It's The Big Day!

Good Morning, and welcome to The Chef's Table! We'll be here, bombing the kitchen and rocking the Intert00bz for the next 24 hours in support of the National Kidney Foundation.

The National Kidney Foundation provides funding for vital research to help eradicate kidney disease, as well as education and outreach services for kidney patients, transplant recipients, living donors, and their families. Sixteen people die every day waiting for a donor kidney. The NKF aims to bring that number to zero.

Today is a special day at The Chef's Table. Two years ago today, my best friend underwent a lifesaving kidney transplant at Stanford University Medical Center. He has Alport Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the breakdown of certain membranes, leading to vision and hearing loss...and kidney failure. He was dreadfully sick, and we thought we were going to lose him more than once.

The best words I've ever heard were those out of the mouth of the lovely nurse at Stanford who took my call after David's surgery: "Oh, he's fine, he's already awake and turning pink!" Knowing that your best friend isn't going to be sick anymore is a priceless gift. If it weren't for the research the NKF funds, those words might have been different. The NKF saves lives, and I am profoundly grateful for their existence.

We've got a lot planned for you today, but before we jump into the actual Chef's Tasting Menu - 12 courses of yumminess! - we're going to start with breakfast. Trying to cook and blog for 24 hours without a good jump start wouldn't be very entertaining at all!

So what's for breakfast? Stay tuned!