One of the Best Culinary Adventures Ever! The Sears Chef Challenge...

Chef coat, check. Toothbrush, check. Crazy excitement, check! Today is the day!

I am on the way to Chicago today at 6am to the great Sears Chef Challenge Semi-Final Chef Competition, Round One. Four Chefs have been chosen out of a pool of 12, one from each city. Congratulations to Chef Rickey Glispy representing New York, Chef Palak Patel representing Los Angeles, Chef Stephanie Krzywanski of  D.C. and Chef Mark Maassen of Chicago for winning round one, an appliance of your choice and $5,000 for your chosen charity! How incredibly exciting.

Watch the chefs live at www.searschefchallenge.com.

Here is the SCC itinerary which will also be filled with many exciting twists and turns...

Friday, July 30th

12:00 We meet the Chefs at the Westin Hotel in Chicago and give the competitors their SCC mail, a hint of the main challenge. We then head off to Whole Foods Market. Chef Billy and I will reveal the Last Chef Standing Challenge and they have $100 and 30 minutes to shop and plan for a single entree that serves five judges. No pressure, especially with cameras following you around!

2:30- 4:00 The Chefs prep and pack at Whole Foods Market. Again, with cameras rolling.

5:45 The Chefs are free to rest or, if I know Chefs, they will check out this amazing food town!

Saturday, July 31st

2:00 A fabulous SCC Flash Mob at Navy Pier to build excitement.

4:00 Hair, Make Up and Rehearsal, Charity Check Presentations.

7:00 Gorgeous party kicks off at the Kenmore Live Studio. Let the Battle Begin!

"Quick Bite" Canape Challenge.

"Last Chef Standing" Entree Challenge: the overall winner receives another $5,000 for their charity and the remaining full suite of appliances, plus they return to Chicago on November 6th for the Final SCC Battle with the winner of round two. Chef Billy Parisi and I are judging along with 3 surprise judges.

Note, these are Chicago times. Subtract two hours as you tune in from California or adjust from where ever you are to watch the LIVE EVENT STREAMING.

I will be posting a lot of updates on my Facebook, join in for the fun!

-Chef Rachelle

Drawn to the Kitchen from Novato to Sunnyvale and a regal brunch in between.

Bustin' a Move! Kids in the Kitchen...

We just finished week two of Operation C.H.E.F. Youth Culinary Camp on Friday. The kids were ages 7-9 this week and they were brilliant, learning knife skills, kitchen safety and superb cooking and wellness techniques in a top-notch commercial kitchen. We just had so much fun. For example, here is camper Chris with his tomato cutting technique and then he showed us his best Michael Jackson moves. I absolutely adore kids, especially when we are all "drawn to the kitchen" with a shared passion for cooking. Go, Chris! http://www.operationchef.com/

(He can really dance!)

The next kitchen I am drawn to time and again is the Macy's Cellar in Union Square. I am psyched to be a "Chef Wrangler" and class host for some of their fabulous events such as the Palace Hotel's Brunch class this past Saturday. Executive Chef Jesse Llapitan with Sous Chef Sarah Joos and intern Robert Sendejas cooked and sampled the most dazzling array of luxurious brunch items. I have never seen more gorgeous food samples at any class at Macy's. Blinis with Caviar, Chocolate Crepes with Berries, Blintzes and so much more. I spotted a loving couple toasting with their tiny sample cups of Mimosa and uncovered a 50th wedding anniversary for Tom and Marge B. Of course we gave them the "Royal" treatment, Palace Hotel style, starting with a full size mimosa! Cheers! I will share Chef Jesse's sumptuous Crab Cake recipe at the end of this post.

My assistant Arlyn and I jumped into my car right after class to yet another kitchen at the home of Standards of Excellence customers Lee Ann and Wayne Yasukawa. They were selected for an exclusive Private Dinner Event celebrating their new Standards of Excellence Kitchen! Sandra Cisneros of S.O.E. San Jose and Linda Clare of Purcell Murray dropped in to say thanks and answer any questions about the shiny and oh so incredible new Thermador Double Oven and Cooktop. The guests were, without a doubt the funniest group I have EVER experienced in my 25 years of cooking professionally. Arlyn and I stayed later just to enjoy their brilliant company, we were in stitches. The one and a half hour drive home went quickly after that long, yummy and truly exciting day. Wayne and Lee Ann, you stole our hearts. We are honored you let us cook for you in your incredible new kitchen!

OH, WOW! I just got a call from the fantastic Aida Mollencamp! She called my work cell! Food Network Star and now new Cooking Channel star with her new show, "Food Crafters" highlighting artisan food producers all over the country, she is so cool! I am hosting a class starring her in Novato, get tickets on line NOW! 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

adapted from a recipe by Chef Jesse Llapitan

What a great cake. Chef Jesse binds his crab togther with a seafood mousse for a gorgeous taste and texture! Chef reccomends dry pack scallops rather than scallops that are packed in a plumping salt solution. "U-10" is a size of scallop and it means "under 10 scallops per pound.

For mousse:

1/2 pound U-10 scallops, ice cold

1/2 pound halibut scraps, ice cold

1 whole egg

1 cup heavy cream

For cake:

2 pounds jumbo lump crab meat, shelled

2 tablespoons minced chives

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

fresh lemon juice

1 pound of unsalted butter, cubed

salt and pepper

Puree scallop and halibut in a food processor, careful not to over process the mixture as the machine can heat the mixture. Add the egg and cream slowly until the "ball" of mixture turns smooth. Chill until needed. In an ice cold bowl add crab meat in a layer and add chive and cilantro. Add mousse at little at a time and fold gently to combine. Add what you need to bind and cook a mini- cake in a buttered pan to taste for seasoning and texture. Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Keep on a bowl over ice while portioning. Portion about 1.5 ounce each, about 2 tablespoons. Chill until needed or fry in batches in butter or clarified butter until golden brown on each side. Garnish with additional minced herbs and serve with lemon wedges.

Sunday Brunch on Saturday with the Palace Hotel at Macy's Union Square

Our remarkable Operation C.H.E.F. Youth Culinary Camp is in week two with our younger kids, ages 7-9.  They are cooking up a storm at the Fresh Starts Cooking School. They are getting filled with farm fresh produce and tons of nutritional education and literally eating it up.  It is a LONG day for me from 7:30 to 4, non-stop with camp and prep but just LOOK  at the fun...and LOOK at all that food.  The ages 10-14  group produced this food for last week's Friday Family Party jam packed with over 100 guests! 

Speaking of jam, how about a FREE cooking class this Saturday with me at The Cellar at Macy's Union Square.  I’m hosting, Executive Chef Jesse Llapitan, as he shares some of the hotel's best brunch dishes.  I am very excited. Of course, there will be samples and just look at the menu...

Saturday July, 24 2010 @ 2pm

Sunday Brunch from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco (a Saturday Free Class!)

Details: Sunday Brunch has been a tradition at the gorgeous, venerable Palace Hotel in downtown San Francisco for decades. Join Executive Chef Llapitan as he shares top cooking ideas from his spectacular brunch menu and gives a behind the scenes view of the incredible resorts he has worked for all over the world.

Chef will be preparing Buckwheat Blinis with Servuga Caviar, Roasted Mango Blintzes, Roasted Strip Loin of Beef with Wild Mushrooms, Crab Benedict, and Organic Chocolate Crepes with Summer Berries. Details here.  

After Macy’s, I travel toSunnyvale to do a Private Chef Event for Lee Ann and Wayne Yasukhawa.  I’m helping them celebrate their new Standards of Excellence Appliances kitchen in style with a luscious meal with 6 of their friends. What a great program!!! Speaking of Standards of Excellence, have a winner of the Global Kitchen Miele Vacuum raffle and amazingly her name is Rachelle! Alas, it is not me, but Rachelle Ellis of San Jose.  Here she is striking a fun and playful pose with her superb new vacuum. 

"Wow, I am so happy to win, we do not have a vacuum! I needed one so badly. Thanks!' said the other Rachelle. 

Thanks, Standards of Excellence!

Ask Aida? We did & she accepted, save the date, August 17th 6:30!

A fabulous Food Network Celebrity comes to Novato for a great cause!

Tuesday August 17th, 2010 at 6:30 pm Ask Aida in person at the Fresh Starts Cooking School
1385 N.Hamilton Parkway, Novato CA 94949

BREAKING NEWS! I am so excited to be hosting the brilliant and lovely Aida Mollenkamp of Food Network's "Ask Aida" and "FoodCrafters" as she offers her "culinary therapy" in person at the gorgeous Fresh Starts Cooking School!  With a culinary diploma from Le Cordon Bleu on Paris, years of food writing and styling at San Francisco's CHOW magazine and a dynamic personality, it was inevitable that Aida would be discovered by The Food Network. During three seasons of "Ask Aida," she has responded to audience questions with tips, techniques and demonstrations showing how to solve a litany of cooking complaints and recipe riddles. Learn about her new show, Food Crafters soon to be on the new Food Channel which lets her discover and share the best in handmade products from across the United States. http://www.aidamollencamp.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/ask-aida/index.html

Menu details will be added soon but reservations are open now for this unique chance to spend the evening with Aida. The ticket price of only $49 includes a full meal; wine will be offered for sale.
Sign up NOW at https://www.cookingschoolsofamerica.com/freshstartscookingschool/index.php?flag_menu_index=reservation_php#129

THIS WILL SELL OUT QUICKLY!
Proceeds support Homeward Bound of Marin's groundbreaking homeless services.
Now that is a WIN-WIN proposition!

If you Build Them, They Will Cook! Creating Kitchens, One by One

Drawn to the Kitchen: Community Kitchens.

While on Facebook, I chatted with marvelous personal chef, Sally Cameron of Every Day Gourmet. She commented on my pictures and posts about our magnificent Youth Culinary and Nutrition Camp, Operation C.H.E.F.

She was complimenting our camp and asking about our obviously incredible commercial kitchen facilities. I am connected and granted access to top kitchens in my area.  I had to stop and think about that for a minute.  Clean, organized commercial kitchens are few and far between, so what gives?  I realized over the past 10 years, with my community work, I helped champion, design and build several commercial kitchens!  I have always had a focus for the need of more kitchens, it was a great realization that I somehow helped in a very concrete way.  How cool!

For chefs, cooks and culinary educators, you too can gain access to great facilities and opportunities by supporting a local non-profit with a culinary focus. It has always been a win on both sides in my life. It may take a while to improve or build a new facility, but the process has always been extremely rewarding.

For Operation C.H.E.F., we are renting the magnificent Fresh Starts Cooking School in Novato, a part of Homeward Bound of Marin, a cutting edge homeless services center in my community with a magnificent kitchen and event space.

Now, we have a fantastic place to cook fresh foods and share out passion for cooking with youth and the excellent exposure benefit the program. We make everything from hand made Gnocchi and Panzanella Salad to a "make your own" gourmet grain salad.  We learn about "raw food" and are traveling to a farm later in the week. Here is a great recipe for savory Black Bean and Banana Empanadas, created to get young people to try daring food combinations.
See the photo (you have to love the flour on the face!).




From the "Drawing Board " vision into a real life kitchen, with 44 kids ages 10-14. Now that is truly being "Drawn to the Kitchen"! Soon, I will share my quest for championing residential kitchens that I share with my beloved Standards of Excellence Appliances as I travel from kitchen to kitchen in July and August visiting and cooking for our clients with new S.O.E. kitchens. Standards of Excellence is all about creating new kitchens. I mean, really, who do you think donated the Dacor Double Ovens and Wolf Cook Top in the incredible Fresh Starts demonstration kitchen shown below? Why, S.O.E., of course!

La Forchetta Catering, California- Italian Cuisine at its best!

Summer time brings out the inner-Italian in all of us. With Farmer's Markets bursting with multi-colored peppers, all types of squash, sun warmed tomatoes and heady herbs spilling out of gardens everywhere, many of us get inspired to use simple techniques and top notch ingredients to create fresh meals. Add a splash of good quality olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan and a smear of fresh pesto and you are celebrating summer with time honored traditions passed on by Italian grandmothers for generations.

This spring, I was thrilled to work with my ultimate culinary hero, Chef Thomas Keller, who described how he learned to make gnocchi in the Italian country side by a bonafide Italian grandmother. They shared no language but the language of food. I love that image; one of the world's most celebrated chefs working with a little old lady learning the unspoken secrets of pasta making. Magical.

We had another wonderful Italian cuisine moment last week on the Standards of Excellence Global Kitchen with the talented and terrific Chef Adolfo Veronese, owner of La Forchetta Catering in San Francisco. Granted, he did speak English, but still, he passed on a wonderful recipe with simple Italian components that was delicious and really fun to watch.
Global Kitchen Chef Stage Event

Chef Adolfo Veronese, La Forchetta Catering

Grilled Eggplant Rolls with Roasted Bell Peppers & Goat Cheese with Basil Pesto Sauce

2 Japanese eggplants
1 small log of domestic goat cheese (apx. 4.5oz.)
1/4 cup (2 oz. ) heavy whipping cream
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
zest of 1 small lemon
Salt and pepper


Turn on your stove top burner to high. Hold the pepper with a pair of tongs and char it by bringing it close to the flame or element. Rotate the pepper slowly to char the whole surface including the top and bottom. The purpose is to burn the skin and not cook the pepper so keep it close to a heat source. Place the pepper in a bag and close the bag by rolling it up on the top. Set aside for 15 minutes. During this time the moisture of the pepper will soften the charred skin. It will cool down making it easier to handle.

Open the bag and remove the pepper. Working over the sink, rub the black skin off the pepper. Most of it should slip off pretty easily. Wipe it with a paper towel to remove any extra specks. You can also rinse it under cold water. Slice open the pepper and remove the seeds and stem. Slice into strips and season with a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl add the goat cheese, lemon zest, whipping cream, salt and pepper. Mix and set aside.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise. Salt and pepper both sides and fry with olive oil. Let cool. When cooled lay the side down and add the goat cheese and two strips of roasted bell peppers. Then roll the eggplant tight. Set on a plate and add the pesto sauce and serve. Will serve 10 people as an appetizer.

Basil Pesto Sauce

1 cup fresh basil leaves

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts

2 medium sized garlic cloves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Makes 1 cup

How good was it really? Just ask the young kids who came back for seconds! Yes, EGGPLANT, PEPPERS and GOAT CHEESE! He is that good! Thanks, Chef. Try the recipe and tell us what you think.

NEXT TRICK: Operation C.H.E.F. Youth Culinary and Nutrition Camp at the Fresh Starts Cooking School. 44 kids ages 10-15 and tons of fresh produce.
I already have my dancing shoes on! I never really take them off... http://www.operationchef.com/

Also, we have a WINNER of our Miele vacuum raffle as described here by Chuck Terra of Standards of Excellence Appliances in San Rafael. Get this, her name is RACHELLE!
Rachelle Ellis of San Jose is our winner! Alas, not me...

Behind the Scenes at the Global Kitchen

What a remarkable five days we had at the Standards of Excellence Appliance Global Kitchen at the Marin County Fair! So many stories to tell, ideas to share. All twenty five chefs dug deep, creating wonderful presentations to HUGE audiences. I am so grateful to all of you. Congratulations on a wildly successful event. This type of multi-day chef stage event takes a huge amount of planning and support. Not only does each chef have to create a presentation with 100 samples catered in, but we needed sponsors, staff and tons of before and after support.

Thanks to Pat, Candy and the SOE team for getting our top notch Wolf and Viking appliances out there, to our amazing marketing team for the event support and to the SOE team for coming and helping out. The Fair Staff of Jim, Charlie, Tony and Stephanie and dozens of others who worked tirelessly to create our Global Kitchen space. Hamilton Ink and Edelman got the word out for lots of media and TV and our exciting sponsors, Whole Foods Market and Straus Family Creamery gave gifts of time, staff, samples and gift certificates to each chef! We had the best audio tech, Adrian. Oh, and my fabulous teen staff and Chef Tiffany Friedman had my back in the "behind the scenes" commercial kitchen with our buddies Jim and Bo from Epicurean Group. And more. I am sure I am leaving out too many people. Thank you all!

On Friday we started out with Nicki Nga of Poppy Kitchen. Nicki is a Vietnamese cuisine expert and cooking teacher. She demonstrated Lemongrass Grilled Pork Belly Skewers over Vermicelli (Bun thit Nuong). Look at all of the gorgeous Asian produce she brought. She showed the traditional Vietnamese table top grill ( a small stone barbecue) and explained the incredible combination of Asian and French techniques and favors that make Vietnamese cuisine so remarkable.

On Thursday, Michael and Liana Orlandi brought the Noci Gelato Bicycle and attracted hundreds of fans, including some hungry Stormtroopers. We lured them away from the Dark Side with Noci's fabulous Chocolate Chip Gelato and also the Basil Gelato which is fantastic. There is a funny running commentary on my Facebook, here is an excerpt:

Me:  (The Stormtrooper)  told me that the Death Star did not have good food that is why I think the whole Star Wars thing could have been won easily if we just offered better food to the Imperial staff. More food, less blowing things up.

My friend Ron: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach or between the ribs & up depending on the situation I suppose, but I do like the idea of inter-galactic peace won by good food. You could join the Rebel Alliance Special Ops Corps Culinary Division charged w/ infiltrating the Death Star cafeteria. I guess George didn't think that would make as good a movie.

My friend Jen: LOL! That is FANTASTIC! The comments this has generated are freakin' amazing! LOVE the idea of a Death Star Cafeteria!!!!!Hahahahaa!

Please join my Facebook Page for more chefs, updates and recipes! Oh, and culinary solutions for intergalactic peace...

http://www.facebook.com/chefrachelleboucher

Chefs keep things sizzling at Marin County Fair

Bonnie and Tom Cavanaugh of Larkspur dropped their 14-year-old son off at the Marin County Fair rides on Friday afternoon and headed to an attraction that was more their speed: a Global Kitchen cooking demonstration in the main exhibit hall.Inside, the Cavanaughs raptly watched Chef Christopher Greenwald, owner of Bay Laurel Culinary in Petaluma, prepare ceviche with a sweet corn salad and grilled bread for about 25 onlookers.
"This is going to be a destination for us, I think," Tom Cavanaugh said with a smile after tasting the post-demonstration samples.
And so it was. An hour later the Cavanaughs were back to see Nicki Nga, a culinary instructor, prepare the Vietnamese dish Bun Thit Nuong, otherwise known as grilled lemongrass

Ceviche with a sweet corn salad and grilled bread is prepared by chef Christopher Greenwald in the Global Kitchen at the Marin County Fair Exhibit Hall on Friday. (IJ photo/Jeff Vendsel)

pork belly skewer over vermicelli noodles.Greenwald and Nga are among a group of about 25 chefs showing fair-goers how to make exotic street foods from around the world. The demos run through Monday.
Other highlights include cooking teacher Eric Gower, a culinary instructor and San Francisco Chronicle food writer who was scheduled to prepare Japanese street food Friday evening; Lufete Orleans, owner of the Welcome Orleans Caribbean Cuisine food truck who will be whipping up fried plantain with pork and hot sauce Saturday afternoon; and chef John Farais, who will cook Native American pipian with fowl on Sunday.
Rachelle Boucher, a culinary marketing manager for Standards of Excellence appliances and a former personal chef to filmmaker George Lucas, organized the event and selected all of the chefs and instructors.
"The street food theme was presented to me because it's so en trend right now," Boucher said. "If you're eating a fresh, seasoned taco, it might keep you away from fast food."
The demonstrations took place in a smallish room lined with winning entries for best cake, cookie, wine, pie and preserve. A towering "Cat in the Hat" cake, soccer player cookies and a fluffy concoction called "Rainbow Surprise" were among the winning sweets.

"I won Best in Show!" Corte Madera resident Jeanette Tietze exclaimed in delight as she surveyed her prominently displayed apple cake.
In between cooking presentations, several high school students and recent graduates in red shirts were cleaning and helping chefs set up their ingredients.
Arlyn Cano, who just graduated from San Rafael High School, said she started interning with Boucher two years ago and is working for her over the summer.

"I love trying new foods because I was really picky at first about food," said Cano, an 18-year-old baking enthusiast who will attend Santa Rosa Junior College this fall. "One of Rachelle's rules is: Even though you don't like it, try it."
Meanwhile, Cindylu and John Janisen, of San Rafael, were going gaga for Greenwald's ceviche in a pair of nearby seats.

"You don't always get access to chefs," said Cindylu Janisen, who questioned Greenwald about the best way to grill corn during the presentation.
"I like watching all the knife skills, making sure he has all his fingers left," her husband added with a laugh.

Jessica Bernstein-Wax

Posted: 07/02/2010 05:29:11 PM PDT

Marin Voice: 'Going Global' with international flavors at the fair

ONCE AGAIN, the Marin County Fair is breaking new ground with another innovative event. The fair always manages to create new and wonderful experiences for people of all ages.
So, how about a new culinary experience? How would you like to smell and taste incredible, authentic foods such as freshly made Jamaican Jerk sauce, fragrant Indian curry and even Native American cuisine created by some of the area's most treasured chefs and artisans?


This year's fair theme is "Going Global: Connecting Cultures" and features a state-of-the art demonstration kitchen, named the Global Kitchen. This kitchen brings world cuisine, shared traditions and top cooking techniques to you in a dynamic, interactive setting!

The day I left my small town in Pennsylvania to live in Stockholm as an exchange student, I began my life long journey of culinary and cultural discovery.

I learned that cooking and sharing a meal is the ultimate international language. We learn about individuals, nations, history and ourselves through cooking and eating global cuisine.
We know that to seek an authentic understanding of a region, we just need to find the nearest cafŽ, restaurant or street food cart where the "locals go."

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how many words is a shared meal or cooking experience worth? This is why I am always "drawn to the kitchen" wherever I travel.

Last spring, I had an opportunity to work side by side with chef Thomas Keller. He told a remarkable story about how he learned to make gnocchi a number of years ago from an 85-year- old woman in a rustic kitchen in the Italian countryside.
They shared no words so to speak, yet he explained how transformative that experience was for him. Can you just picture Chef Keller humbly working side by side, learning from another master?

Chef Michael Chiarello's advice to me was to take the cuisine of one region and study it and the culture for a whole year. Regardless of our culinary prowess, there is always more to learn.

That is why I am thrilled to host 25 cooking demonstrations in the Exhibit Hall during the Marin County Fair.
Each demonstration features a diverse array of local and international talent. Come hear stories of growing up in near and far away lands, learn secrets of top private chefs and get an inside look at the world of the restaurant chef.
Experience, smell and taste exotic ingredients blended with the best local, sustainable agriculture.

Highlights include a culinary demonstration for kids and parents by youth mentor Guillermo Mejia of Whole Foods Novato, a chocolate-making class featuring sweet and savory dishes by chef Luis Realpozo from the ground-breaking social entrepreneurial team at Homeward Bound of Marin, the San Francisco Chronicle's feature writer and cookbook author and "Breakaway Cook" Eric Gower with his "Global Flavor Blasts," Chef Scott Scheidt from Sabor of Spain presenting irresistible Spanish delicacies, pastry chef Catherine Bragg with her amazing gluten-free treats from FlourChylde Bakery, chef Alolfo Veronese of La Forchetta Catering bringing his Italian heritage to the plate, "The Culinary Cowboy" Jonh Farais sharing Native American dishes, chef Seann Pridmore of the Epicurean Group cooking three great South American dishes and Jeff Stoffer, who will share his story of traveling to Thailand for Chez Panisse and give financial wisdom along the way.

We even have visits from local street food carts and trucks coming right to the stage.
Sponsors Straus Family Creamery will supply appetizing tastes of local and international products between the chef events and Standards of Excellence Appliances will supply the top-notch appliances for a truly memorable cooking experience that the chefs and the audience will love.
Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by this area and its bounty and diversity. The Bay Area is truly one big "Global Kitchen."

Join me as I am "Drawn to the Kitchen" with these great chefs. Be sure to bring all of your senses, including your sense of wonder and travel around the world with me, one global kitchen and one incredible culture at a time.

The Marin County Fair runs through Monday. For more information and complete Global Kitchen schedule, go to www.marinfair.org.

Fair Play! Five Days of World Cuisine with Twenty Five Chefs

Today is the day! Come and visit me at the Marin County Fair with our new feature, the Global Kitchen, 5 days, 25 chefs and one "Chef Wrangler" (me). Thursday, July 1 through Monday July 5th we will travel the globe from California, Peru, Mexico, China to Vietnam and beyond! Here is stage one of our set up, appliances in, tables set up. Next comes the mirror, decor and cook's tools. Stay tuned for the finished look.

I will kick things off with the 1:00 Demonstration in the Standards of Excellence Appliance Kitchen with my “Attack of the Killer Tomato Salads” class featuring a luscious Panzanella Salad and Plated Heirloom Tomato Salads with “Accessories”. I will be highlighting great techniques for tomato salads that you can use  all summer long.

Whole Foods Market and Straus Family Creamery will be on hand to share tastes and tips all five days. I look forward to seeing what they will bring "to the table", literally!

At 5:30 I will host Michael Orlandi of Noci Gelateria (formerly Cici) located at 17 East Blithedale Street in Mill Valley, CA. He and wife Liana produce artisinal gelato known far and wide with traditional flavors and incredible innovations such as Mt. Tam Gelato (made from a phenomenal local cheese!) and Basil Gelato. Noci has one of Marin's only true street food carts (so to speak!) I know, very Marin! I love it!

Also on deck tomorrow, more brilliant chefs:

– 2:30pm - Personal Chef Palak Patel of the USPCA & Sears Chef Challenge Finalist with Indian Aloo Chaat
– 4:00pm - Chef Doug Eng, owner of In the Kitchen Culinary, creating Chinese Pot Stickers
– 7:00pm - Chef Guillermo Mejia of Whole Foods Market with Cubanos, Grilled Cuban Sandwiches

Five chefs representing five culinary points of view, what a way to travel! I can not wait! Global Kitchen Chef Demonstration Schedule.