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Hash Browns Go Glam at “McDonald’s Unwrapped” Benefit
On an October night that was balmy, not stormy, Three chefs who were all certifiably gourmet Helmed a benefit in San Francisco: Lo, A sumptuous three-course feast, but know That every component of every dish, From the miniature meatloaves to the Gullah Island Fish Filets, had to be something found in the kitchen Of an average McDonald’s restaurant. “Bitchin’,” You might say. “Bring on the fries!” Hark: This was not a no-brainer, nor a walk in the park. Chefs Ryan Scott, Beverlie Terra, and Sophina Uong (Of Market & Rye, Chaminade, and Picán, home of strong Espresso cocktails) became alchemists that night, unveiling Hash-brown gnocchi, pickled berries, with sharp sticks…
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Wine Country Meatopia: COCHON Heritage Fire in Napa
By Emily Shartin, Epicuring As always, COCHON Heritage Fire in Napa never fails to impress. This year’s installment, held at the River Terrace Inn, featured several Bay Area chefs showing off their skills in whole-animal cookery for a captive audience eager to chow down on everything from goat to lamb to pig to rabbit to fish. Heritage breeds were the star of the show, alongside the region’s best produce and — this being wine country, after all — glass upon glass of world-class beverages. We started our afternoon with sips of Robert Craig‘s rosé of Zinfandel as we perused all the glorious food that was on offer. Team Toast was…
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Cocktails and Karaoke at CUESA – A Perfect Summer Evening in SF
Yacht Rock: Summer Cocktails of the Farmers Market rocked the Bay, with cocktails made from Ferry Building Farmers Market fruit blended with incredible alcohols from around the world, with a smattering of karaoke from Digital Underground to Kenny Loggins and the Epicuring team’s horrible rendition of the Love Boat theme song. The yacht attire costume contest inspired sustainable cocktail lovers to don their reds, whites, blues, and top siders in a festive event topped off by perfect weather. Be sure to stay tuned for the next CUESA cocktail event in November. It was a really fabulous party! Easy Lounge in Oakland – Farmers Market cocktails [slickr-flickr type=”gallery” search=”sets” set=”72157631321357412″ items=”25″…
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2012 San Francisco Street Food Festival & Night Market are going to be off the hook !
By Susie Wyshak Stop eating now and save your appetite: We had a chance to preview many of the food vendors who will surprise and delight the throngs at the August 18, 2012 San Francisco Street Food Festival. Photos below = 1,000 words. What looks really amazing this year is the night market on August 17th at the Alemany Farmer’s Market — a historic market where “the locals” shop on Saturday mornings, where stalls are painted with murals representing the typss of produce sold in that stall. On Sundays the market area hosts a flea market. With 27 food vendors, The Night Market, a benefit for La Cocina, is…
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Learn How to Start a Food Business This Summer – 2012 San Francisco Classes
by Susie Wyshak Have you been taking cooking or food craft classes and got the bug to start a business? (Or even a business using bugs?) Well, this summer is your chance to hear from the Bay Area’s best artisan food companies who are sharing their knowledge to help future entrepreneurs get started. Just a few events you should look into — perhaps making a special trip if you’re really eager to learn as they are all near each other — include: La Cocina Food Entrepreneur Conference August 20, 2012 in San Francisco Renaissance Center’s Successful Women in Business Speaker Series: Lessons from the Foodies August 22, 2012 in San…
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All About Bagels – Learning, Eating, Touching With Schmendrick’s
By bagel-loving Susie Wyshak Imagine being banned from making bread because you’re Jewish. So goes the story of how, around 1610, jews in Poland took bread dough, formed cirles with a hole in the middle, boiled it THEN baked it to get around the “no bread” dictate. We can thank these good people for the bagels you now spread, chew and love. Another story goes that the circular shape represents the circle of life. It does for me! At Saul’s Deli in Berkeley, the small team at San Francisco Schmendrick’s Bagels — who operate pop up bagel sales while making their bagels at a kitchen in Portrero / Mission —…
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Epicuring’s “Au Revoir, Foie Gras” Guide
June is known as Corn and Cucumber Month, National Smile Month, National Surf Music Month, and even Skyscraper Month. June 2012, however, has transcended the usual nomenclature here in California. It has become Stuff Your Face With Foie Gras Before It’s Banned Month. For those who aren’t aware, July 1st marks the first day where Foie Gras will officially be banned in California despite efforts from Chefs and Foie Gras lovers all over the country. Foie Gras has been controversial for quite some time due to the process of gavage, one technique used to plump up the duck’s or goose’s liver. In response to the legislation banning Foie Gras in California,…
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Alice Medrich Made Sinfully Great Desserts at Paulding & Co Cooking School
by Susie Wyshak, Epicuring Alice Medrich made a tall promise to our class at cooking school Paulding & Company in Emeryville, which teaches adults and kids through summer camps as well as doubling as a cooking school filming location (as seen in Hereafter) and training ground including animators for the Pixar movie Ratatouille. To demonstrate the promise of her new book, Alice announced she would make 4 desserts in 2 hours and leave room for conversation. As we tasted desserts, sipped Perrier and coffee, and he not only finished with time to spare but turned out some really unique twists on classic recipes that make her new book Sinfully Easy…
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Michael Chiarello’s uniquely NapaStyle Culinary Program enlightens
By our Napa Valley Epicurator, Annette Hanami, The Wine Muse Napa Valley has its share of cooking classes with distinct approaches, some academic like at the CIA and many created to sell a particular vendor’s or vintner’s products. Michael Chiarello’s new NapaStyle Culinary Program in Yountville is unique in that it doesn’t feature his wines, recipes or even his products, of which there are many. The program is essentially an educational symposium around sustainable food that takes place on a weekly basis, featuring chefs, authors, growers, artisanal producers and vintners, all of whom share their own culinary passions and distinct POVs with guests. The new culinary program takes place every…
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Eating Your Way through California’s BBQ Competitions With a BBQ Judge & 10 BBQ Events You Should Visit this Summer
With BBQ being the new thing on the food scene, we thought there was much we needed to know about the BBQ competition circuit. So we turned to our friend in eating, Melanie Wong, who has been training as a Kansas City Barbeque Society judge. Tough work if you can get it –and boy does she get it. Melanie takes us behind the scenes on the ‘que circuit, shares her tips on how to evaluate bbq like a pro, tells us what a “BAT” is, and finally lists her 10 picks for BBQ competitions to try this summer. [All photos by Melanie Wong; to view her full Flickr Stream click…
