Sunshine MagaZine Exclusive.... A Delicious Summer SoIstice Dinner Of Chocolate Indulgence... Avanti Cafe... Costa Mesa....

"Eat Well//Live Well" Avanti Cafe... 259 E. 17th Street... Costa Mesa  949 548 2224 

RAW white gazpacho shooter with bitter choco cracker

Mesquite cacao roasted corn & apricot salad with creamy pepita drizzle

Ed Melliza says "It's Delicious!"

Enjoying our salads....  Mmmmmm.....  Photo: Ed Melliza

Real Housewives of OC's  Lynne Curtin & guest John



Roasted organic poblano stuffed with herbed organic brown rice risotto....  Served with Berbere spiced sauce & toasted cacao nibs

Bridget Reilly proprietor of the Bite Market in Orange

Ed Melliza & Bryson Kahawanu Igarta 

Chef Raya with delicious organic produce from Mellisa's

Chef Mark Cleveland serves RAW & Vegan house made 'cheez' plate...  Sprouted almond blackberry cheez with barrel aged Balsamic, oven dried savory & sweet strawberries, citrus roasted & chipotle dipped cippolini onion

Summertime roasted vegetable polenta napoleon with whole roasted garlic cloves, shallots, cherries & almonds with organic cream sause, lightly scented with mace



Avanti Cafe's Chef  Tanya Fuqua

Cocoa & quinoa waffle with chocolate mousee & red grapes served with lightly roasted red plums stuffed with double chocolate sorbet 

Lance Perkins, Real Housewives of OC's Lynne Curtin & Guest

Avanti Cafe Chef Mark Cleveland (2nd from left), Chef Tanya Fuqua (pink shirt) & Chef Raya (wearing hat) with happy guests at the Summer Solstice Dinner of Chocolate Indulgence

"We Had Fun!"

Bryson Kahawanu Igarta, Bridget Reilly, Harrison Held & Lance Perkins... Photo: Ed Melliza

We had a very enjoyable & very healthy dinner last nite at Costa Mesa's Avanti Cafe at 259 E. 17th Street. Avanti means forward in Italian.  Avanti's culinary philosophy integrates the best of traditional European & Asian healthful eating with the latest information for optimum health.  Award winning talented chefs Raya Belna, Mark Cleveland & Tanya Fuqua & staff prepared delicious organic food for our Summer Solstice Dinner of Chocolate Indulgence which I heard about through event producer Lance Perkins.  I'm a chocolate lover and I'm really interested in eating healthy so this event really piqued my interest.  The last event I attended that Lance was involved in was the 40th anniversary of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate factory  (he is the Chairman and Producer of Chocolate: The Event's Celebrity Chef Talent Awards)  & it was a blast - last nite's dinner was a lot of fun, delicious & worth the drive to Orange County!   It was nice to see  Lance again & chef Bridget Reilly (from the Bite Market) - an award winner at Chocolate: The Event and at the OC Tastefest,  photographer Ed Melliza and Bryon Kahawanu Igarta who's with organic produce company Mellisa's.  Mellisa's supplies Avanti's produce and their products really are delicious!  Sitting one table over from us was Real Housewives of OC's Lynne Curtin & friend John...  A Great Event! HH(: