Dine Magazine South Florida

Cooking With Executive Chef Michele Mazza from Il Mulino

Yesterday, I was invited to appear on a radio show in Stuart called Talkin Tourism. This show is hosted by Gary Guertin at Harborage Yacht Club and discusses the trends in today’s market and how they relate to tourism, more specifically on how they relate to tourism in Martin County. Yesterday’s show was focused on Food Tourism and I, along with Paul Daley, owner of Flagler Grill and Chef Mark Muller, executive chef of Harborage Yacht Club talked food, wine and eating and how that had an effect on tourism. The show will be posted on their site soon.

One of the questions I was asked was regarding what celebrity chefs I had worked with. I must admit that I have worked with many great names over the course of the years and every memory was special. People often wonder how they can do what I am doing and be taught by some of the greatest chefs out there. Today is your lucky day, as one well-known chef (Michele Mazza from Il Mulino in New York) will be offering hands-on classes to the general public. He will be flying down from New York for these monthly classes.

When: Reservations are available on March 26 & 27, April 23 & 24, and May 28 & 29. Classes begin at 7:00 pm.

Where: Acqualina Resort & Spa, 17875 Collins Avenue in Sunny Isles Beach 305.918.8000 (see my review here). The classes will take place in the resort suites.

Description: Guests will cook a 3-course dinner together with Chef Mazza. The dinner will include plenty of wine, grappa and a deluxe one-bedroom suite for the evening. Maximum 6 people per class.

Cost: $365 per person based on six people per class.

For more information, call Il Mulino at 305.466.9191

Thai Cooking Class at Cook’s Inc

Last night was the first Dine Magazine continuing education class at Cook’s Inc. Guests came to the studio around 6:30 and were greeted with a refreshing Lychee Martini, a perfect complement to the spicy Thai cuisine that we would be learning how to make.

The class was led by Maude Eaton. Maude is Dine Magazine’s culinary consultant. She currently leads the culinary eduation program at Cook’s Inc in Abacoa. Previously, Maude worked at Market Salamander in Palm Beach and Epicurean Gourmet in Manalapan.

The first menu item on the list was a Sweet Thai Basil Asian Slaw in Lettuce Cups. This was the perfect combination of sweet and spicy enjoyed in a single bite. The flavors of Napa Cabbage, carrots, cilantro, kale, ginger, garlic and more were prepared in perfect proportions.

Next on the menu came the Fresh Thai Steamed Mussels in a red coconut curry sauce. Guests learned the difference between mussels that were dead and alive and how the shells should close when tapped. Steamed to perfection, the flavors melded together in the red curry sauce. This recipe could be served with a piece of thick, crusty bread or sticky rice that we learned to make later in the evening. Chef Maude gave us pointers throughout the evening, and our quest to find some shortcuts throughout the evening (refrigerated chopped garlic and ginger just isn’t the same when you are focusing on flavor) and how lime was a better flavor enhancer to Thai cuisine than a squeeze of a lemon.

The night had only begun as next in line came the Steamed Fish with Scallions and Ginger, the Sticky Rice and the Stir-fried Vegetables.We used salmon on this particular, but learned that shrimp, chicken and other proteins could be substituted. Chef Maude continued to give us pointers, involved everyone in attendance and allowed us to taste the sauce throughout different stages in the process so we’d be able to recreate what we made that night. Isn’t that the point in taking a cooking class? I even heard someone next to me mention that she wasn’t a fan of salmon, but when I looked over she had cleaned her plate. Some people are just able to make anything taste good! Maude is one of those people, and is going to help turn Dine Magazine readers into talented chefs. All that it takes is a few more classes. Anyone ready for a knife class?

The next Dine Magazine continuing education class will take place on Monday, March 30th. We will be taking a culinary tour around the world with these classes and the next class on the schedule will be a Greek Cooking Class.  The class will be $50.

Thank you for all those who attended. I will be getting you the revised recipe soon.

Is Norman Van Aken back?

Well not quite, but almost. As I was reading through my RSS feeds today, I came across great news. Norman Van Aken is offering a Gourmet Getaway. For a name that is not heard very often nowadays, but is definitely not forgotten, I was excited to hear about this opportunity.

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