Taste and Technique, a cooking studio in Fair Haven, NJ, often schedules local celebrity chef’s for demonstrations. These classes are always delicious, informative and entertaining. The cooking school also offers hands-on learning opportunities with professional chef’s. Rachel Weston taught a class recently, her first time at this studio, but not her first time teaching, that was instructive, insightful, and of course, delicious. Although I have some experience in the food world, I walked away with a few new tricks.
Delicious, well prepared food isn’t always beautiful, and beautiful food is often tasteless. Such is the situation encountered over and over again at large scale events. Fundraisers, foodie dinners, farm-to-table, you name it. Every now and then though, my theories become fried in the over-used cooking oil and proof does indeed come out in the pudding.
The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ had a three evening, two day, foodie packed schedule this weekend, with the logistics of this event being nothing short of mesmerizing. A three ring circus has less going on at any given moment than the Basie did on Saturday and Sunday. Andrew Zimmern was on the stage Friday night, while Giada de Laurentiis took her turn on Saturday night. Both familiar food network names, filled the theatre seats.
So far, this season is turning out to be quite pea pleasing. We grew three varieties and they all came up gangbusters. One of the favored side dishes from our kitchen is a saute of sugar snap peas, cherry tomatoes, and basil. Lots of sweet veggie crunch to a dish like this and it leaves you with the taste of summer in your mouth.
