Green Chefs Cook for Environmental Scholarships

UC San Diego hosted a fundraiser on Sunday at Scripps Seaside Forum at to celebrate the best in sustainable foods, wine and art, all while raising funds for environmental science scholarships.

Local chefs created local, sustainable and responsible dishes for the event titled Heart di Vite, which translates to “heart of the vine.” Dishes were paired with Napa Valley organic wines. The participating chefs vied for the honor of “Top Green Chef,” selected by a panel of local celebrity judges. Chef Chad White, owner of Sea Rocket Bistro and executive chef of Brian Malarkey's newest restaurants slated to open this month, took the top honor.

The 11 participating chefs included Amy DiBiase of , Trey Foshee of , Jeff Jackson of , and Jason Knibb of .

Heart di Vite also showcased pieces by some of the leading environmentally conscious visual artists, including Sondra Barrett, UC San Diego alumna Joyce Cutler-Shaw, Valentin Popov, Lynn Schuette and Miles Metzger.

Heart di Vite called attention to the growing environmental threats that California’s wine country, farmlands and waterways continue to face, while raising funds for UC San Diego students.

“Understanding biology is vital for all of us to understand how we can become healthier, how we can become better stewards of our environment and how we can shape a new bio-based economy,” says Dean Steve Kay, of the Division of Biological Sciences. “Heart di Vite is a celebration of science and art, and truly a celebration of our students’ potential to dramatically improve the quality of our lives.”

The event attracted 180 attendees and raised $20,000.

All proceeds from the event benefited environmental science scholarships for undergraduates in the Division of Biological Sciences.

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