Category Archives: Enticing Events

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

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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.

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Meet Bradley Ogden and Rick Bayless, Plus Loads More

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Meet Chef Bradley Ogden. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Shop and Dine with Chef Bradley Ogden

On June 9, shoppers at the Marin Farmers Market will get a chance to meet Chef Bradley Ogden, co-founder of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group, and Chef Aaron Wright of the Tavern at Lark Creek in Larkspur.

The two chefs will be at the Star Route Farms booth at the center of the farmers market at 9:30 a.m. to answer questions about the best produce.

That evening, join the two chefs at the Tavern at Lark Creek, when Ogden hosts a dinner to showcase dishes from his new cookbook, “Holiday Dinners with Bradley Ogden” (Running Press), which will be published in September.

The $35 per person prix fixe will include grilled apricot and goat cheese salad; flank steak with sweet oven-dried tomatoes and potato salad; and mixed berry cobbler. For reservations, call (415) 924-7766.

Rick Bayless will conduct cooking demos at Sunset magazine's big "Celebration Weekend.'' (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Rick Bayless Stars at Sunset’s Celebration Weekend

Menlo Park’s Sunset magazine opens its doors, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 4-5, for its annual “Celebration Weekend 2011: Make It Your Own.”

Chef Rick Bayless, Chicago restaurateur known for his prowess with Mexican cuisine and for winning the first season of “Top Chef Masters,” will headline cooking demos each day, 12:30 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.. He’ll be whipping up Mexican-inspired dishes, including Mexican-style shrimp cocktail and “Tropical Beach Ceviche.”

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New Whole Grain Pasta and A Food Gal Giveaway

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New 100% Whole Grain Pasta. (Image courtesy of Golden Grain)

We all know we should be including more whole grains in our diet for added fiber and nutrients.

Golden Grain just made that easier to do with the launch of its new 100% Whole Grain Pasta. This is one case where you won’t need a science degree to figure out the ingredients list on the back of each box, either. There’s just one ingredient: durum whole wheat flour.

The Whole Grain Pasta comes in four varieties: angel hair, spaghetti, penne and elbow macaroni.

Contest: One lucky Food Gal reader not only will win four boxes of the 100% Whole Grain Pasta (one of each type), but also a Cuisinart Chef’s Classic stainless steel four-piece, 12-quart pasta/steamer set.

Win samples of the new Whole Grain Pasta, plus this nifty pasta/steamer cooking set.

Entries for the contest, open only to those in the continental United States, will be accepted through midnight PST June 4. Winner will be announced June 6.

How to win?

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Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti Visits the South Bay & More

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Meet Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti. (Photo courtesy of the chef)

Meet Pastry Chef Emily Luchetti in Campbell

Emily Luchetti, award-winning pastry chef of Farallon and Waterbar in San Francisco, will host a pastry demo and a book-signing at 6 p.m. May 26 at the International Culinary Center of  California in Campbell.

The center is operated by the French Culinary Institute in New York, of which Luchetti recently became a dean.

Luchetti will be signing copies of her new cookbook, “The Fearless Baker” (Little, Brown and Company), at this free event. Attendees also will get a chance to find out more information about the center’s Classic Pastry Arts class, which begins June 2.

RSVP to the event by calling (415) 781-5700.

Waterbar offers four-legged friends complimentary treats.(Photo courtesy of the restaurant)

Free Doggie Treats Courtesy of Emily Luchetti

Speaking of Emily Luchetti, she’s now providing complimentary treats to pooches who are hanging out on the Waterbar patio in San Francisco with their two-legged owners.

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Scenes From “Cooking for Solutions” at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

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Chef Chris Cosentino shows off his fave T-shirt that's a hoot -- at the "Cooking for Solutions'' gala.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium hosted its 10th “Cooking for Solutions” conference last weekend, bringing together chefs; food purveyors; marine scientists; fishermen; government officials; and celebrities such as Isabella Rossellini, Alton Brown and Ted Turner; as well as journalists such as yours truly, to learn about environmental issues gripping our oceans and planet.

There was good news: Experts from the Environmental Defense Fund don’t expect to see any health issues arising from Gulf seafood resulting from the dispersants used to combat the oil disaster.

Alarming news: Former Gourmet magazine editor Barry Estabrook and creator of the James Beard award-winning Politics of the Plate blog, uncovers in his new book, “Tomatoland” (Andrews McMeel), how many of the popular grape tomatoes sold in supermarkets are picked primarily by women of child-bearing-age who are exposed to pesticides regularly.

Troubling statistics: In California, cotton and rice make up only 3 percent of crops grown, but receive 44 percent of federal subsidies doled out in the state. That leaves the bulk of the farmers, who grow fruits and veggies, with few subsidies.

News to use every day: Experts agreed that of all the ecolabels out in the marketplace now, the most trustworthy ones are — Certified Humane, Free Trade, Certified Organic, Marine Stewardship Council, Country of Origin, and Seafood Watch.

Isabella Rossellini -- still stunning and still making powerful films.

Alton Brown, whose next project will highlight the 25 fish you're not eating, but should be.

And charming moments: Rossellini — who attended the conference with her son, who is studying marine biology — talked about her educational yet humorous “Green Pornos.” Rossellini produced, directed and stars in these short films, produced for the Sundance Channel, which highlight the reproductive lives of marine animals. These offbeat films are memorable with their sets made of paper and Rossellini portraying each species in costume. If you’ve never seen a “Green Porno,” they are definitely worth checking out.

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