Chop Chop

It's been a while since I last took a cooking class and I've been hearing some good stuff about the ones at Cavallo Point, a luxury hotel in Sausalito, California. The School is located on the second floor of Cavallo Point's flagship restaurant, Murray Circle.  Seems they have a variety of classes through the months of March - May and it might be worth a visit if you're tired of other classes in the city.

If you're a wine lover, this might be a great pairing for you:

SPRING CHEESES & RELISH

Thursday, March 22 6–8 pm
Join Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection to taste Spring cheeses made in California, prepare a selection of Spring relishes and enjoy a glass of Spring Wine. A trio of fresh Sheep and Spring Cow Milk Cheeses will be featured, including fresh made cow milk Ricotta, Sheep Milk Fraiche, North Bay Curds and Whey Luicca, a blend of cow & sheep milk.

• Award winning Delice de la Vallee with Raspberry Rose Petal Jam, served with Brut Rose
• Creme de Fromage with Lemon Zest, served with Sauvignon Blanc
• Spring Apricot & Meyer Lemon Compote, served with Muscat
• Cherry & Violet Relish, served with Champagne and Cherries

$65 / person + tax

Or go globe trotting if you're up for some Peruvian fare:

PERU

Friday, April 12 6–9 pm
Hands-on Class with Bites
A new monthly series featuring the cuisine and conversation from a particular country, ethnic region or city in the world. Imagine an ethnic-themed cocktail party, where each person is responsible for contributing a dish, story, music, photos, etc. of the featured region. Casey and I both recently wandered through Peru, so we'll use Peru to kick off this exciting new series.

• Causa
• Peruvian Ceviche
• Chicharrones (deep fried hunks of pork... YUM) served with a salad of lime, mint and red onion
• Smoked Trout and Potato Salad
• Skewered Beef Heart with Aji Amarillo

$85 / person + tax

Watch out Williams Sonoma!

My fffabulous friend reminded me I hadn't blogged about this wonderful store we came acroos, so here it is! Italian star chef Michael Chiarello, former owner of Tra Vigne in Napa, has embraced Los Gatos, yeah! But it's not a restaurant he opened, it's the retail store that showcases his line of cooking utensils, custom spices and wonderful cooking/home related items he imports from Italy and beyond. I came across his second cookbook before he got his show on Food Network and some of my fave Italian recipes are from his book. He's a firm believer of grey salt (vs. kosher) and you can now buy this at his store vs. paying s&h fees for an online order. My patio furniture is also from his catalog of years back and is still in great condition. I've had the pleasure of meeting the chef in person when my company hosted his recipe for lunch in our cafeteria (yeah, we're spoiled!) I can tell you this is a great place to shop if you're tired of the typical Williams Sonoma.

Now, if only they would serve a glass of his wine while we shop.

Napa Style Los Gatos
32 North Santa Cruz Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95030 (408) 354-1119
Monday thru Saturday: 10am - 7pm
Sunday: 11am - 6pm