our Feed It Forward celebration supports Farming Hope’s paid Apprenticeship Program, helping adults experiencing barriers to employment build culinary skills and pathways to meaningful employment while nourishing our community.

About Chef Dong Choi

Chef Dong Choi serves as Executive Chef of The Slanted Door, the acclaimed restaurant founded in San Francisco by the late Chef Charles Phan.

Born in Seoul and raised in Atlanta, Chef Dong’s culinary perspective draws from his Korean roots, Southern comfort food, and years spent working in acclaimed kitchens around the world. His career has included work with award winning chefs and restaurant groups before joining The Slanted Door Group in 2017.

Today, Chef Dong carries forward the culinary vision and legacy of Charles Phan while bringing his own perspective to modern Vietnamese cuisine. His cooking celebrates thoughtful technique, exceptional ingredients, and the ways food can connect cultures, communities, and generations.

About Cliff Pollard and Cream Co. Meats

Cliff Pollard founded Cream Co. Meats with a mission to create a more transparent and responsible meat industry.

Working with regenerative and sustainable ranches, Cream Co. connects chefs with responsibly raised meats while supporting independent producers and a food system built around quality, transparency, and respect for the whole animal.

Cliff’s approach makes him a natural partner for this dinner, where whole animal utilization becomes an opportunity to celebrate the ranchers, ingredients, craftsmanship, and creativity behind each course.

About Aperture Cellars

Aperture Cellars brings together wine, art, and a deep connection to place.

Founded by winemaker Jesse Katz, Aperture focuses on expressive Bordeaux varieties grown in distinctive California vineyards. Jesse’s approach combines thoughtful farming and meticulous winemaking with a creative vision influenced in part by his father, renowned photographer Andy Katz.

For this special evening, wines from Aperture Cellars will complement the Nose to Tail menu, bringing another layer of craftsmanship and connection to the experience.

Why Nose to Tail?

Nose to Tail cooking is rooted in a simple idea: every part of an animal has value.

By embracing whole animal utilization, chefs can reduce waste, support responsible agriculture, and discover flavors and techniques that might otherwise be overlooked. It is an approach built around respect for the ingredient, the people who raised it, and the resources required to bring it to the table.

That philosophy connects naturally with Farming Hope’s commitment to Food Recovery, intentional cooking, and creating a more sustainable and equitable food system.

About Farming Hope

Farming Hope is a culinary job training and food justice nonprofit. Our paid transitional employment program helps adults experiencing barriers to employment build skills and transition toward personal well being while nourishing food insecure neighbors and recovering food that would otherwise go to waste.

At Refettorio San Francisco, our Apprentices gain hands on culinary experience while preparing nourishing Community Meals and learning about sustainable food systems.

Through food, training, and community, Farming Hope is working toward a vision of inclusive communities where all are needed.

We’re all hungry to give back and belong.