Restaurant notes: Vetri on roll for charity

Chef Hiroyuki "Zama" Tanaka's celebrity roll campaign at his Zama restaurant on 19th Street was a hit, as it funneled $1,200 to Variety, the Children's Charity. Eagles player Winston Justice, sandwich czar/actor Tony Luke, Phillies pitcher Ryan Madson, and Flyers alum Bernie Parent lent their names to the creations. Next up: Tanaka is teaming with other chefs on rolls that will benefit the Vetri Foundation for Children, whose star-studded Great Chefs Event fundraiser will be reprised at the Navy Yard on June 14. Starting Friday, April 1, charity founder and chef Marc Vetri will have his own name on a roll. It will contain BBQ eel with crispy shallots, tempura flakes, scallion and shiso, wrapped with daikon, drizzled with truffle eel glaze, topped with cucumber salad tossed with a uni sauce, and plated with a bruleed uni sauce. All for $18. It'll be on Zama's menu through the summer.

Block the calendar for Sunday, April 17 when Mary Ann Esposito, the cookbook author and host of PBS's Ciao Italia, will demonstrate Family Circle recipes, talk about the importance of local produce, and offer tips on spicing up meals and simple entertaining, with Marc Silverstein of the Food Network and Discovery Channel from 2 to 4 p.m. at IKEA in Conshohocken.

Friends of former Philly restaurateur/boulvardier Michel Notredame (who chef-owned such spots as Bridgid's and Cuvee Notredame back in the day) will gather from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 4 to remember him. He reportedly died recently in Belgium. RSVP here.