Swirling Dervish, a trip through wine and cheese...

What was I thinking? Non- Stop food frenzy...


a Glamorous Open House, a Guest Chef Catered Luncheon for 24, a Spring Release at Nickel and Nickel and a Chef Demonstration at The California Artisan Cheese Festival. In four days. In a row.


Thursday:
I get so lost in the joy of what I do, I sometimes loose myself...
BTW: Thanks for all of the birthday wishes, my Facebook was blowing up for days, wow.

 My culinary madness began on Thursday at another gorgeous open house at 40 Sunny Oaks in San Rafael. Built by Dave Denham, the house rocked a light filled kitchen with a Viking Range, microwave and wall ovens, yay me! What a joy to cook there. I do not need to tell you that appliances like that make all the difference, do I ? I served tiny shrimp salads, spring vegetable quesadillas, a fresh soup and more.
Note: all my disposables are compostable. Please make the switch yourself, no more single use plastic, ok?


Friday: Another "Virgin" Kitchen,  we were very gentle...

This was my third kitchen warm up in a year. I am trusted, they know I am drawn to every kitchen I can find...I love kitchens so much, I am honored by the task. I was the first guest Chef at the Fork Culinary Center at Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese! I met legendary diary mom and pop, Dean and Bob Giacomini and had the pleasure of cooking side by side with sister Karen and cousin Kevin. We worked like crazy to produce the menu I posted in the last blog and the famous...Point Reyes Original Blue Ice Cream with Balsamic Glazed Strawberries! It was a revelation! I am not kidding. It is sooo good...

Here we see Kevin and Karen, my new friends dishing, styling and prepping.











LOOK AT THAT SETTING! The guests were on a tour as part of the California Artisan Cheese Festival. How cool is that? Here they are clapping , honoring our hard work. Jill G. is in the background, beyond her is the spectacular bay and ridges of this remarkable place. California, knows how to party.

 Saturday: Nickel and Wined...Swirling in Oakville


As if that wasn't enough, the next day I was invited by by master viticulturist Aaron Fishleder to attend the exclusive Spring Release Celebration at Nickel and Nickel! My wine savvy girl Christmas (hippy parents)  and I met, swirled and conquered. We had a ball. Aaron's job seems incredible to me, he is in charge of vineyard management and grower relations. The more I know about the wine industry, the more complex it seems; weather, water, pests, oh my!  And growers, they seem even harder to  manage than chefs, if you can believe that.

Christmas and I watched all three of Chef Trevor Eliason's excellent coking demonstrations. His parings were perfect. Nickel and Nickel specializes in 100% varietal, single vineyard wines, no blending. Pretty incredible. Some of the parings that really threw me down the stairs were the 2007 Dyer Vineyard Syrah, Carneros, Napa Valley with a Moroccan Lamb Meatball and the wine Aaron was pouring, 2007 Darien Vineyard Syrah, Russian River Valley, Sonoma with Cola Braised Pork Shoulder Canapes with Mole. Syrah!Syrah!Syrah!
http://www.nickelandnickel.com/

Here, Chef Trevor is making his Bay Scallop, Yuzu and Mustard Ceviche served on a great house made sesame cracker, seen in  the foreground of this photo. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus, the juice is available bottled. I do not know many chefs who do not have it on hand. Secret cheffy trick...

Are we there yet? Sunday, Cooking Demo, where am I?

I picked up my pals, Chef Ron Duben and Fresh Starts Cooking School volunteers Brett and Aaron and we did a great cooking demonstration at the Cheese Festival then hit the tent for tastes and networking with my cheese pals. These are the people you want to know... we really enjoyed ourselves. Brett swooned over the Mt. Tam ( Cheese) ice cream, Ron loved the Point Reyes Blue Ice cream. Me, I was excited to see the fun new Laura Chenel Blossoms, the famous goat cheese surrounding a center of sweet and savory flavor. Very innovative. http://www.laurachenel.com/newsroom.html#article02

 I am not pushing them away in this picture, they are holding me up!
Welly, well. Crazy, right? Although, what an incredible adventure.
This week, no rest, lots to do and then...next up, April 8, 9 and 10th my 2nd annual pilgrimage to the ultimate, the chef-tastic, Pebble Beach Food and Wine;Cora, Ripert, Chiarello, Puck, Reddingtion, Tramanto and of course the King, himself! I swoon.
http://www.pebblebeachfoodandwine.com/

Move over Alice, Rachelle in Wonderland ( West Marin) & Artisan Cheese

I did not mean to tell a lie. In my last post I promised to continue my "Mustard Tale" but I have some incredible events coming right up, so "Mustard, Part Two" will have to wait...

"Drawn" Down the Rabbit Hole: 

How do you get to Wonderland? I will tell you, happy to. Get yourself to San Francisco, head north on highway 101 over the world's most magnificent bridge, go past central San Rafael, exit at Lucas Valley Road and go west. That is the beginning...

Last Friday, my mission was to travel out to West Marin to the most magical town of Point Reyes to visit the fabulous new Fork at Point Reyes Culinary Center on the legendary Giacomini Ranch. My dear friend and first cousin to my best friend in NYC, Lynn Giacomini- Stray invited me to see the new cooking and education center in preparation for a private tour and lunch this Friday, March 26th. It was so exciting to see a gleaming new "virgin" kitchen, all stainless and shiny, with the mesmerizing hum of new commercial appliances in the air.

Our tour is part of the fourth annual California's Artisan Cheese Festival, March 26th -29th, a rocking four day party at the waterfront  Petaluma Sheraton. Created by my brilliant buddy, cheese expert Lynne Devereaux ( the heart of this shindig) the event celebrates glorious cheeses and artisans from my beloved state. The Friday Tour is sold out, but join me on Sunday the 29th at the Marketplace at my Chefs Demonstration at 11:00 am. Taste incredible cheeses, learn from national experts and oh, the wine...buy tickets now at:
http://www.artisancheesefestival.com/

Back to Wonderland... 
As you travel down Lucas Valley Road, past George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch, you come to a great forest of copper and evergreen redwood trees. This is the Rabbit Hole...enter. Come out into a bright planet-scape and continue to Point Reyes.

Point Reyes is a tiny town and a culinary mecca. My visit was to see the Culinary Center and plan a great menu to cook next Friday of Original Blue and Bacon Puffs, Balsamic and Spring Greens Salad, Antipasto Stuffed Picnic Breads featuring Pt. Reyes' Farmstead Cheese Company's new Toma and their fresh mozzarella, Original Blue Stuffed Chicken Breasts and YES, an reputedly excellent Blue Cheese Ice Cream with Balsamic Strawberries! I have never had it, Lynn is making it, I will report back!

Continuing on to the Tea Party...

In this culinary land, the tea party is at Tomales Bay Foods. Really, you must go. Live cheese making, world class local products, an incredible deli. I ducked in and out of the happy crowds to my lunch of a ridiculous Charcuterie platter from famous, fabulous Cowgirl Creamery. Devils' Gulch and Landaff Creamery Cheeses, Fra Mani Salametto, spectacular marinated olives and house made pickled radish and fennel salad. Plus a half - bottle of chilled Chard. Who's mad now, Hatter? You can keep your tea. Add in a Cheshire Cat sighting of one of my best friends , super Swede Marielle and I was all grin.

One Pill Makes You Larger at  the Wild Western

Hmm, 1:30, not going anywhere for hours...prefect, almost surreal day. Natural next step, tequila shot at the Western. From bright and sunny crowds to a dark wild west bar with 3 patrons at the bar and 5 bikers and a biker chick at the pool table. Above the bar hang several photos of Prince Charles and Camilla at said bar. Point Reyes made international news when they visited to learn about the incredible food and farming practices in this area. They did NOT have tea at the Western. A shot of Patron for me. Strange being in a bar in the afternoon, really fun, actually.

Back Again Through the Rabbit Hole: 

As I looked down the bar at the lone guy at the window, I realized the fun of being in a bar in the day time, is, like Alice, you must find your may out. I hope he finds his pot of gold. Something told me that he had stopped looking.

On this, March 23rd my birthday, I am reminded about Alice's sister and her vision of Alice at the end of the story:
She pictured how ( Alice) "would, in the after-time, be herself a grown woman; and how she would keep, through all her riper years, the simple and loving heart of her childhood, remembering her own child-life and the happy summer days. "

Here's to these ripe years, and adult -life happy summer days...

Lamb's Tongues, Pickled Mustard Seeds and the like... Napa Mustard Festival part one.

Napa Mustard Festival 2010



Can it just be one week ago that I returned from the Chicago area with the Sears Chefs' Challenge and Kid's Culinary Cafe? Really? That is what my calendar says, but it is hard to believe. With that amazing week in my rear view mirror, the 2010 Napa Mustard Festival came into focus...

Standards of Excellence Appliances, my fabulous employer,  partnered with Viking (The GSC) to bring Viking's killer, Hollywood-style chefs stage out to play (and play we did) with brilliant, warm and fun chefs from Napa and beyond. Great food, super stories and wine, great wine.

Saturday brought clear skies of the most sparking blue, contrasting with the lush green spring-saturated hills and blossoming mustard plants. Mustard is a fascinating plant, related to broccoli. It can easily grow taller than my head, I am pretty shrimpy, but still. It is planted in the vineyards to recondition the soil, adding back vital nutrients.  The visual side effect is ridiculous fields of crazy yellow blossoms that make you want you laugh out loud from joy. You know I do. These pictures are NOT color enhanced at all.

This was my commute, imagine that! Add in great coffee and Guns N' Roses "Paradise City" on the radio and, my friend, you've got yourself a deal. The Viking Chefs Stage was set up in the new Marketplace area on the riverfront. Parking was a cinch and off we went. A Chef-a-Palooza. First up, Elaine Johnson of Sunset Magazine, rocking an Apricot- Mustard Glazed Ham for spring and a great summer dish, Indian Spiced Corn.  We talked about her job as a food writer, recipe developer and food stylist. Fascinating... More about Sunset soon.

"Next trick", as I always say, was my new friend Chef Joel Erlich of the legendary Bistro Jeanty. Bistro Jeanty is in Yountville and is celebrated far and wide. Yountville has the most Michelin stars per capita of any town in the world, anchored by the king,  Chef Thomas Keller's French Laundry. Not bad... Chef Erlich was feeling under the gun and was not sure he had time to do the demo! Instead of panicking, I struck a deal. Chef had a big event that evening, I promised that if he did the demo, I would help him break down his whole booth. Deal made, demo rocked. Chef made a great pickled, then pan seared lamb's tongue salad with new potatoes, frisee and a creamy grain mustard vinaigrette. That was MY lunch. Excellent textures, flavors, truly spring all the way. Later that evening, you could see me running to his pickup with a HUGE ceramic chicken, strapping it into the front passenger's side seat with the seat belt. Really funny!

The last chef was my multi-year chefs' stage companion, Chef Peter Pahk of the luxurious Silverado Resort. Chef Pahk expertly combines Asian flavors and techniques with local, sustainable products. Chef used the super-even, fast heating Viking grill  to sear CB Farms organic flat iron steak and finished it in the convection oven. The flavor was unreal, incredibly tender, rich, just amazing. He created a Organic Beef and Green Papaya Thai Style salad with a Whole Grain Mustard and Ko Choo Jung Vinaigrette.  (Ko Choo Jung is an Asian hot sauce.)

Chef Pahk is an excellent teacher and spoke eloquently about the need to buy and cook sustainable foods. He is a big proponent of the Monterey Seafood Watch, an easy, fun way to stay up on the best fish to buy, check it out at: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx

 At the end of the class, three cool Cali skater kids came up to see what was happening.  I offered them a seat and I served them Chef's plated salad. The LOVED it! They were so appreciative and fun. Even the kid who didn't want to try, loved it. Give kids a chance, treat them with great respect and they will rise up.

On my way home, I passed winery after winery, fields of fruit trees in bloom, velvety green pastures of cows, flocks of sheep "mowing" the grass in between the vines, olive tree groves, and more; purple mountains holding it all in place.

To think, I get to come back another day.

Next up: Andy, Anne, Chris and Marcos, day two at Mustard Fest!

Chefs Challenge, Kids Cooking and alas...no Pam...

Three times was a charm, as I headed back to Sears HQ for my third trip to the Chicago area since February 4th.  My trip was a triple mission, the first ever Sears Chefs Challenge, pitting me against my dear new colleague Chef Billy Parisi in a cooking battle for hundreds of onlookers in the massive Sears Atrium. Second mission; the launch of our Kids Culinary Cafe interactive cooking events and finally, I had hoped, meeting the ever controversial Pamela Anderson. Yes, that Pam Anderson...

The real challenge of the "Chefs Challenge" was planning and executing this first time event. I went right to "the source", Whole foods Market, weeks ago and found my fabulous new friend and king of "getting my back", marketing master George Economos from the Palatine, IL store. I know that I can count on Whole Foods, wherever I may be, to hook up the best food and to have the best people. I was right and then some. First, we shopped at the store. How fun to select such incredible foods and to know that everything is  fresh and sustainable. George hooked us up with an on stage " bounty table" that rivaled the best Top Chef tables!

Our judges were the top brass from Sears and K-Mart and a former private chef to David Geffen, NO PRESSURE! We had marvelous sous chefs from Sears HQ. My team: Phil Dickert and Beth Quathamer, who rocked. Billy kicked out a gorgeous Seared Seabass with Pan Roasted Vegetables, accented with bacon. He topped it with a crispy carrot salad and drizzled chive oil and balsamic reduction. I created a Citrus Mustard Pancetta Wrapped Sea Bass over Pan Roasted Vegetables accented by a Citrus Beurre Blanc. Yeah, lots to do in 45 minutes, on camera, in front of hundreds, judged by big bosses, watched by your other big bosses who have championed you, up on stage, with two assistants you only met the day before while hitting all of your talking points about our programs, etc.

You know what, it was excellent and worth every minute. In the end, they tied us! Probably a good idea, that is why they are the big bosses...

Two days later, our Kids Culinary Cafe events launched at Sears in the Woodfield Mall. Absolute winner of an event. I catered in crepes and sauces and taught "Lacy Crepes with Fresh Fruit". Three classes back to back with my marvelous boss, Shawn Pauli side by side with me all the way. That is how they do it, wether it is my boss Lisa Ono, operations rock star Michelle Woods or Billy and I, we all do what it takes and that makes such a difference. How cool are they?

Sadly, we were so busy, I missed Pamela Anderson's appearance down stairs with her perfume line. Say whay you may, I love Pam and think she is a fine fox, but I must have held my own against her. I missed her by minutes, only a few glossy photo pages scattered on the floor and just a whiff of her perfume remained...

This weekend, March 13th and 14th, more action. Always more action. The gorgeous Napa Mustard Festival Viking Chefs Stage. Join me as I host this event for Standards of Excellence Appliances with incredible chefs such as celebrity chef Anne Gingrass-Paik and my brilliant friend Andy Wild, of Wild about Food and Drink. Viking (the GSC) is bringing their top notch, Hollywood-style chefs stage to the party with a built in grill, gas burners, a wok burner a convecton oven, refrigeration, Chefs drool. Sorry they do..

http://www.mustardfestival.com/Downloads/NVMF-MPcookingdemo2010.pdf

So, another wild ride. I guess boredom is not a problem I will ever have, eh? Was that all in a week? Thanks to everyone at Aramark, Whole foods, Sears HQ, Lisa Ono, Sears Woodfield ( Nick "living the dream"), the top notch promo team, the Marriott, my mom, my producer, my agent, the Academy...

Pam Anderson, may we meet again. Now let's both fly away home to California...