May
Kathryn
The Spring Fling "Meet the Experts"
The idea was to have a get together where we met and mingled with other food folks who we considered to be "experts" in a given area. Donna worked on getting a sommelier, am olive oil specialist, a knife specialist, a successful food entrepreneur, a mixologist, etc.
After several folks had to cancel later in the planning we ended up with:
** a successful local food entrepreneur - Marco, who owns Gia Pronto.
** a local mixologist, Sarah Byrd
** and me, filling in for the olive oil specialist. (My 2 years in Italy and my internet research skills having qualified me to speak about oil.)
We would make food that made us think of spring. Then, we found out that Susanna Foo was interested in coming to meet us and hang out.
A food free for all ensued.
Tamarind marinated shrimp, bbq beef, fresh fruit, popcorn dumplings....
Sarah created a cocktail just for us called The Gracious... fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, grapefruit vodka, a thimbleful of a special ingredient and a splash of champagne. Refreshing and smooth, we loved it!
My olive oil talk was fun. We tasted and compared oils from France, Italy, Spain, California and a generic very light oil. We talked about the strength of flavors and what the best uses might be... a spicier, peppery oil for a dressings, versus a smoother oil for fish or for dipping. All dependent on your tastes and the recipe, of course. And we reviewed the enemies of olive oil -- air, light and heat. A lot of fun...
(Note - a very light olive oil is good for sauteing, baking and cleaning garden tools. Finish your food off he flame with a good oil so you don't lose the flavor.)
We enjoyed meeting Susanna Food very much. She came over and made popcorn dumplings that flew off the platter.
