Bar Bambino honors Father’s Day with a Soccer Day June 20th

Enjoy a Special South African menu prepared by Chef Lizzie Binder in honor of her heritage and the World Cup 2010

Proceeds to Benefit Soccer Without Borders

San Francisco, CA – This coming Sunday, Bar Bambino Café & Wine Bar commemorates dads with a special 4-course dinner menu inspired by both the favorite national pastime of Italy in keeping with the restaurant’s focus, as well as the classic cuisine of Chef Lizzie Binder, whose native South Africa is the site of the World Cup this year, all to benefit Soccer Without Borders.

Departing from the regional Italian menu for which Bar Bambino has become well-known and loved, Chef Binder stirs the childhood memory pot with a menu that accents the French, Dutch and Indian influences that came together to shape South African cuisine.   Dishes that demonstrate this influence will be on the menu such as Cape Malay curry, a house-made curry served with lamb or vegetables and sambals (sambals are the sweet, savory, and pickled accompaniments that are stirred into the curry to the eater’s taste) and saffron rice or, yogurt cucumber soup with a cilantro mint swirl, or warm apricot malva (similar to a bread pudding) with brandy caramel sauce. “My earliest memories are of my father butchering game in our kitchen. I was fascinated and hooked from day one.  From an early age I cooked side-by-side with my Mum and Dad; I have so many strong memories of delicious dinners around my family table.  It was difficult to cull a menu of only of few of those inspirations into a menu for this special dinner. I’m so excited to cook this food for the extended Bar Bambino family,” says Binder.

Bar Bambino owner Christopher Losa has a soft spot in his heart for soccer, having grown up in Germany as a military brat.   For him, Germany was soccer and soccer was Germany and he closely identified with the sport while also sub-consciously assimilating the European sensibility for seasons, regionality of food, and the focus of European life around the table that became a reality when he opened Bar Bambino to great critical acclaim three years ago. Together with Chef Binder, Losa takes a studious, curious and deliberate approach to authentically representing Italian cuisine.  “While Europe holds a soft spot in my heart for its culture, gastronomy, and viniculture, I’m excited to use this opportunity to expose more people to South African cuisine. My experiences with the country and its cuisine are memorable for its fascinating assimilation of Eastern, Western, and distinctly African flavors. It is a true fusion cuisine dating back to the 1700‘s. To combine this with an opportunity to support Soccer Without Borders is a bonus.  As a young soccer player I learned discipline, focus, and the power of teamwork. I hope we can play a small role in advancing Soccer Without Borders‘ mission to bring these attributes to less advantaged children everywhere.”

Sunday’s menu is served from 5-10 PM and offers a departure and a chance for Chef Binder to share a cuisine little known to most people.   It will be four courses (starter, salad, main and a dessert), which is $55 per person or an additional $35 with wine pairings selected by Losa.  The wine pairings will be international in scope to pay tribute to the diversity of the teams playing; they will include Slovenian and Austrian white wines and Italian, French and Spanish red wines.

Founded in 2006, Soccer Without Borders is a non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California. Its mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change in the lives of marginalized youth within the United States and throughout the world. We work closely with community-based organizations and community leaders to create sustainable soccer and life skills programs. These programs contribute to youth development by connecting young people with caring adults and supportive peers, and by providing youth with opportunities for positive engagement. We work specifically with refugee, immigrant and indigenous youth and girls. To date, Soccer Without Borders programs have helped over 1500 children in more than 7 countries including the USA, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia. For more information about Soccer Without Borders, please visit www.soccerwithoutborders.org