Week No.3 | Guest Chef Series In The Chandelier Room at Santa Anita Racetrack

 

*once a week, every week, I embark on a new adventure to check off one of my many LA bucket list items. Follow along my journey being a tourist in my own town and get in on the action!*

 

 

It’s no big secret that I am a lover of horses, horse memorabilia, horse riding, and especially horse racing – especially at Santa Anita Park if we’re getting particular. It’s a timeless and completely unique experience to go “off to the races” and enjoy an afternoon filled with fun and excitement – the kind you don’t normally get living in the City of Angels. But being a lover of horse racing at Santa Anita and more obviously a lover of the Los Angeles foodie scene, once I’d caught wind of a new event series that paired together everything that held meaning in my life going down at the track I knew I had to find a way to be a part of it.

The Guest Chef Series in the Chandelier Room is an ongoing promotion hosted sporadically during each meet, and I’m not 100% sure if there’s a definitive schedule or if they just happen when they happen but there’s a few ways in which you can stay informed on when they’re having another (“like” the Chandelier Room’s Facebook page, check the events section on the Santa Anita Park’s website, etc.). Past ‘Guest Chef’ participants include chefs from some of LA’s best and favorite restaurants including Sotto/Picca, Barrel + Ashes, B.S. Taqueria/Broken Spanish, and most recently The Church Key. For $65 per person you get entry into the Chandelier Room, all the delicious food you can eat, unbeatable views, live music, and an incredible VIP-like experience. I had the pleasure of dining with The Church Key this past Saturday afternoon in honor and celebration of the Belmont Stakes where horse American Pharoah would be going for the coveted Triple Crown. When it comes to big party catering my expectations are usually low, but I have to say the Church Key blew that meal out of the damn water. I will be back at Church Key proper within the next week or so to have more of  what I decided were”the best donuts ever”. (Two words: brown butter.)

I have to say though, words can hardly express how incredible it was to be at Santa Anita during the big race and watching American Paroah take the Triple Crown amongst other racing fans at a race track. Being in the Chandelier Room surrounded by good people, good music, and great food was certainly the icing on the cake. There’s no going back once you get a taste of the racetrack good life, luckily this is one “good life ” experience we can all have, and we can all definitely have more than once.