What could be a better way to kick-off your week than gathering with friends & family on a Sunday evening for a home-cooked meal? And not just any meal, but a farm-fresh dinner prepared in an open kitchen using produce from the SoCo and Newport Beach Farmers’ Markets, featuring 3-4 dishes that blend vegan, gluten-free, free-range, grass-fed, organic and raw foods together. It’s a celebration of pure, unadulterated, local foods eaten in a warm, inviting, communal setting. It’s the new Sunday Farmers’ Market Feast by Anais + Raya at Picnics Kitchen in Costa Mesa. (Located at 435 East 17th Street #7, Costa Mesa, CA 92627)

Vibrant fresh produce from local Southern California farms such as Bautista Creek Farms in Hemet, CA.

Chef Raya Belna & Anais Tangie have teamed-up to launch the all-new Anais+Raya ‘Culinary Collective’ concept this month at Picnics Kitchen. Together, their vision is to create a space where they cook farm-to-table, teach alternative living with whole foods, and host their Sunday Night Farmers’ Market Feasts as well as pop-up restaurants & other events that will highlight local chefs, farms and businesses.

Anais Tangie (left) & Raya Belna (right): Co-Founders of the Anais+Raya Culinary Collective at Picnics Kitchen in Costa Mesa, CA

Anne Watson Photography is a proud supporter of Anais+Raya at Picnics Kitchen, and patrons will find an all-new Anne Watson Photography gallery wall located in the Culinary Collective’s main storefront featuring Food Photography that showcases the simple, elegant beauty of local farm-fresh produce. All prints are available for purchase and Anne Watson Photography will be available for hire at a specially-reduced rate to all clients who host events at Picnics Kitchen.

The Anne Watson Photography gallery at Picnics Kitchen showcases the simple, elegant beauty of farm-fresh produce

Last Sunday, July 1st marked the launch of the Picnics Kitchen Culinary Collective with a special Friends & Family Farmers’ Market Feast. The kitchen buzzed with excitement as Raya & Anais cooked up a storm! The food was beautiful, the company was fantastic and it was sure to be the first of many wonderful, farm-fresh feasts to come!

In fact, Farmers’ Market Feasts will be hosted every Sunday from 5-7pm with a changing, seasonal menu based on what is available at the market that day. Purchase tickets at http://anaisandraya.com/feast to reserve your space. Tickets must be purchased in advance. A maximum of 20 Family Style ($30/each), and five Chef Table ($40/each) will be accommodated every Sunday.

To whet your appetite, below is a recap-through-food-photos of last week’s feast. Bon appetit!

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