Be hungry. Be very hungry. The sixth annual Masters of Taste outdoor luxury food and beverage festival returns to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Sunday, April 2, 2023.
All of the proceeds from the event will directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a non-profit organization currently celebrating 50 years of providing homeless services and housing for thousands of neighbors.
Chef Michael Reed and Kwini Reed will serve as hosts this year. Michael is a classically trained chef and restaurateur, a chef for 19 years in restaurants across New York and Los Angeles.
Today, Chef Reed is the co-owner and Executive Chef behind two Los Angeles restaurants, Poppy + Rose of Downtown Los Angeles, and Anaheim’s Poppy & Seed.
Reed and his wife and co-owner, Kwini Reed also run an upscale catering company, Root of All Food.
Born and raised in Oxnard, California, Chef Michael grew up around the barbeque and the smell of fresh, home-made pies. His family cooked every day, pulling ingredients straight from the garden which inspired Michael’s passion for food and hospitality. After beginning a collegiate path at UC Santa Barbara, a track injury prompted Michael’s decision to make a change.
Months later, he was enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in New York. While in culinary school, Michael Reed cooked at The Modern, the acclaimed restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan.
After graduating in 2008, Reed returned to Southern California and worked at David Myer’s Michelin-star rated Sona, as well as Xiomara, at the age of 26.
In 2011, Chef Reed and Kwini Reed jointly created high-end catering company, Root of All Food which specializes in high-end boutique catering, in-home cooking and events, and catering to Southern California. Some of Root to All Food’s previous clients have included Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale, The W Hotel, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Reed opened DTLA brunch darling, Poppy + Rose in 2014, featuring classic American diner-fare made from scratch with a seasonal menu. He owns the restaurant alongside his wife, Kwini Reed. In 2021, Poppy & Seed opened, branching more upscale service and cuisine in a modern greenhouse setting. Located in the Anaheim Packing District, Poppy & Seed totes a menu of refined American fare.
Host Kwini Reed is a the co-owner of brunch restaurant, Poppy + Rose in Downtown LA, Anaheim’s Poppy & Seed, and upscale catering company, Root of All Foods. with husband and chef, Michael.
Kwini is graduate of California State University Fullerton, with a bachelor of science in marketing, She now has over a decade of experience under her apron in business, finance, and human resource management, having worked at companies throughout LA, including The Standard Hotel, Band of Gypsies, and Brandy Melville USA.
She and Michael have received numerous accolades for these concepts, including Orange Coast Magazine’s “Best New Restaurant” (Poppy & Seed); and CBS Los Angeles’ “Best All-Day Breakfast Restaurants in LA” (Poppy + Rose) – among others.
She is active with local nonprofits, such as Brown Bag Lady, which provides meals to people experiencing homelessness in LA.
She also participated in the James Beard Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (WEL) program in 2021, focused on empowering women food industry entrepreneurs and restaurant owners, and is a member of Re:Her, a non-profit with a mission to empower women food and drink entrepreneurs.
Masters of Taste is a regularly sold-out event which has attracted over 3,000 guests and garnered media attention throughout Southern California and beyond.
The 2023 festival is also expected to bring over 3,000 food and beverage enthusiasts together for one afternoon to include fare from over 100 culinary masters and restaurants, delectable sweets prepared by L.A.’s top sweets masters, and beverage masters who will be featuring signature cocktail tastings from over 25 spirit brands and top cocktail bars, a premier 50-Yard-Line Cocktail Bar, select wineries, local craft breweries, cold-pressed juices, cold brew coffee, and live entertainment.
100% of the proceeds from Masters of Taste 2023 will directly benefit Union Station Homeless Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary of bringing neighbors home. Committed to providing permanent solutions to end homelessness and rebuild lives, Union Station works with unsheltered and very low-income adults and families across the San Gabriel Valley. Recently expanding into El Sereno and Eagle Rock, Union Station Homeless Services is the lead County agency for Service Planning Area 3 (SPA 3), coordinating homeless services in 36 communities spanning from Pasadena to Pomona.
In the last five years Masters of Taste has raised over $2.7 Million in support of Union Station Homeless Services life-saving programs.
More information on Masters of Taste 2023 is available at www.MastersofTasteLA.com.
