A Culinary Event for Literacy” will for the first time welcome Chef William Eick of 608 Oceanside

San Diego CA— At the San Diego Council on Literacy’s (SDCOL) eighth annual “Eat.Drink.Read. A Culinary Event for Literacy,” foodies will savor imaginative bites and brews prepared by the city’s finest chefs on Thursday, May 18, 2017, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at a new location – the San Diego Air & Space Museum in Balboa Park.
The event, which grows in popularity every year, features original dishes created by celebrated chefs from around the county – with each bite inspired by the chefs’ favorite books. This year’s “Eat.Drink.Read.” will include cuisine created in homage to “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “Babbling Beth, the Story Chef” and “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?”
Beer and spirits from local breweries and distilleries will accompany the cuisine, allowing samplings from a wide variety of craftsmen.
And, new this year – celebrity judges, including food writer and Food Network host Troy Johnson, will dole out awards to chefs in the following categories: Best Dish (non-dessert), Best Dessert, Best Table Display and Best Pairing of Book with Dish Concept.
A signature event and SDCOL’s largest fundraiser of the year, “Eat.Drink.Read.” raises needed funds to support the organization’s 29 affiliated programs that provide free literacy assistance annually to more than 170,000 children, families and adults throughout San Diego County.
“One in five adults in San Diego possess below-basic literacy skills,” says Jose Cruz, CEO of SDCOL. “Many of these adults are also parents, and their children become adversely affected by low-level reading skills at home. We work to address this problem through our literacy programs which are funded, in part, through Eat.Drink.Read.”
The list of participating restaurants, chefs, breweries and distilleries is growing and currently includes:

Restaurants/Chefs

• Civico 1845
• Pacific Standard Coastal Kitchen
• Waypoint Public
• Casa Guadalajara
• 608 Oceanside
• Nobu San Diego
• Double Standard Kitchenetta
• The Ageless Kitchen/Tina Martini, The Medicine Chef
• Frida’s Cocina
• Galaxy Taco
• It’s Myne
• Mangia Mangia
• Simply Fresh
• Solare
• Students from San Diego Continuing Education’s Culinary Arts Program

Brewers/Distillers/Vendors

• Stone Brewing Co.
• Monkey Paw Brewing Co.
• Port Brewing Co./The Lost Abbey/ The Hop Concept
• The Homebrewer
• Cutwater Spirits
• Living Tea Brewing Co.
• SolarRain

SDCOL’s generous supporters and media partners include KPBS, The San Diego-Union Tribune, U.S. Bank, SHARP Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Mission Federal Credit Union, Intesa Communications, Inc., Sheppard Mullin Law Firm, Capital Growth Properties, Inc., Sycuan and San Diego Continuing Education.
Tickets are $75 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit http://www.literacysandiego.org/eatdrinkread/

About San Diego Council on Literacy

San Diego Council on Literacy (SDCOL) unites the community to support literacy through leadership, advocacy and resources. Over 500,000 adults in San Diego County have a below-standard level of literacy. That makes SDCOL’s job critically important – to them and their families and to the community. Annually, more than 170,000 individuals receive one-on-one, small group, computer-assisted and classroom instruction through literacy programs affiliated with SDCOL.  By providing free literacy services that allow adults to develop their foundation for success, SDCOL truly enables them to elevate themselves and their families to an improved quality of life.  Learn more at www.literacysandiego.org.