Ridgefield's best source for artisinal cheese and wine, 109 Cheese & Wine has recently expanded its footprint and education offerings. The shop, located at Ridgefield's Marketplace, has posted an impressive and fun line-up of events throughout the summer. Advance reservations are recommended as class size is limited, call 203-438-5757.
Exploration into Italy: Cheese and Wine
Friday, May 17 @ 7pm, $55 Explore a great evening of Italian Cheese and Wine, their relationship and how to pair them. Class will start with some wonderful small bites and a glass of Prosecco, then continue with a tasting and comparison of 5 cheeses and wines. Something sweet will end this evening.
Sarah Wine Bar & 109 Cheese and Wine Dinner Sunday
May 19 2013 at 5:30 pm Special Guest Henryk Teraszkiewicz, Director of the Woodcock Nature Center Menu
Everyone has their favorites, and Espresso NEAT is definitely one of our favorite coffee places here at CTbites. Now with two locations (Darien, and a small shop in Greenwich), their devotion to the craft of caffeine delivery is bar none.
In addition to fueling their customers, they are also offering a series of educational classes for the month of May.
From macrobiotics to cooking the perfect brunch for Mom, Six Main restaurant in Chester has announced their class line-up for the month of April. Each class is $65 per person and includes recipes, demonstration by the chef instructor, and tasty samples of everything made in class. Call 860-322-4212 to reserve your seat, reservations are required.
Asian Fusion Wednesday April 10th 11am-2pm
The menu and recipes you'll learn for this class, includes: Spicy Mushroom Spring Roll, Veggie Pad Thai with crispy tofu, and Ginger Green Tea Ice Cream.
Intro to Macrobiotics Wednesday April 24th 11am-2pm
Millstone Farm's spring workshops series has been announced. These events range from Pig Carving 101 with Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse to Raising Backyard Chickens with Millstone’s Master Farmer, Annie Farrell. You'll want to check these out.
Pig Carving 101 with Chef Tim LaBant
Saturday, March 23: 12pm – 3pm
Cost: $50, RSVP to f2f@schoolhouseatcannondale.co
Back by popular demand! Join us for a hearty lunch and an up close and personal workshop on how to carve a whole pig, lead by Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale. Read more...
With the snow piled so high in front on the Post Road, it could have been easy to miss Tabouli Grill in Southport… but I was determined to join a spirited group for CTbites Invites Passover Cooking, so maneuvered my way around to the side parking lot and entrance.
Chef/owner Judith Roll greeted everyone with hot coffee and her spongy homemade lemon cake as we were handed recipes for the morning's “hands on” cooking class in the Tabouli kitchen. (See Chef Judy's recipe for Bubbe's Brisket below.)
Chef Judy, who has traveled the world bringing authentic Middle Eastern cuisine to her two restaurants, in Stamford and in Southport, is passionate about what she prepares and had created a wonderful Passover menu for our entertainment and dining pleasure ( Passover is March 25-April 2 ).
Learn how to make traditional Passover dishes like Bubbe's brisket with dried plums and carrots and matzo farfel with wild mushrooms ...even how to make you own matzo... and matzo ball soup! and then enjoy a lunch of your creations! SIGN UP HERE.
Passover is March 25- April 2, so this gives you time to practice and perfect the menu!
Throughout the month of February, Klaffs Norwalk and Danbury’s beautiful home design stores will welcome some of Fairfield County’s talented chefs into their kitchen showrooms.To highlight this impressive appliance store and the many kitchens found at Klaffs, guest chefs will be demonstrating their cooking prowess with a series of FREE cooking demonstrations and food samplings every Saturday afternoon in February from 12-2 pm.
On the heels of a sold-out January class schedule, Scratch Baking in Milford has expanded their class offerings for February to include Croissant 101, Artisan Breads I & II, Treats for your Sweet, Valentine's Day, Breakfast Pizza & Quiche Basics. To reserve your spot, call 203.301.4396 or email Scratch.
Croissant 101 OFFERED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH & REOFFERRED FEBRUARY 26TH from 6-9PM Croissants are one of the most awarding pastries to make. Learn the in’s and out’s of croissant making in this three-hour class. We will demonstrate how to mix croissant dough and laminate croissant dough and then for the best part, hands-on croissant making. You will learn how to make croissants, pain au chocolat and the very popular monkey bread. Don’t worry, you will be getting a goody bag with these pastries for tomorrow’s breakfast.. that is if you can wait that long!
Class is in session @ Bernard's in Ridgefield. Join Chefs Chef Bernard and Sarah Bouissou on Tuesday, January 29thfor an evening of cooking and education as they teach you how to prepare a wonderful 4 course meal. Hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, entrée & dessert will be demonstrated, along with many helpful tips and tricks throughout the evening. Then, the best part, guests will sit down and enjoy the meal they have prepared.
MENU Hors d’oeuvre –Ratatouille & Herb Cheese Tart
Appetizer – Celery Root &Truffle Soup
Entrée– Lamb Stew with Creamy Polenta & Roasted Carrots
Dessert – Pear & Almond Tart
6:30 pm – cooking demo of hors d’oeuvre, appetizer, entrée and dessert – the dinner to follow!
$75 per person – beverages, tax & gratuity are additional
Chef Brian Lewis and Elm Restaurant in New Canaan are beginning a series of hands-on cooking classes to illustrate the flavors of the season, tempt the palate and teach the aspiring little chefs in the family.
On Wednesday January 30 from 11am to 2pm, Chef Brian Lewis will teach various methods of creating healthy and delicious winter dishes. The recipes will feature winter greens and roots and how best to complement these ingredients with citrus & grains. In addition the main event will prepare a salt-baked Branzino, an age-old technique that creates a moist and luscious presentation. The cost of this event is $90 and includes hands-on instruction, recipes and a three-course lunch.
The second class is schedule for Wednesday, February 20 for the “lil’ chefs.” You can drop off your aspiring chefs (minimum age 9 years old pleas) at 11AM for a three-hour cooking class during Winter Break and Elm will guide them through the making of pasta with tomato sauce plus that good old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. The fee per child for this class is $45 and includes instruction, recipes and lunch at the chef’s table.
Kick-off 2013 with Scratch Baking in Milford. Due to popular customer demand, owner Leslie Flick and the Scratch team will be sharing their baking prowess in two new classes to be offered in January: Breakfast Pizza & Quiche 101 and Artisan Breads. These small, two-hour classes (limited to 8 per class) will be held at Scratch's Milford location, and participants will head home with a hefty to-go box of Scratch treats. For more information or to reserve your spot, call 203.301.4396 or visit ScratchBakingCT.com/classes.
CLASS #1: Breakfast Pizza and Quiche 101 OFFERED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 & JANUARY 29 from 7-9PM
In this two-hour class we will start by making quiche dough... Learn the method for making the flakiest, most buttery crust quiche and tart crust that you will ever sink your teeth into. We will then go onto our Breakfast Pizza, quite possibly the most popular item at Scratch Baking. You can’t go wrong with a thin whole wheat crust topped with seasonal veggies and finished with organic local eggs. Don’t worry, we will give you a box of each items to go.
Want to cook effortless, mouthwatering dishes for your guests this holiday season or anytime? Then register today for White Gate Farm's series of Farm Kitchen cooking classes featuring the Dinners at the Farm Chef Jonathan Rapp on January 8, 9 or 10 -- Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday -- 3:00 to 9:00 pm. Chef Rapp will be coming down from his red truck where he orchestrates his magical dinners during the summers, allowing for a hands on cooking experience.
COOKING FROM THE GROUND UP, is Jonathan's simple fresh approach to cooking in season. Learn uncomplicated farm-to-table cooking by first heading out to the fields and greenhouses with Jonathan and White Gate farm manager Susan Mitchell. Gather beautiful organic produce for the evening's four-course menu that students and chefs develop together. Then it's back to the kitchen where the team will prep and cook. Finally, participants will sit down together with some exceptional wine and enjoy the "fruits" of their labor.
As is always the case, one holiday ends and another is launched into our consciousness almost instantly. Those crumbs from the pumpkin pies are just being swept away, but The Holiday Season is officially here and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa shopping has begun. What to get? Where to get it? It’s the annual quest. We’d like to make things a wee bit easier for you, as we’ve found some great items for the food lovers on your list. Buy one, buy several! Either way, you will seen as one of those “good gift givers”!
To kick off your Thanksgiving preparations, Wave Hill Breads Bakery & Cafe is offering a series of holiday cooking classes, the first of which is: Pumpkin Desserts Three Ways (plus the Art of Presentation) from 10:00 - 1:00, Saturday, November 17th. Join Executive Pastry Chef Matt Kirshner for an in-depth Pumpkin experience, including lunch in the Café. Matt will be showcasing Pumpkin Creme Brulée, Chiffon Tart, and Soufflé. The class will be limited to fifteen pastry afficionados, and the fee is $100, so if you’re interested, sign up soon - their initial classes filled within hours! To reserve, stop in or call us at 203-762-9595, or email Wave Hill at info@wavehillbreads.com. We promise you’ll be a star at your holiday table.
Also, don't miss Family Fun (4+) - Rolling, Baking, Decorating Cookies with Chef Matt Kirshner. Saturday, December 15, 9:30 to 11:30, including lunch, $60 per person.
Years ago, around the time The Brady Bunch was infiltrating almost every T.V. set in America, it was unlikely that your mom would have picked up dinner in lieu of cooking a homemade meal. While it’s true that familiar words in your household at the time may have included Wendy’s, Burger King and Arby’s, you weren’t pulling up to the drive-in window to order healthy, gourmet food. At home it may have been a casserole or a roast while mom always remained neatly coifed, and eating meals at the table as a family were normal.
Fast - forward 40 years and life is a lot different. In our fast paced world today we often find ourselves in a pinch, pressed for enough time to prepare a well-balanced meal for our disappearing family dinners due to time constraints. Enter Cinch, Fairfield’s newest “Gourmet Food Market.” A market where you shop for high quality meals that you just heat and serve in your own home. “Eat your heart out Carol Brady, let me tell you a little bit about the life of a 21st century family on the go.”
As if on cue, the day I attended class at the Rhubarb Kitchen, a cooking school with an emphasis on all things British, the sun disappeared and the weather turned appropriately overcast and drizzly. A perfect backdrop for learning about the delights of the very English ritual of Afternoon Tea.
But first, a little about the women who run this show. Rebecca Binks (aka “Becs”) grew up in Kent and learned the highlights of English food from her grandmother, mom, and eight aunts. A former banker and world traveler who has lived in France and Spain, Becs landed in New York City where she met Lisa McMullan. Lisa, an Irishwoman, grew up surrounded by lush farmland and her culinary path is inspired by a true farm to table experience. Lisa practiced as an optometrist, but her love of food always lingered in the background.
The kids are going back to school, and so should you! Lead by example and take one of Saugatuck Craft Butchery's fall/winter classes. They are offering their usual Butchery 101 classes, as well as a special Holiday Edition. All registration is now done online, so visit the Craft Butchery website to reserve your spot. See below for details on all available classes.
They are also conducting pig butchering demonstrations- unlike the classes this is not hands-on, but it is still a great way to watch and learn as our butchers walk through the basic anatomy of a pig, artfully carving it into primals, then individual cuts.
Ahh...harvest time. So many veggies, so little time before they spoil. Wondering what to do with that bumper crop of gorgeous organic tomatoes and gigantic squash from the garden? Don’t let them go to waste! Instead, come to the Wakeman Town Farm on Saturday, September 8th from 9am-12pm, and learn how to can and preserve your harvest to enjoy all winter. During this three-hour workshop, you’ll learn the basics of canning and how to make both delicious jam and tomato sauce. You’ll even be able to take a few jars home to stock the pantry! Cost is $35 if pre-registered, $40 at the door. Wakeman Town Farm, 134 Cross Highway, Westport. Space is limited; please register early.
White Gate Farm in East Lyme, CT, a favorite eastern Connecticut farm stand and Dinners on the Farm venue, is unveiling their new commercial "Farm Kitchen" and a series of cooking classes featuring talented Connecticut chefs.
The series will officially kick off this Friday at White Gate Farm for what they are calling a "Grand Unveiling" on August 24 at 7 pm ($10 per person). The evening will feature a preview of the hands-on kitchen and farm-fresh hors d'oeuvres, wine and chef's presentations. They will also unveil the full season of classes, dates and participating chefs this evening.
I’ve enjoyed food from many different countries over the years but funny enough, never from Peru. So with three friends in tow, I decided to try Fiesta Atlantic, a Peruvian restaurant in Stamford. Having eaten Venezuelan and Mexican, I expected a fusion of both. It turns out Peruvian food is indeed a melting pot of different cultures but surprisingly, the food is notable for its Italian and Chinese influences. In the 18th century, Lima was the financial center of a vast Spanish Viceroyalty. Chinese laborers and Italian settlers washed up on its South Pacific shores bringing their own spices and cooking techniques.
