Last week I got a fascinating in-depth look at the story behind Kenyan coffee, all from the perspective of one of my favorite local roasters, Four Barrel Coffee. Organized by 18 Reasons and lead by Four Barrel’s own Jeremy Tooker, everyone at the event enjoyed a slide-show tour that took us on a journey — from the farms where the… Read more →
Events
The Oldest Pisco in the World
From my Brief History of Pisco in San Francisco post, you already knew that Pisco first arrived in the United States during the Gold Rush. But did you know that the oldest distillery in the America’s, Hacienda La Caravedo, was established in 1684? That makes it the oldest Pisco distillery in the world, and last Thursday night I had the… Read more →
Cooking Class: Part 3
In the third and final class of Anthony Bourdain’s Basic Techniques, we used the fish stock we prepared last week to cook a fish soup while the other students prepared a protein feast of steak, roast chicken, and beef bourguignon. As before, the class was divided in two halves. In the first half, we used our knife skills to dice,… Read more →
Cooking Class: Part 2
In the second week of cooking class, I learned the secret ingredient that makes everything taste great—butter. Yes, butter. And lots of it. Despite feeling my cholesterol level rise and having my cooking instincts challenged, I followed the Chef’s instructions to a tee. After all, you have to live and cook dangerously once in a while. Read more →
Cooking Class: Part 1
Last week, I did something I had never done before—I attended a cooking class. Despite all my experience in the kitchen, and all the cooking lessons from my mom, I have always been curious about what I might learn from a formal cooking class lead by a professional chef. Knowing that I am independent and stubborn made me hesitant to… Read more →