"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)
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.
Posted: 07/02/2010 05:29:11 PM PDT
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