FREE CLASS
Yup, you read that right…this class is open to the first 12 people who respond, with the caveat that I really want some men in the class, please! …and that you have to be willing to have your smiling face or busy hands pictured on my new website.
We’ll run it on Sunday morning, May 15th, starting at 11 AM, making lunch. The menu will be designed to be a photo opportunity for my web designer, so will include lots of gorgeous food including colorful spring vegetables and fruits, probably some fish or seafood or both, maybe some meat…I haven’t decided the menu quite yet. I’ll have everyone wear Paulding & Company aprons for the camera, and after class we’ll have some set-up food shots, too—but that will happen after you all have eaten and gone home. I should have a new web site within a few more weeks, once the class takes place.
Email me right away if you want to participate in this class, please.
Lots else is in the works…the new website will give me the opportunity to link the newsletter. have an archive right there, and format my newsletters more professionally, too. You’ll be able to pay for classes (the private ones) directly with a Paypal button…making signing up for those private classes for all the different teachers I’m bringing in, a breeze.
New teachers? Yup! First up is Laurel Miller, with a wonderful class (mentioned in detail last month in the newsletter but it bears repeating) that has a spring brunch menu:
- Lavender Scones with Meyer Lemon Curd
- Green Garlic, Prosciutto & Redwood Hill Goat Feta Frittata
- Smoked Trout Salad with Horseradish Creme Fraiche and Baby Beets
- Strawberries in Rosemary Syrup
The class is 6:30 PM, on Wednesday, May 18th. The fee is $75. I may attend it myself, I think it’s going to be a great class! Sign up is directly with Laurel, kaukau.kids@verison.com
I’m working on several other classes, which I may break tradition and announce later in the month (thus having 2 newsletters in one month) since I’m not ready yet. We may have a single evening, with Mary Coe, of food from the Philippines; some of you may have taken her classes at Piedmont, this one will be a Paulding & Company offering however. We’ve had requests from some folks who miss their parents’ cooking and want to learn the dishes they never learned at home. I’m also working with a very well-known teacher to bring a knife skills class in—this would of course include dining on the results of learning wonderful chopping and cutting techniques. My friend from the Bahamas will be putting together a Caribbean foods class, and an excellent chef/pastry chef friend of mine (who spent a year working with Mario Batali) is contemplating another class. These are all going to take place over the summer, as soon as we can schedule the dates.
I’m working hard on getting quality teachers into the kitchen, people you know will bring a great deal of expertise, and give you a broader range of classes to choose from. I’d like to be able to offer a wide range of classes at Paulding & Company! I also have one group seeking a few new members—they meet the first Thursday of every other month, with the next class June 2nd. This is a group of moms of younger children, and the focus is to give them some family-oriented recipes that add variety to the home menu, plus a night out. The class is $60 per session, plus $5 paid separately to the teen dishwasher they hire. They’ve decided to open the class to others, as we need to keep the numbers at 20 students, to make this low price possible for me. Here’s the June class menu; let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll let you know how to sign up.
- Grilled early summer vegetables, dressed with herbs and balsamic, and served with grilled leaf-wrapped soft cheese and bruschetta
- Oven-fried chicken
- Grilled stuffed squid
- New potato salad
- New York style cole slaw
- Summer berry and peach cobbler
Rosetta Costantino continues to teach her Southern Italian cooking classes—her Ricotta cheese making and Cooking with Ricotta classes were such a success she had to run five sections. She may take a bit of a vacation and go to Italy this summer, but I’ll let you know as soon as she schedules more classes. There are two in May, A Taste of Sicily, this Friday night (it’s full) and another ricotta section on Friday evening the 20th. That may also be filled, but sometimes there are a few cancellations, so if you are interested in either class, do email Rosetta at rosettac@pacbell.net.
Tomorrow is the final night of the spring quarter for Piedmont, and we’ve made some totally wonderful food. Since the session started a bit earlier than usual, we have not really bumped into the spring fruits, much to my disappointment—but otherwise, the array of produce has been dazzling, and we’ve taken advantage of a lot of it, asparagus, artichokes, rapini, and more, along with making varied and interesting menus. One huge hit this quarter was the Polpettoni, aka Terry’s Italian-style meatloaf—so that is the recipe I’ll include below.
I would love to have more private groups in the kitchen, so do remember to mention to your employers that Team Building in the kitchen is a lot of fun; also that you can plan on having your party as an interactive cooking class, as well—we’ve done wedding rehearsal dinners, birthdays, even a baby shower at the kitchen. And, I’m always happy to talk with you about catering; just give me a call!
I hope to see some of you the 15th; I will also be teaching for Piedmont again for the summer, on Tuesday evenings starting June 21st, and running through July, the usual 6-week Basic Cooking class, for the rock-bottom price of $250. Registration will begin on June 6th. Look for your Moonlighter in the mail (or on www.piedmontadultschool.org starting on June 6th) for the schedule and registration information. If the Tuesday evening class fills, I will add a Wednesday section as well, so there should be plenty of opportunity to join in.
I hope to see you all in class, at the farmers’ markets, and around town!