News
Benefit Event! Alice Medrich is one of my very favorite cookbook authors. Maybe some of you old-timers remember her Cocolat stores, where she started the chocolate truffle craze, way back in the ’70’s. Alice is holding a benefit Dessert Cooking Class at the kitchen on Sunday afternoon, June 3rd.
Dynamic Summer Programs for your Kids Registration for Cook! Programs is under way, and sessions are filling quickly. With a creative roster of week-long camps for kids 9-18 this summer, you’re sure to find something interesting. Learning to cook well is a life skill that will never be wasted, and reinforces other skills (like math for instance) as well. Tracy has a line-up of one and two week sessions that will knock your kids’ socks off.
If special themed dinners at your favorite local restaurants, or unusual culinary opportunities excite you, consider joining us for one of our own!
We’ve got a busy kitchen this month, with lots of events to keep us happy. Our annual Emeryville Chamber of Commerce mixer will be on Thursday the 15th. A couple of hours of socializing and food, and if you’ve not been to the kitchen, a chance to come visit and meet some nice people. And, if you want to join me in the Cocktail Party Menu class the night before, we’d love to have you come to that, too.
Welcome to the new Paulding & Company Website! We are very pleased with our new look, and with being able to update our news section, photos and text anytime. It’s a huge change from our nearly 8-year old site! Take a trip around the site—give me feedback please! Even though I’ve spent many long hours checking the spelling, grammar, and flow of phrasing, there are bound to be some mistakes here and there. Are there things you like or dislike? Do you like the way the recipes are now searchable?
New year’s resolutions, anyone? If yours had anything to do with learning to cook so you can eat better, healthier, more flavorful food, or to lose a little weight, to get together with friends and family more often, or try new and fun activities, consider a cooking class or get-together with friends or co-workers in the kitchen! We have a fabulous roster of classes on the schedule, many with room for a group of friends or family to attend together. We are always happy to create a group event—cooking and dining together brings people closer in a marvelous way.
Holiday Gifts for Cooks I have no stake in any of the items I’m mentioning—just things I love: Silicone or straight-bottomed bamboo spatulas make great stocking stuffers; even inexpensive cooking tongs are fun and appreciated. My Thai granite mortar and pestle (google it!), the big heavy kind, is probably the most-used tool in my kitchen for grinding spices, making seasoning pastes etc.
Holidays at the Kitchen We’re selling holiday parties like mad this year, and the first two weeks of December are pretty much booked up. Still some space after that, if you’re thinking about doing something special, either a catered party or a cooking event. If you’ve been thinking of hosting a party but haven’t got a place to do it, let us be your hosts! We’ll not only host a cooking party, but also invite your group in-house for a catered event. We can even block off the kitchen and set up a lovely party space for you where you don’t even have to watch us cook.
Have you planned your HOLIDAY PARTY yet? — We are privileged to have one of the best, most interesting and exciting holiday parties to offer to two lucky groups. Imagine a delicious catered meal with a custom menu, along with a chance to work with one of the most revered chocolate experts and pastry chefs in the country, Derek Poirier, Executive Chef for the Americas of Valrhona Chocolate! Learn to make exquisite small chocolate desserts, and collaborate on showpieces, for instance, a Holiday Tree replete with chocolate ornaments of all sorts, including decorated truffles.
September Events — We have two events this month that are very exciting. The first is coming right up, Thursday the 15th, the Park Avenue Grand Opening Party, sponsored by the city of Emeryville and our friends at the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce. We will be selling some great Cajun favorites at the event, which will be from 5:30-8:30 PM and will feature live music from Boco Do Rio. I’ll be making Jambalaya, red beans and rice, a nice salad, and New Orleans style bread pudding with rum sauce and whipped cream—all for sale at rock-bottom prices, and in limited supply.