The Soy of Cooking - Japanese Ingredients Revealed

What a jam packed Wednesday! I met photographer Mark Rutherford and a very special make up artist in Novato at the Fresh Starts Cooking School in the morning, had an exciting meeting in a Market Street high rise in the afternoon and a panel discussion about Japanese ingredients complete with a full buffet in the evening. Phew! Check out Mark's work here:  http://www.mrutherford.com/ 

The Golden Gate Bridge was wet and cloud-covered due to some unseasonal rain. The plants are loving it, the people are a bit cranky. Me, I'm with the plants. I just can not complain about the weather out here. San Francisco is beautiful, rain or shine and that bridge, it moves me.

I was excited to re-join the San Francisco Professional Food Society, a brilliant group of food writers, chefs, teachers and purveyors. We met at Ketchum PR, a San Francisco firm specializing in culinary promotions. The panel was superb, with two of my favorite culinary luminaries Eric Gower "the Breakaway Cook" and Yoshi Tome, CEO of Sushi Ran , a treasured Bay Area restaurant. I was excited to meet panelist Chef Seiji Wakabayashi of Michelin starred Bushi-Tei. I had read so much about him.

As the panel discussed ingredients such as soy sauce, sake, shoyu, burdock root, matcha and shiso, Eric brought up one of the best points of the evening. "Why" he asked, are we so afraid of screwing up?!" As chefs and teachers we need to encourage everyone to try things. "It is just FOOD!" he said. By this, he did not mean to waste, but try, ask and explore. So try this. Yuzu. It is now very, very popular. It is a citrus fruit, now just beginning to be cultivated in the US, near Sacramento. It is treasured for it's zest, which is made into a juice. A small bottle is about 9$, but wow, it is so delicious. Kinda Meyer- lemon- meets- lime- meets- jasmine. It sings. So, how to use it? How do you use lemon or lime juice? You know on fish and chicken in sauces, TRY IT! It is great on anything. Try "Yuzu-It" a yuzu hot sauce. I am eating it now on a spoon. Research.

The buffet was fabulous, thanks to Kikkoman. It was served in the Ketchum teaching kitchen which over the years has seen hundreds of famous chefs including Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. My favorite dishes were the Seared Beef Sushi and the Wasabi Potato Salad with Edamame. I learned so much. What a great night. Then I got to drive back over that bridge.

Here is that evening's Facebook post:

Returning home tonight from SF, cold drizzle and a bright city scene on the Golden Gate Bridge, White Stripes "7 Nation Army" on the radio, windows down. San Francisco and I are passionate about each other. We are in love.

Prizes, Pizza and Print!

More action from the Heart of the Home Tour in Davis, CA!

Thank you to all of you that entered the Standards of Excellence Appliances raffle at this gorgeous home tour. We have a winner, Larry Peterson of Woodland California! Larry won a Miele Electro Canister Vacuum, here he is with our Sacramento Showroom Manager, Shane Baker picking up his prize. It pays to play...

We caused quite a stir with our food and fun in the home designed by Architect Julie Haney.  So much so that we are currently featured in a wonderful article by Diana Mahoney in Davis Life Magazine. We are grateful to be recognized by such a fabulous writer and happy to be able to bring the Standards of Excellence level of service, knowledge and enthusiasm to every event.

Whenever we were asked by the guests, "How come your food and service in this house is so incredible, the best in the tour?" My reply was, "It is in our name, we walk the talk!"

Read Diana's article below...

http://www.davislifemagazine.com/2010/05/natural-elements-indoors/

From the Homeless Shelter to the Home of George Lucas

I am so very fortunate to be connected to such incredible chefs, events and celebrities. A true benefit of coming from a (sorry,guys) really boring small town, (Tunkhannock, Pa.) is that I was so hungry to get out into the world that I was always driven to seek great experiences and also, I will never get used to my brushes with celebrity. I love it. Growing up, I was very discouraged from going to culinary school by the quite narrow-visioned teachers and counselors that I encountered. I was "that girl" in school who was great at art; you know her. All my friends were cheerleaders and tennis players and I was in the art room with the sci-fi fans, charcoal smudges on my arms. (Still a big sci-fi fan!) So, off to art school I went. After 3 years of making art, I defected to the culinary world and so, so slowly made my long, winding and sometimes odd path to the fortunate place I am today.

About 10 years ago, when I was the exclusive Private Chef to George Lucas at his home, I saw a 20-20 feature of Elizabeth Murray, a homeless teen in NYC who ended up going to Harvard. The next morning, I was moved to action and called Homeward Bound of Marin to ask if they needed the help of a "friendly, hard working chef" and they did. I have been a supporter and a consultant with them ever since. My journey with this groundbreaking homeless services provider has been rewarding personally and professionally beyond measure. Homeward Bound is Marin County's chief provider of shelter and supportive services to homeless families and individuals, serving an average of 1,400 people yearly in 13 residential programs. Residents have access to counseling, job training in the Fresh Starts Culinary Academy and other apprenticeship programs, and classes in parenting, money management and other “life skills.” In 2008, they opened the Next Key Center in Novato, which includes a top-notch commercial kitchen and 150-person event rental space to expand culinary training and the Fresh Starts Catering business, as well as production of the agency’s Halo Truffles made from Callebaut Belgian chocolate. Sounds incredible, doesn't it. You really need to visit.

The vision and success rate of the work I am honored to support at Homeward Bound is remarkable. Last night, at the Fresh Starts Cooking School we hosted world class sommelier Rajat Parr and his sous- chef Keven Wilson from RN74, a James Beard Awards finalist for Best New Restaurant, for a spectacular wine and food pairing event. It was brilliant, his private label wines Parr Selections were luscious paired with dishes from RN74. I will follow up soon with wine and recipe details. His team donated everything and our Academy students, many who are residents of our on-site facility did a fantastic job working side by side with our celebrated guests. I was moved and thrilled. What an experience!

Because of my passion for this work, I will be blogging about our chef contestants competing in the Sears Chef Challenge (a national chef competition I helped create!) and their chosen food related charities.  Semi -finalists and the top winner will earn incredible cash donations to their charities! I am excited to learn more about these dedicated people across the nation who do the hard work of running these charities. Talk about "celebrities". These are the real celebrities.

Although, I have to say from first hand experience, George Lucas, Keven Wison and Rajat Parr are worthy of their celebrity status, they all give back so much, as Raj said to me, "I am very fortunate, I am happy to help." Status+ heart + soul= SUPER STAR.

a Gala Guest with a SERIOUS Wardrobe Malfunction, or the only way to keep me from the foie

A True San Francisco Event: Diverse and Delicious &

Community Service with a World-Class Twist

What a night! I am so often part of incredible culinary events and I will never become jaded. Nope. I am enthusiasm personified and that I will remain to the end. But, I did have a bit of a ...situation last night. Let me explain. I was thrilled to be at the Star Chefs and Vintners Gala, a spectacular event supporting Meals on Wheels. I was a guest ( woo, hoo!) as co-sponsors with Viking Range and my beloved company, Standards of Excellence Appliances. I was so excited to actually get dressed up and look like a girl for once and not be working the event. It was a shock to my system. Red satin pumps replaced my chef clogs, a tiny hand bag stood in for my knife kit, a dress covered my body in lieu of a chef coat... a bit out of character, but was ready to adjust.

http://www.mowsf.org/gala/index.html

When I mention a wardrobe malfunction and a gala party, many ideas may come to mind. Domaine Chandon sparking wine was offered at the door, I was surrounded by chefs and beautiful people, look, there's Chef Nancy Oakes with Bruce Aidells, check out Michael Chiarello, there goes Annie Somerville! The world was my oyster...and then... I went to the rest room to adjust my dress and suddenly, my zipper got stuck. Now, a BIG hazard of this job is the eating part and yes, it really is catching up to me. But this was honestly, just a really, really wimpy zipper. What to do?! I jumped into a stall and tried in vain to fix it, it got worse. After 15 minutes, I was left with a dress unzipped on the side from my mid-hip to my under-arm. Seriously. Now what could I do? I did my best to hold my dress together (luckily it had a belt) and find Lisa, who was wondering what had happened to me...

After a bit of deliberation, we promptly sat at our dinner table and, with my left arm pushing against my wardrobe malfunction, we proceeded to enjoy a great dinner. I could not roam the appetizer room, but I will be darned if I am going to miss dinner! Our table was amazing, straight out of central casting: a long time married male couple, a hetero- couple, a blond uber-glammed up 6 foot tall transgender male in a fabulous chartreuse gown and her distinguished date and a much older, very enhanced woman with a much younger European male date. Fabulous, this town. My jaw dropped as the auctioneer raised money by the bucketful, $20,000, $30,000 time and again.

How about "Dinner for Eight at RN74 with Rare Wines" with famous Sommelier Rajat Parr and his nationally recognized RN74 Chefs (James Beard Best New Restaurant nominees) with a magnum of Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1945 valued at $13,000! They sold it twice at $15,000 each, raising 30 G's!

Now how about this deal: We have Rajat Parr and Chef Keven Wilson for a full appetizer and wine tasting experience THIS WEDNESDAY at the fantastic Fresh Starts Cooking School for ONLY $74 a person ( that is a $1801 savings! Do the math...) I am so thrilled to be hosting this event at 1385 N. Hamilton Parkway in Novato, CA from 6:30- 9. Dine on RN74 plates of scallops, duck confit and more paired with amazing wine and a sommelier with world class status and a heart of gold. They are donating the event, all proceeds will support Homeward Bound of Marin's Homeless Programs. http://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com/freshstartscookingschool/index.php?flag_menu_index=reservation_php#126

Alas, here lies my poor dress with a split zipper from the toe of one shoe to the toe of the other. Was that enough to stop me, heck no. Next time, though, I will bring a chef coat, just in case.

The Future is so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades...a Sparking Saturday in Tinsletown!

The Stunningly AUSPICIOUS Debut of the Sears Chef Challenge

Art, for MY Sake & Hanging with my TV Star Friend, ALL in ONE DAY. I LOVE L.A.!

What a day; everything around me seemed to turn to silver and gold, whether I touched it or not. I arrived at the North Hollywood Sears store on Saturday morning on a sparkling sunny day to a spotless and busy store, completely set up with our Jenn Air induction cooking cart, mirror, microphones and shiny new cooking equipment. Oh, how I LOVE shiny new cooking equipment. After months of feverish planning, it was remarkable to see the "vision" come to life. I was truly moved. Chef Scott Storms arrived with beautiful produce all prepped and ready and immediately began setting up with Sears's staffers Sebastian Sciotti and Juan Sales. Culinary Assistants Rosa Ruiz and Madlen Torabyan jumped in and worked the crowd, assisting the chef adding even more sparkle to the exciting event. Guests gathered around for the hour long class, Chef Storms expertly demonstrated "Thai Lemon Grass Chicken in Lettuce Cups" and "Tahitian Ahi Tuna Poke", two of my luscious recipes full of flavor and oh,so very beautiful to look at...

With cameras rolling, our twelve "chef-testants" working all around the country in New York, D.C., Chicago and L.A. partnered with Sears crews to make this weekend shine, rolling out our groundbreaking culinary competition to astounding success. I was so dazzled by it all, I found the biggest Hollywood style "shades" I could find at Sears and wore them all day long. (I remember when the Sears Chef Challenge was just a glimmer in our eyes, and now it is real and  I was tearing up.) I am so thrilled for all of you, chefs and associates alike.

With my adrenaline still rushing, I headed out to see the work of one of my favorite artists, Chris Natrop. I had never seen his work in person. He is a genius, working in large scale paper installations and now in glass and stainless steel. Talk about glitter, the whole gallery shimmered with his mesmerizing organic shapes. I really needed those shades. I then went to dinner with my old friend from high school Jonathan, who is now a beloved TV star! As we ate dinner at an out of the way vegan restaurant, he was recognized several times by adoring fans. He probably needed the "shades" more than I. Yet, he is still the same humble, loving guy I used to go to see the midnight showing of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" with. Congratulations, my dear friend...

Can you believe I had such a day? It was a sensory and emotional overload: a sparking new Chef Challenge, glittering art and basking in the glow of my "celebri-friend". I so often find it hard to believe what my passion for cooking has made possible for me. Thanks everyone for an amazing weekend. 

I am still finding gold dust in my pockets.

Inspired by Tony G, Pizza on the Grill!

Throwing Caution to the Wind, Griilled Pizza that you MUST try!

Are you sick of hearing about the gorgeous homes that our clients and our vendors let us share, if but for a day? Sorry, it is my job to cook on incredible appliances and in superb venues. I will not stop, but I will share my excitement!

On Saturday, my fab youth assistant David Peck and I bounced out to Davis, CA to join Standards of Excellence's Nick Kress and his son Josh at a spectacular home designed by architect Julie Haney for the Yolo County Heart of the Home Tour. With gournet pizzas, tandoori chicken and the four of us putting on a fabulous show, we were easily the BEST home on the tour! No brag, just true as told to us by hundreds of guests.

Nick taught an amazing trick for incredible, crispy pizza crust and maximum flavor. We both learnd this technique from 9 time World Pizza Champ and literally the Michael Phelps of pizza, Tony Gemignani. (More on him in a future post.) http://www.tonyspizzanapoletana.com/

Josh used high quality fresh dough that he rolled and hand tossed, placed on a mesh pizza screen, cooked both sides until it was firm and just beginning to color. He then topped it with gourmet toppings making pizzas such as Nick's Greek Chicken pizza with Feta and a squeeze of lemon. He then put the topped pizza back onto the screen and griil, closed grill until it cooked to crisp, crusty perfection.

Let me know how this works for you!