The Epicurean Classic Part 1 of 3

Sep 10, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Events

Kitchen Aid’s 90th Birthday

Although the new book was not yet supposed to be available in late August, I agreed to do the first major event which was the Epicurean Classic held for the first time in St. Joseph, Michigan, home of Kitchen Aid. And by some miracle 40 books arrived early and in time for the event!

We were not so fortunate with the weather which was cold, rainy, and windy, but this did not serve to keep people away. Never have I seen a more attentive and appreciative crowd.

I must begin by saying that I am blessed to have Woody Wolston as my assistant. This was the first demo event we have done together. Not only did he bring backup pans for all four cakes for the demos, he did the majority of the prep, making finished cakes and weighing out all the ingredients for the mis en place AND all the while he managed to take over 200 photos! I’ve managed to edit them down to 44 but will post in three separate segments to make downloading easier for you.

We arrived at the Chicago Airport and were picked up by a van for the two hour ride to St. Joseph. I brought one of the only two advance copies of the book to give to Woody and to show at the event. This was the first time he saw it in its completion.

The event took place in the large parking lot off the Boulevard Inn where we stayed. It was all in tents or open air Kitchen Aid demo kitchens. There were 4 tent-covered demo kitchens each with seating for over 100 people. The prep area was in a nearby tented area with 10 work stations and a full array of kitchen utensils. There were 100s of Artisan Kitchen aid mixers of every imaginable color.

The moment we arrived we went into the prep tent to start doing the prep for the next day’s demo which was the Golden Lemon Almond Cake and the Deep Chocolate Passion Layer Cake—two of my top favorite recipes from the new book.

Bridget Charters, event coordinator, did an amazing job directing the Culinary students and organizing all the presenters equipment and ingredient requirements.

“Student Amabassador” Eunice, newly graduated from Cornell School of Hotel Administration and Hospitality showed us the cart where she had all our things arranged.

Woody had offered to bring our favorite Myweigh scale and I was glad he brought the 9 inch heart pan as I could not have made the Rose Red Velvet cake in the 12 inch version that had been ordered in error.

Woody wearing his first chef jacket he had made for the event by ChefWear.

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Epicurean Classic Part Two of Three

Sep 10, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Events

Once I had gotten past my panic that we’d never finish our prep I got to enjoy the generosity and comraderie of the other presenters. Talk about a bonding experience!

Last time I had the pleasure of seeing Gale Gand was when we were participants at the CIA Pastry Conference in Nappa. She had just given birth to her twin daughters so that had to be four years ago.

It was so great to get to show Mary Sue Milliken her contribution to the book: The Torta das las Tres Leches.

Anna Thomas, a darling person who has just written a darling book Love Soup bought my new book for her son who loves to bake.

David Leite of Leite's Culinary presented a demo from his new first book The New Portuguese Table It was also his first demo which unfortunately overlapped mine but I could see from a short distance that he had admirable stage presence--no surprise as he has a delightful personality. I was already a fan, but after his eating four pieces of my Red Velvet, saying he never liked this type of cake before, I now totally adore him! By the way, you can see by my hairdo just how windy it was.

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Epicurean Classic Part Three of Three

Sep 10, 2009 | From the kitchen of Rose in Events

Tim Foley was the person who understood best the unique challenges of doing a bakingdemo away from one’s own kitchen. That is because he too is a baker and owner of the best bakery in town: Bit of Swiss. http://www.bitofswiss.com

Tim generously offered to have us do our prep at his bakery but since we had already started in the tent we tucked the offer into our memory bank for next time!

On Sunday, after his demo

Tim gave Woody and me a tour of his marvelous bakery. Here are a few of the photos Woody took while I was busy oohing and aahing which will give you an idea just how spectacular and delicious his work is.

Tim had this beautiful tile mural made for the bakery in Italy.

A custom-made Kitchen Aid

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How Food and Food Writing Have Changed in America

Nov 25, 2008 | From the kitchen of Rose in Special Stories

This special event, moderated by Clark Wolf, one of the country’s top food and restaurant consultants, on November 20, 2008 at the Fales Library in the NYU Bobst Library, was billed as:

20 Years of Food Arts
(30 Years of Food & Wine)
((33 Years since I have been in the first NYU class to graduate in the Bobst Library)) this my personal addition only for this blog!

The panelists were:
Michael Batterberry, Founder of Food Arts and Food & Wine
Anne Bramson, Publisher of Artisan
Jonathan Gold, Pulitzer Prize winning Food Writer
David Kamp, Editor and Author
and Liz Neumark, Caterer and Farmer

It was a full to capacity crowd of old friends and colleagues who could barely stop joyful greetings to allow the fascinating panelists to start their presentation.

Clark started with the shocking news that Gael Greene had just been fired. There were audible gasps as Gael is considered goddess of food writers and has been writing for New York Magazine as food critique for more years than I can remember. I have long adored her writing and, in fact, was honored by the most beautiful and eloquent quote on the back of The Cake Bible 20 years ago and she had never even met me—only my manuscript! Hearing this terrible news struck fear in all our hearts that an era had come to an end and gave credence to our perception that things may well never be the same.

I am listing a few of the most memorable tidbits from my notes—not from a recording device-- so they are not, for the most part, direct quotes.

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