Cook Here and Now

Thank you for participating! Let's cook and eat together: March 28th

Buongiorno. Grazie to the 30+ of you that participated in our Sunday cooking event featuring early spring ingredients. As usual, it was terrific! Don't forget to add your photos to our Flickr page.

And special thanks to Chef Charles Phan for donating the space. See you at our Hanami picnic on Saturday the 3rd.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

Let's eat together: Hanami picnic on April 3rd

Sorry: Canceled because of weather. It's been raining a lot on Friday: the ground will be soaked and it will be too cold to sit (area is in the shade).

Buongiorno. Grazie to everyone who came and cooked with us last Sunday: as always it was a blast! I'm still craving the dark chocolate tart with sea salt and candied kumquats.

While living in Japan I became really fond of the spring Hanami custom of enjoying the beauty of the cherry blossoms while sharing food with family and friends. Since cherry trees are in full bloom in Golden Gate park, I think we should have an informal Hanami picnic.

I'll be baking a few batches of morning pastries with seasonal fruit and berries to share with everybody. Someone please bring some coffee! All sweet and savory home-cooked food featuring seasonal and sustainable ingredients is welcome.

Where: Grove of blooming cherry trees across the street from the Strybing Arboretum entrance at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr Dr. and Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr. in San Francisco, Golden Gate park.

When: 12 noon on.

What to bring: It's a seasonal picnic, Cook Here and Now style. Please bring something you made (not store-bought, please) to share and/or a beverage of your choice. Do bring a blanket to lay on the ground.

This is an informal event: there's no sign-up. Just come over, weather permitting. I'd appreciate it if you could post a comment here letting me know if you'll make it, so I'll have a way of contacting people in case of cancellation due to weather or any other update.

Grazie, see you there!
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: March 28th ALL SLOTS FULL

Buongiorno,

Thank you! All our 30 slots are full.
That took 15 minutes... thank you so much for the enthusiasm. I really appreciate it. If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels.

Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: March 28th

Buongiorno,

We're ready for our first spring dinner, and we'll be featuring local, organic and free-range lamb and goat. There's a good selection to choose from at Niman Ranch, Whole Foods, Bi-Rite or Prather Meat Company, Golden Gate Meat in the Ferry Building, for starters.

Featured seasonal vegetables will be asparagus, cauliflower, fennel and all garlic and onions varieties.
Featured seasonal fruit will be avocados, kiwis and guavas.

Many thanks to Chef Charles Phan for generously donating The Slanted Door's industrial kitchen for our event, and coordinating the space and staffing!

To cover the costs of a manager onsite and recyclable utensils, there will be a nominal fee of $8 per person. Just to be clear, I'm still donating all my time and efforts: this remains a community event. The fee pays the Slanted Door manager who is coming in just for us on Sunday, in case of emergencies or questions. The PayPal link will be emailed to those who register to join us. Check your calendar before signing up, since donations are non-refundable.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
30 of us will cook and eat together on March 28th, starting at 4. We'll be done around 8:30.

The dinner will be in San Francisco, at chef Charles Phan's kitchen in the Mission. There's enough space to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

Only 30 people can register for this event, so act quickly, but please note which courses are already taken. Details will be emailed to those registered a few days before the event.

Every person coming (including any guest you bring, or your other half in a couple) must sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide local wine and beer (if beverage slots are available - see below).

Since participation is limited, please let us know at least 4 days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. If you cancel 4 days before the event, you can't join us for the following 2 events. If you don't show at all, you can't join us for the next 3. Canceling on short notice (or not at all) is unfair to everyone, especially people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

11 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will make appetizers for 8 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
3 participants will make salads for 10 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will make dessert for 8-10 people each ALL SLOTS TAKEN
5 participants will bring at least 2 bottles of good *locally produced* wine per person (not per couple) and some *locally-brewed* beer. Consider that most cooks spend $25-50 (and up!) just on their ingredients. If you're not cooking, you should be prepared to spend at least this much on beverages, out of respect for your chefs.  ALL SLOTS TAKEN
1 participant will bring non-alcoholic beverages (sparkling water and juices, locally produced when possible) ALL SLOTS TAKEN

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 30 people confirmed, I will close the event and start another post for the waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

So post a comment on the blog (do not email me directly) under the call-for-participation post letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc.)
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook something (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.

This is going to be great! So sign up before the spaces are gone.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Thank you for participating! NorCal artisan wine and cheese

Buongiorno,
Grazie to the 60+ of you that participated in our Northern California wine and cheese pairing event. That was a blast! And special thanks to Liam at Bellwether Farms for sending the still hard-to-find Jersey cow whole milk ricotta to try. It was a big hit and everyone wants to know where to find it.

Stay tuned: I'll post the call for participation for our next 'Let's cook and eat together' event in the next few days.

Enjoy!
Marco Flavio

 

 

Pairing ideas: Northern California artisan wine and cheese

Buongiorno,
Our event is just a few days away, so I'm opening this post to help us come up with creative pairings. If you know what you're bringing, leave a comment on this post. That way, others can pair their wine/cheese with your contribution. If you have any questions, post them, and Alison Bing (author of Lonely Planet's Napa & Sonoma Encounter) and I will gladly suggest promising pairings.

Grazie, see you all on Saturday! (Location details will be emailed on Wednesday to all event participants).

Marco Flavio