Nothing beats attending Alex’s Lemonade Stand on a hot, sunny day. The outdoor event was held in the Royce Quad at UCLA. This was no ordinary lemonade stand but a gathering of top chefs, brewers, vintners, and mixologists serving their best foods and drinks to immense crowds.
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) focuses on raising money to support childhood cancer research and has hosted the culinary fundraiser since 2006.
When I arrived, I checked in at the media table. The event area was closed off by a white fence, and if you bought a ticket online, you were given a green wristband and entry access. There were yellow and red culinary tents each with the names of well-known chefs serving samples of their signature dishes. Many attendees even dressed in their best lemonade festive attire to show their support. What made this event truly special was how it brought together vendors, both local and nationwide, who shared their passion in satisfying the cravings of large crowds – all in support of a worthy cause.
I first sampled a pork dish from Barbuto, an Italian restaurant in NYC. As a BBQ lover, this remained my favorite dish throughout the event. Of course, I tried other interesting cuisines, such as eggplant tacos, Thai noodles with vegetables, curry pasta, pizza bites, mac and cheese balls, and the famous Pink’s hotdogs and Shake Shack’s burgers. The watermelon lemonade and specialty coffee drinks were musts throughout the event to wash down endless food. I paced myself knowing that there was an overwhelming amount of food to explore and choose from, all while leaving room for delicious ice cream, cookies, and other appealing desserts. What surprised me, however, was how I enjoyed sampling a variety of unique cuisines that were not my usual go-to foods.
I met several chefs, such as Nancy Silverton of Mozza and Ludo Lefebvre of Petit Tois, and interviewed others, such as Jonathan Waxman of Barbuto NYC, Susan Feniger of SOCALO, Neal Fraser of Redbird, and Elizabeth Falkner, an award-winning celebrity chef and author. I also interviewed Alex Lentz, a high school senior and the chairwoman of the Kids’ Campaign. She was a huge inspiration as she talked about supporting and raising money to help kids with cancer through research while balancing academics and extracurricular activities, such as varsity basketball and club lacrosse, and applying to colleges.
When asked how she got started, Alex stated, “I grew up within the Kids’ Campaign. A group of friends and I and their mom kind of started it so we were the first wave of kids. So, I always grew up with lemonade stands, at basketball games, in front of my house, at parks with anyone. It was such a key part of my childhood. I really wanted to continue it on.” This important work began during her elementary school years. Despite the pandemic and friends moving on to other interests, Alex continued this outreach work as the “biggest thing” for her to connect with people, meet kids, and hold lemonade stands to support cancer research.
In 2024, the Kids’ Campaign raised more than $135,000 to support the cause.
Look out for the next L.A. Loves Alex’s Lemonade Stand foodie event on October 4th 2025 at UCLA from 12-4 PM. The money raised will contribute towards pediatric cancer research grants, clinical trials, treatments, and cures. This is one “lemonade stand” event you will not want to miss.
For more information and upcoming events, go to https://www.alexslemonade.org.
Meghann M. De Jesus
KidScoop Media Correspondent, Age 14
Photo – (L to R) Meghann De Jesus with Chef Susan Feniger of Socalo, and Jaqueline Khatchadourian