July 2006

The kitchen has been very busy lately—we’ve hosted team building events, photo shoots, a surprise birthday party, and  of course, our classes, as well as preparing for plenty of catering. We will continue to offer a 10% discount on a special “summer picnic” menu that includes oven-fried chicken, coleslaw, potato salad and more, for teambuilding groups of 10-40 people, If anyone wants a kitchen tour, all you need to do is call or email—I love to show off our gleaming facility.

Classes

Our schedule of classes for the summer is dynamic—surely you’ll find something to your liking! Although my Basic Cooking class is totally sold out (next session starts in September), many of our other classes have ample space. Perhaps a vegetarian Thai, Tapas or French cuisine class will be to your liking—Cheryl Beere, our expert vegetarian cuisine teacher, cookbook author and former café owner, has a great line-up of classes and has provided our Recipe of the Month, Spinach and Chickpeas, Sevilla Style, a recipe from her tapas selection.

Maybe our fabulous knife sharpening and knife skills class will appeal—it is taught by two experts in their fields, Eric Weiss, master sharpener, and Charlie Vollmar, owner of Epicurean Exchange, who collaborate to offer this class where you will first learn to sharpen your knives, then to use them properly. We also offer this class as a training vehicle for food service professionals, but this session is taught at a level that home cooks will find comfortable, and will be your key to easy food preparation for a lifetime.

We will have more classes from our wonderful Japanese chef and teacher, Ayako Iino—this time, she has crafted two seasonal summer menus. Her students rave about her classes. Ayako is a well-trained chef, who besides her skill with her native cuisine, has worked preparing Italian cuisine at Oliveto restaurant for the last four years. Her hope is to teach more people the delights of her home cuisine.

The other new classes we are offering are geared towards teenagers—these are taught by Charlene Reis, pastry chef, restaurant consultant, and longtime participant in Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard program in Berkeley. Charlene has a series of classes scheduled that are sure to provide delicious afternoons of entertainment and fun for participants. The order of her classes informs her attitute—start with the Dessert First class, then move on to the rest of the meal.

Our popular Calabrian and Sicilian teacher, Rosetta Costantino, will be back at the end of July with new classes, once she returns from her native village, where she will complete the photography for her eagerly anticipated cookbook.

All our classes are available with Paypal registration, but if you prefer you can also register by mailing a check to Paulding & Company, 1410 D 62nd. St., Emeryville, California 94608. Just please, include a phone number and email address with your check so we can contact you.

Lunchbox Lessons with Charlene Reis

This cooking series is open to children ages 10-14. Learn to cook great organic meals for your family. This class will teach the basics of cooking including knife skills, seasonal menu planning and shopping. It will also include guidelines for kitchen etiquette and introduce new cooking tools.
Kids love to cook and can make mealtime easy when they know how to help in the kitchen.

All of these delicious recipes will become family favorites. Learn to cook while spending a fun afternoon in a fabulous kitchen. Afterwards you and your family can eat your homework!

The classes will be held at Paulding & Company in Emeryville on Sundays from 3-5:30pm. Each class is $50 per child. These classes are limited to 15 students.

Recipes and shopping lists will be available prior to class for students who would like to prepare these dishes at home after class. To sign up for classes, go to pauldingandco.com.

Questions or to contact Charlene directly:
CharleneReis@earthlink.net

Dessert First! Summer Desserts
Sunday July 16th
3pm-5:30pm

• Peach and Boysenberry Tart
• White Nectarine and Ollalieberry Cobbler
• Swanton Strawberry Ice Cream with Homemade Ice Cream Cones
• Chocolate Raspberry Truffles

Summer Picnic
Sunday August 13th
3pm-5:30pm

• Sautéed Corn and Red Pepper Salad
• Fried Chicken with Herb Persillade
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic Mayonnaise
• Strawberry Shortcakes

Asian-Style Backyard Party
Sunday August 27th
3pm-5:30pm

• Summer Vegetable Potstickers
• Garlic and Ginger Chicken
• Spicy Sichuan-style Shrimp
• Stir-fried Pea Shoots with Roasted Cashews
• Perfect White Rice
• Coconut Sorbet with Fresh Mangoes