Pop-Up Tea Time, Free Father’s Day Burgers, Food Gal Cooking Demo & More

Salmon rillettes with seaweed brioche -- with oolong tea. (Photo by Justin Lewis)

“Kettle Whistle” Pop-Up Tea Times

Those of you mourning the fact that Pastry Chef William Werner won’t be opening his Tell Tale Preserve bakery/cafe on Maiden Lane in San Francisco after all will rejoice to hear that you can still enjoy his innovative sweets in a new concept now.

He has teamed with Naivetea, an artisan tea company in Burlingame that was started by husband-and-wife, Lawrence Lai and Ann Lee, which specializes in oolong teas.

They will be presenting “Kettle Whistle” afternoon tea seatings at various locations around the Bay Area each month. The first will be June 25 at the Burritt Room at the Crescent Hotel in San Francisco. There will be two seatings: 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Tea with strawberries on yogurt sables. (Photo by Justin Lewis)

The three-flight, prix fixe menu is $55 per person. It will feature an array of Naivetea’s hot and iced premium Taiwanese  oolong loose-leaf teas paired with Tell Tale Preserve’s savory and sweet pastry creations.

For reservations, call (415) 643-4894 or email: events@telltalepreserveco.com

Free Burgers for Dad on Father’s Day at The Counter

Bay Area locales of The Counter want to treat Dad in meaty style on Father’s Day by giving the big guy to a free burger.

Dads: Just bring in your family to any locale on June 19 and tell your server you want the “BFD” (Burger for Dad). Each Dad gets a free 1/3-pound burger with a paying guest. Additional and premium toppings are extra.

Dads get a free burger at The Counter on Father's Day. (Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Visit The Counter in Corte Madera, Palo Alto, Roseville, San Jose, San Mateo and Walnut Creek.

La Boulange Suppers in San Francisco Raise Money for Local Charities

Baker Pascal Rigo of La Boulange (13 locations in the Bay Area) is hosting a series of special and noble dinners the last Friday of the month at his flagship locale, 2325 Pine St. in San Francisco.

The three-course, oven-baked dinners are limited to only 16 people. You pay what you think it’s worth — and the money is donated to a local charity, a different one each month.

The first dinner on May 27 benefited the Sterne School in San Francisco, which provides students with learning disabilities the skills necessary to reach their academic potential. La Boulange matches donations up to $5,000.

The next dinner will be June 24. Reservations are required and are taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. RSVP to leah@laboulangebakery.com

The Food Gal Gets Cooking at Macy’s

Yes, yours truly is making her cooking demo debut at none other than Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco, 2 p.m. June 11.

Join me for fun and good eats at this free event, when I’ll be making my late-Mom’s one-and-only tomato beef chow mein.

Bring an appetite, as I’ll be handing out delicious samples of this favorite dish that I grew up with.

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11 comments

  • I should be there. Praying for easy parking and relatively traffic-free drive. 🙂

  • You need to do something down in the San Jose area so I can join in the fun 🙂

  • Mrs. L: You should venture up to SF. Think of the shopping you can do afterward. LOL Union Square is dangerous — but oh so much fun — for that.

  • Ooh will you put up video of yourself pretty please?! 😀

  • Lorraine: My husband is going to attempt to videotape it. But since he has never videotaped anything before, this could be interesting…HAH..So whether it sees the light of day, that’s to be determined.

  • Congrats on the cooking demo! That is super awesome!

    The La Boulange dinners sound crazy cool! i wish I lived in the area!

  • I so wish I were in San Fran to see your demo!! Congrats!

    Gorgeous pics, by the way…that teacup is stunning!

  • Carolyn, you are always full of good scoops for the rest of us!
    First, a roving tea party – sounds fun and the bites look gorgeous.
    Second, I just recently heard about the Counter. How could I have not taken my burger-loving family there before?
    Third, Have a great time at your demo!
    -Erin

  • Oooh more reasons to regret not living in the States! And congrats on the cooking demo! Too cool! Yes, I’d love to see a video of it, too.

  • You were great Saturday! We had loads of fun. When and where’s your next cooking demo? 🙂

  • Jennifer J: Thanks for coming out to the demo on Sat. and helping to make it a standing room-only crowd. I had a blast. Hope you did, too. The next demo may very well be at Macy’s Valley Fair in San Jose. Possibly in the fall. 😉

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