Untitled Document Home
Chef & Hotel Profile
Publisher's Page
Gift Guide
Travel Adventures
Epicurean Events
Health Minded
Spa Baby Secrets
Sips
Book Bites
Culinary Coup
Sense of Style
Kids Kaleidoscope
Tinsletown Tidbits
Wheels
Radio Show & Links
Contact Us


The Local Café in Ventura Opens Tuesday, January 25th

Chef Tim Kilcoyne Offers Farm-Fresh Ingredients, Wood Oven-Fired Pizzas and Homemade Food Products

A proponent of the slow food movement and owner of the acclaimed Sidecar restaurant, Chef Tim Kilcoyne envisioned The Local Café, opening Tuesday, January 25th, as a place where he can share his lifelong passion for seasonal and ‘just picked’ local produce. The café will offer sandwiches on fresh-baked bread, a variety of fresh salads, artisanal pizzas, and tempting desserts.  In addition, Chef Kilcoyne’s own line of fruit preserves, house-made ketchup and other condiments will be available for purchase.

With a rustic wood ceiling and concrete floor, The Local’s Café’s casual environment makes it perfect for families and spur-of-the-moment lunch dates. The focal point of the kitchen is the Italian-style wood-burning pizza oven, which is visible from the front of the café. Not only does the oven’s firewood come from local citrus and avocado groves, but the smoke imparts a hint of sweetness to the pizza. A chalkboard displays the day’s specials above the deli case which features about eight different salads daily, rotating based on what is available. The café features items made from only seasonal produce, which naturally possesses the best flavors and quality. 

Ventura’s thriving culinary scene benefits from access to a wide selection of agriculture purveyors including Underwood Family Farms, Petty Ranch, Rio Gozo Farm, Ojai Pixie Tangerine Growers, and McGrath Farms, many of which specialize in organic and sustainable fruit and vegetables.  Because of Chef Kilcoyne’s participation in CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), he enjoys a mutually beneficial working relationship with local farmers and frequently acquires an abundance of fresh produce. To use as toppings for an off-the charts pizza, for example, Kilcoyne pickled a bulk supply of spicy red peppers to pair with his own freshly-produced Italian sausage. Other produce that is turned into jarred and bottled goods for sale include blackberry preserves, basil pesto and Meyer lemon curd.

The Local Café is located in Ventura’s mid-town on 1751 East Main Street, Ventura, CA 93001. Its hours are 11am-9 pm, Tuesday-Sunday (will soon be open daily). All items are priced under $12. While Chef Kilcoyne anticipates most orders will be ‘to go,’ there is seating available for 20-30 inside and on the patio. Catering is also available. More information is available at www.TheLocalofVentura.com.


THE SCHOOL OF PASTRY DESIGN OPENS IN LAS VEGAS AS CELEBRITY PASTRY CHEF CHRIS HANMER UNVEILS

NEW ENTERTA INMENT ACTIVITY FOR VEGAS VISITORS, TV LOVERS, FOODIES, GROUPS, PARTIES AND CHEFS

World Pastry Champion and Food Network Star Chris Hanmer Opens the Doors to A New Pastry Wonderland, Providing Visitors the Chance to Create Their Own Edible Eye Candy

 Las Vegas is now home to a new one-of-a-kind destination for visitors and local residents, and it’s one that is available nowhere else in the world. The new hands-on experience will allow anyone to work alongside a world champion pastry chef to create colorful, edible, life-size pastry or chocolate art, whether for a single introductory session or master class, or as the fun centerpiece of a group or Las Vegas party/travel experience.

The School of Pastry Design is the creation of celebrity chef and TV culinary artist Chris Hanmer, the youngest world pastry team champion ever, and one of the few such champions to come from the United States. The highly-creative, outgoing Hanmer is a former pastry chef for multiple AAA Five Diamond hotels, and he is a frequent face on the TV Food Network.  He is the popular creator of “flexible chocolate,” a technique he invented while in the midst of a Food Network Challenge

While a world champion in every sense of the word, Chef Hanmer is also a friendly, down-to-earth, chef-next-door role model, a master of every major pastry art, and the antithesis of the stereotypical French pastry chef.  His spectacular sugar sculptures and chocolate showpieces have graced the pages of major global food magazines, and he is now bringing his dynamic cooking techniques to a fantasy studio kitchen in Las Vegas where students can spend time learning or mastering the art of pastry design and have a great time doing so.

Hanmer allows visitors to learn and try their chosen subject, from basic pastry techniques to chocolate and sugar showpieces to industry-level cooking techniques. For the more casual pastry experience, he offers chocolate tastings, chocolate parties, creative cooking competitions for parties and showers, a unique “chocolate laboratory,” and light-hearted pastry classes for groups – all formats that work well with local residents as well as vacation and convention visitors to Las Vegas.

 “You have to see this place to believe it,” says Chris Hanmer. “It’s amazing to think that the dream kitchens of food competition TV shows now have a match in Las Vegas, and that anyone can come in and create sugar, chocolate and pastry magic and have a great time in the process. The fact that we’re using superior professional equipment, ingredients and instruction just adds to the experience – and it truly can help make anyone feel like an artist.”

 Information on one-on-one or group programs and classes with Chris Hanmer is available at www.theschoolofpastrydesign.com, where photos of Hanmer’s colorful pastry art are also available for viewing. The School of Pastry Design is located at 6627 Schuster Street in Las Vegas and may be reached directly at 702-523-9390.


EUROPEAN INSPIRED CHEESE COMPANIES BECOME CALIFORNIA SUCCESS STORIES

By Bonnie Carroll

 

Two highly successful cheese companies have found their successful beginnings in California, and are experiencing local and international awards at competitions and huge sales in area markets.

 

The first cheese maker on my list is a French inspired business,  Marin French Cheese Company, located in Petaluma, California. This company was founded in the 1860s, and became known for serving its cheese at the saloons in San Francisco during the 'gold rush' days. Today, they offer numerous varieties of delicious French style cheeses including Goat Camenbert, Triple Cream Brie and Petite Dejeuner, a delightful "Breakfast Cheese" which has been produced by Marin for 145 years. The company uses only pasteurized milk, although critics compare the taste to those of traditional European raw milk cheeses. These cheese products are so traditionally French in taste and presentation that my Paris transplant friends adored them at a recent gathering, and I highly recommend them for home cooking enjoyment, as gifts, or for entertaining. For product information and purchase information visit: www.Marinfrenchcheese.com.

 

The second company on my list is Karoun, founded by the Baghdassarian family, who came to America from Lebanon in 1992 and started their dairy, producing authentic handmade cheese in Sun Valley, California. The award winning cheese company offers a variety of handmade products and natural yogurts. Their natural kefir cheese (Labne) provides outstanding low fat, low sodium alternatives to regular cheese products, and it is delicious as well as healthy for people on restricted diets. Varieties from Karoun include Indian, Russian Middle Eastern, and traditional handbraided string cheese in several flavors; they are all delicious and can be enjoyed in recipes found at the company website. For product and purchase information visit: www. karouncheese.com.

 

It is gratifying to know that International tastes are so appreciated in the US, and that these tried and true recipes for various cheese favorites are readily available in markets throughout the US today. I just adore the products made by each of these wonderful companies, and recommend all of their products highly. BC


CUPCAKES AND MORE FOR YOUR VALENTINE FROM SUR LA TABLE

                                                    

Make your sweethearts something to show them you love them this Valentine's Day. Visit www.surlatable.com for great baking ideas.



2008
March 08 | April 08 | May 08 | June 08 | July 08 | August 08 | September 08 | October 08 | November 08 | December 08 | January 09 | February 09 | March 09 | April 09 | May 09 | June 09 | July 09 | August 09 | September 09 | October 09 | November 09 | December 09 | February 10 | January 10 | March 10 | March | April 10 | May 10 | June 10 | July 10 | August 10 | August 11 | September 10 | October 10 | November 10 | December 10 | January 11 | February 11 | March 11 | April 11 | May 11 | June 11 | July 11 | September 11 | October 11 | November 11 | December 11 | January 12 | February 12 | March 12 | April 12 | April | May 12 | June 12 | July 12 | August 12 | September 12 | October 12 | November 12 | December 12 | January 13 | February 13 | March 13 | April 13 | May 13 | June 13 | July 13 | August 13 | September 13 | October 13 | November 13 | November | December 13 | January 14 | February 14 | March 14 | April 14 | May 14 | June 14 | July 14 | August 14 | September 14 | October 14 | November 14 | December 14 | January 15 | February 15 | March 15 | April 13 | April 15 | May 15 | June 15 | July 15 | August 15 | September 15 | October 15 | November 15 | December 15 | January 16 | February 16 | March 16 | April 16 | May 16 | June 16 | July 16 | August 16 | September 16 | October 16 | January 17 | February 17 | November 16 | December 16 | March 17 | April 17 | May 17 | June 17 | July 17 | August 17 | September 17 | October 17 | November 17 | December 17 | January 18 | March 18 | February 18 | April 18 | May 18 | June 18 | July 18 | August 18 | September 18 | October 18 | November 18 | December 18 | January 19 | February 19 | March 19 | April 19 | May 19 | June 19 | July 19 | August 19 | October 19 | September 19 | November 19 | December 19 | January 20 | February 20 | March 20 | April 20 | May 20 | June 20 | July 20 | August 20 | September 20 | October 20 | November 20 | November 20 | December 20 | January 21 | February 21 | March 21 | April 21 | May 21 | June 21 | July 21 | August 21 | September 21 | October 21 | November 21 | January 22 | December 21 | February 22 | March 22 | April 22 | May 22 | June 22 | July 22 | August 22 | September 22 | October 22 | November 22 | December 22 | January 23 | February 23 | March 23 | April 23 | May 23 | June 23 | August 23 | September 23 | October 23 | November 23 | December 23 | January 24 | February 24 | February 08 | January 08

2007
December 07
| November 07 | October 07| September 07 | August 07 | July 07 | June 07 | May 07
April 07
| March 07 | February 07 | January 07

2006
December 06
| November 06 | October 06 | September 06 | August 06 | July 06 | June 06 | May 06
April 06
| March 06 | February 06 | July 06

2005
December 05
| November 05 | October 05 | September 05 | August 05 | July 05 | June 05

© 2008 Bonnie Carroll, All Rights Reserved