Mary Ladd

Where the Chefs Go: Cookhouse Revs Up in North Beach

Images courtesy of Pamela Palma Photography

“I want to live here!” was the most squealed phrase at the Herbivoracious cookbook event for Michael Natkin at the aptly named Cookhouse venue. The crowd settled into a light filled room and many appeared comfy and happy with their meal and setting.

Cookhouse is a gorgeous North Beach nest that opened in February 2011. You can call it an event space, which it is. But such dry words hide the fact that Cookhouse is a sophisticated and vibrant spot that makes people wistfully cry out that version of “I could move here!” according to Director of Operations Amy Bryan. Climbing the stairs, one gets a decidedly mix of Paris in San Francisco feel. No wonder Cookhouse is ground zero for "in the know" birthday and anniversary parties, corporate mixers (leave that rubber chicken at the hotel banquet hall!), or perhaps an intimate dinner with the likes of Ravi Kapur, Stuart Brioza, Nicole Krasinski and Elizabeth Falkner before she decamped to the east coast. Prices depend on event, and more information can be found online here. San Francisco magazine is on to this celeb chef hangout and held a potluck here for a group of Best Chef Award winners last month.

Cookhouse has the kind of beautiful kitchen I love to work in: Thermador ranges and induction burners, MAC knives, Staub Dutch ovens, and a KitchenAid mixer. Neat freaks whoop over how well the cooking utensils are set up and organized, and the building dates back to 1913 and has served as a sound engineering office, bookstore and salon over the decades. It's clean, spacious and organized... the way I wish my home kitchen could always be.

Brendan Marshall of Kitchit has used Cookhouse for chef based events and said,

“Cookhouse has a nice venue with the facility to handle dinner parties of 20-30 people. For us, it’s all about connecting people with chefs. Cookhouse works for people who want a different venue.” 

Cookhouse’s Bryan confirmed that, “It’s a private venue you can rent for any use and it doesn’t have to be food related. That’s why we built it. We do a lot of private events, birthdays, anniversary parties, corporate team building, and classes. We even do a little bit of food photo shoots and filming here.” Professional cooking staff is available to help with the cooking and event flow, and Cookhouse has taken pains to work with local artisans and can order foodstuffs from Bi-Rite Market.

Tomato Expert Amy Goldman is in town. Eat up!

Seems like almost every culinary event or upscale market is stocked with gorgeous and tasty heirloom tomatoes. With so many varieties to choose from, it can be delish fun but perhaps a bit overwhelming for consumers. No need to be shy; help is on the way. "Gifted grower" Amy Goldman is in the Bay Area this week to talk about her new tomato tome, The Heirloom Tomato: For Garden to Table. The book is full of recipes, pics, tips, and mouthwatering photos. Food lovers and gardeners alike will find something to love here. Goldman is an expert gardener with books on melons and squash.

Wednesday, September 10
Commonwealth Club Blue Room
Lunch Time (11:30 a.m.)

In conversation with Dave Stockdale, Executive Director of The Center for Urban Education for Sustainable Agriculture

Friday, September 12

Book Passage at the Ferry Building

6:00 p.m. signing

Saturday, September 13

COPIA

1:00 p.m. lunch

Menu includes:

Cherry Tomato and garlic bread soup

Grilled beef with stuffed tomatoes, roasted potatoes and garden green beans

Galette of white peaches and tomatoes

Sunday, September 14

Carmel Tomato Fest

1:00-5:00 p.m. 

Litquake Smut tribute menu and pics

Work Date of Sunday, August 3, 2008

Event Description: Litquake fundraiser with light refreshments for approximately 200-250 guests. All food to be served at room temp until 10 p.m. or when food runs out. Guests arrive at 7:00 pm, show begins at 8:00pm.

Menu: Steamy & Saucy BBQ Pork Sliders, Creamy & Sexy Petite Quiches,  Sinful Assorted Cheese and Fruit, Gotta Have It Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Hot Stuff Food Section & Book Round Up

Book tidbits and food section round up is on SFist today.

With the world's spotlight on China, Fuchsia Dunlop's new book Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper: a Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China hits the spot. Her tales of eating and cooking are enticing. I can't stop thinking about her time in China, and how she pushed her way into kitchens and restaurants, to find out how to cook her favorite dishes. She eventually came to love the taste and texture of chicken feet, and other dishes that take some mental work for a non-native. She feels that learning to appreciate these weird textures are critical to truly enjoying Chinese food. I only wish she had included hints or even stories of love interests. It seemed odd to not know who she liked and loved during her fifteen year journey to China.

Bob Spitz's The Saucier's Apprentice is another interesting travel/cooking/eating memoir. He decides to pack up and learn to really cook after finishing a book on the Beatles and going through a divorce. Smart move. His journey to some of the finest cooking schools in Europe is funny, tasty, and touching. The characters-from fist fighting cooking school guests to hostile women folk are hilarious. Spitz experienced first hand that not every cooking school is worth shelling out money for, but he ultimately finds the recipes and knowledge, along with self acceptance and love, that he is seeking.

Min Jin Lee appears in San Francisco

Naomi Epel Invites You To
 An Asian Fusion Feast
with Author Min Jin Lee

 Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 6:30 pm
Ponzu Restaurant, 401 Taylor Street, San Francisco

Order Tickets Now!

Join us for an Asian fusion feast honoring Min Jin Lee, author of Free Food For Millionaires. With a sharp eye and articulate voice, Min Jin Lee deftly introduces a memorable cast of characters that are as colorful as they are troubled and as complex as they are familiar. “After 20 years as a literary escort, I find Min Jin Lee to be one of the novelists I most admire.” Naomi Epel, author of The Observation Deck and Writers Dreaming.

"I read a terrific debut novel this week. It’s always heartening to find a good new writer, but what’s especially delightful about Min Jin Lee and her new novel, called Free Food For Millionaires, is that she’s taken up the expansive form of the nineteenth century novel and its concerns about money, marriage, and duty, to create a kind of Korean-American riff on all those sagas, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Middlemarch, where the principled heroine sometimes behaves like a downright fool.” – Maureen Corrigan, NPR FRESH AIR

“Top 10 Books of 2007” - USA TODAY
“Year’s Best Books” - NPR’s FRESH AIR
“Favorite Fiction of 2007” - CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“Favorite Books of the Year” - CHICAGO SUN TIMES
“Notable Books of 2007” - SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“Best Novels of the Year” and “The Times Christmas Choice” - THE TIMES (London)

When:
6:30 pm on Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Where:
Ponzu Restaurant
401 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

Cost:
$95 per person or $175 per couple
AIWF & Asia Society members receive a discounted rate of $90 per person or $170 per couple
(includes tax, tip & an autographed copy of Free Food For Millionaires)

Sign up online here,
or call Book Passage at 415-927-0960, x1.

Ponzu Restaurant:
(415) 775-7979
www.ponzurestaurant.com

Lunch with Ellie Krieger

Tomorrow I'm attending a Luscious Lunch with the Food Network's Ellie Krieger, at Garibaldi's Restaurant in San Francisco. Her new cookbook is called Foods You Crave, and the menu will be from recipes in the book. I have to give Barbara Lane of the JCCSF a shout out for inviting me. Barbara is the JCCSF's Director of Lectures & Literature, and will be "in conversation" with Krieger.

Join us by calling 415.292.1233. Cheers.

Where I'll Be: Dinner with Bourdain & co.

 An SOLD OUT Evening with Anthony Bourdain- World Famous Chef and Author to benefit AIWF- Norcal Scholarship

Saturday, November 17, 2007 - AIWF NorCal (CA)
Time:	06:00 pm
Member Price:	$150.00
Guest Price:	$150.00
Venue:	E&O Trading Company
Email:	www.greenapplebooks.com

      

AIWF – NORCAL AFFILIATED EVENT

      

Saturday November, 17th

      

Green Apple Books and Naomi Epel

      

Present

      

 

      

An Evening with

      

Anthony Bourdain

      

celebrating his new book

      

“No Reservations”

      

 to benefit

      

The American Institute of Wine and Food Scholarship Fund

      

 

      

   Dinner prepared by celebrated chefs:

      

 

      

Chris Cosentino of Incanto Restaurant

      

        Alex Ong of Betelnut Restaurant

      

        Tim Luym of Poleng Lounge

      

        Sharon Nahm of E&O Trading Company

      

        Dessert Chef to be determined

      

 

      

including

      

Hangar One Vodka and St George Whiskey

      

and fabulous wines

      

 

      

Place:  E&O Trading Company conveniently located next to the Sutter Stockton Garage.

      

           314 Sutter Street

      

           San Francisco, CA 94131

      

 

      

Time:   7 - 10 pm

      

 

      

Cost SOLD OUT: 

      

$150 including food, drink, tip, tax & an autographed copy of No Reservations

      

$200 includes the above plus a 6 pm VIP reception w Tony & the chefs (limited to 50 people)

      

 

      

SOLD OUT

Tickets will go quickly for this stellar event for a worthwhile cause - a portion of the proceeds will benefit The American Institute of Wine and Food Scholarship Fund

Book Review: Living in a Foreign Language

If you found this via The Menu Pages, welcome!

Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to pack everything up and move to Italy? A nice dreamy fantasy, but what would that new life really be like? It helps to have a Marin home to sell to make this a reality, sure. Still, I enjoyed reading actor Michael Tucker's chronicle of buying a cottage in the Umbrian countryside because he is obsessed with food and cooking. His passion is evident in every word, and his memory of each meal--with ever present vino, of course-- is fun and enjoyable. He has a constant internal debate about what to find or eat for his next meal, and admits to having a "greedy, gluttonous beast" that lies within. Reviewing the eating possibilities is always part of the fun. The reader gets to know Tucker and his wife Jill Eikenberry, who seem to be filled with love and joy even after decades of living and acting together. They've got the acting chops but are thankfully down to earth, fun folks, who lack snobbery or pretension.

Many readers who swoon over food may easily relate to Tucker's food and wine chronicles on all counts. His main priority while traveling and visiting new places matches those of "foodies": to find the best food spots. Sightseeing isn't necessarily as important as sourcing one's next meal, and sometimes the fun is in the journey of discovery. As Tucker puts it while describing one Italian outing, "Our itinerary skirted churches, castles, museums and such, and focused in a very direct way on food and wine." Having a new town and home in the Italian countryside gives him the luxury of time to meet and get to know local butchers, wine makers, restaurateurs, and the like. He also makes friends with a "merry throng" of fun and food loving ex-pats who are down for the best pizza, pasta or other native dish. It's an enjoyable trip to learn about, and Tucker rightfully knows he's lucky.

During his travels and life in the country side, he learns about truffle dogs, prosciutto, olive oil, strongozzi (a round noodle), cheese making, the rules of eating great gelato, and how to negotiate and speak in somewhat rough Italian. Risotto is still "the most magical cooking process," and one of the many tasty things he explores. Life is great, but hurdles do exist. There are permits and waits for their dream cottage to become a reality, but the anticipation seems to be par for the course, and a dose of reality. Their rustico inevitably becomes a haven for relaxation and enjoyment (yes, Tucker and Eikenberry still have an active sex life that he is not coy about), and seems like an ideal way to live and learn in a new country. How nice to have "time pass(es) gently; there's no sense of hurry or direction."

L.A. Law fans will enjoy learning Hollywood tidbits. The couple's shared history includes time in Marin and NYC, which is fun to hear about, too. Tucker and Eikenberry have participated in hippy dippy counseling sessions that may amuse and tickle. As they settle in for more simple adventures, it's easy to be lulled into appreciating their shared goals and way of life. The only burning question that may remain is, "How can I end up where they are?"

Find out more in person when Tucker and Eikenberry are featured at the Commonwealth Club on Wednesday July 25. Tickets are $8-$15, and check in begins at 11:30 a.m. If I didn't have to cater, I'd be all over this one.

Upcoming Chinese Banquet with Nicole Mones

I'm getting hungry already, and that's not just the baby belly tawkin! July 12th, Naomi Epel hosts a sumptuous Chinese banquet for Nicole Mones, author of Lost in Translation. You may remember that Epel was instrumental in putting together the Marco Pierre White dinner at Incanto earlier this year. She has the enviable job of shepherding authors and celebs around the Bay Area when they are in town, including Tony Bourdain. Below text is directly from Naomi.

You may know Chinese food; you may even love it. But The Last Chinese Chef will take you into a world of Chinese food you never even knew existed. Here is the hidden universe of one of the world's great cuisines. Its philosophy, its concepts, and its artistic ambitions are all illuminated in a story that's entertaining, emotionally satisfying, and erudite.

"Using Chinese culinary history, language and tantalizing descriptions of fine cuisine, Mones shows how food can both nourish the body and the soul. Her extensive research takes readers into the philosophy and artistic ambitions of Chinese cuisine - and leaves them hungry for recipes." -NPR (Liane Hanson, WEEKEND EDITION)

This unique event will be centered around an authentic Chinese banquet prepared by acclaimed Nanjing chef Nei Chia Ji of Jai Yun Restaurant.

"When Chinatown cooks crave mainland cuisine, they go to Jai Yun, where chef Chia Ji Nei runs a one-man show..."The San Francisco Chronicle - October 30, 2002

The Flying Pan Bistro 6:30 pm 
680 Clay Street, San Francisco steps from the Chinatown parking garage.

Cost is $95 per person & includes dinner and a signed copy of The Last Chinese Chef.
To reserve, call the Book Passage events office at 415-927-0960 x239 or click on: http://www.bookpassage.com/event_detailed.php?id=875

         

Late Night Food Reading

I can rarely read food related material at night. That's problematic because night time is when I usually have the time and energy to tackle reading. If you've ever expereienced the following symptoms, you may relate.

Symptoms of a late night reader tackling the subject of food:
-Growling stomach

-Mental inventory of fridge and pantry, with the frequency increased as more it gets later in the night.

-Visions of endless meals and dishes, combined with serious hunger pangs.

-Debates with self or companion(s) on how long it would take to cook up Dish X.

One late night, I was reading the James Beard book on Pasta, and making mental notes. A pile of  dog eared Gourmet, Saveur, Chile Pepper, and Organic Living magazines sat in a pile on the floor. We were planning on making lasagna inspired by the book the next day, for dinner. My brain and belly had other ideas. I asked Oscar if he would eat some with me now.

"Hon, it's almost eleven," he said, eyes buried in a book.

"I know. But... I'm hungry," I said, with a barely perceptible hint of whining thrown in for drama's sake. I had to change course. "It will only take two hours to cook!" I enthused. I couldn't wait to cook some Niman Ranch ground beef, chop onions, peel garlic, and make some thick and herby tomato sauce. We don't usually eat that late, and perhaps Oscar was wondering how enthusiastic I would be about cleaning up after all that cooking and gorging.

Guess who won? By 1:30 a.m., we were taking the lasagna out of the oven. "Wait 'til it cools," Oscar warned. He pointed to the recipe. "It even says to let it cool, right here." I shrugged. The cheesy-tomatoey combo looked and smelled amazing. How could I resist? I sunk my spoon into the steaming lasagna and barely blew on it before tasting. I made some awkward, "Ah, ummmm," noises, and tried to hide the fact that my mouth was burning a bit.

"See? I told you," he said.

"I can't wait a full half hour for it to cool!" I muttered.

"Okay, let's drink some wine and let it sit for awhile."

We feasted and drank ourselves silly that night. I have made other late night impromptu dishes for us, but that one stands out because it was a first. If I could figure out how to avoid or ignore my late night hunger and still tackle my food reading, that'd be another first.

SFist: Patricia Wells Cooks

I learned more about Patricia Wells this week, on a visit to Purcell Murray. She's charming, smart, and knows her cooking! More dets at SFist.

The Devil in the Kitchen

My SFist write up of an Incanto dinner honoring Marco Pierre White is here. Flickr stream here. Menu Pages blurb here.
 

Uber chef Marco Pierre White's book, The Devil in the Kitchen is the food intense story of his life in restaurants. There aren't the usual tales of drugs and booze, but it is fascinating nonetheless. That is one difference from some other modern chef tales & depictions that are popular today. It's clear that White remained devoted to work and practicing his craft above all else: family and relationships were lower priorities. Don't worry, though. He did eventually allow himself to have fun & lovin' with all sorts of ladies. Even better for celebrity chef-philes, there is stellar gossip since he has worked with-and dishes some dirt on-the Roux brothers, Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay.  There's even a dash of celeb gossip by way of appearances from Madonna, Michael Caine, and Damien Hirst.

White's happiness in the kitchen continued to grow after his first experience at getting paid for providing pleasure as a fish seller. Yes, he's happy, but he eventually became a boss who would regularly throw tantrums. With reason. The anger and fits stemmed from a commitment to high quality, which seems to make sense when you consider how much effort White always applied to his food and restaurants. He now has an empire to show for it all. As a boss and business owner, he sought respect and loyalty from those working for and with him. 

This consistent hard work earned him three Michelin stars, which set a historical precedent because he was the youngest to do so. It shocked some when he gave his stars up when he retired. That's something many chefs wouldn't think to do, because with the stars go notoriety, glory, and ample profits. But it shows White's integrity: why keep stars if he won't be in the kitchen, preparing the food? For chefs like Anthony Bourdain, White was the "original rock star chef" because he was so obsessed and brilliant in his craft. When they see each other, White told me he and Bourdain swap tales over "fags," their beloved cigarettes.

White's food lessons are enjoyable and pop up throughout the book. He uses simple and stark language to explain things like the texture and flavor differences in a raw versus grilled tomato. Cooks of all stripes will benefit from his lessons on food, ingredients, cooking and the role of nature. It's not surprising that he has always respected nature, and is a fan of hunting (in person, he calls hunting, "stalking"). His full story is worth checking out.

For another review of White's book, read Incanto Chef Chris Cosentino's tribute from this Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle book section. His Editor--okay, it's my husband, Oscar Villalon--told me there was little editing needed. Chef Chris's take on the night can be read here.

Devil in Incanto's Kitchen

I will soon post my review on Marco Pierre White's book, Devil in the Kitchen. Better make it snappy since he's coming to town! I will be there for what sounds like a delicious and interesting evening. From Incanto Restaurant's newsletter:

He was the youngest chef in the world to be awarded 3 Michelin stars
and the first Brit ever to receive the honor.

Britain's most celebrated chef, Marco Pierre White, will host the U.S.
debut of his memoir "The Devil in the Kitchen: Sex, Pain, Madness and
the Making of a Great Chef" at Incanto on Tuesday May 8, 2007. Chef
White will be on hand to sign books.

We will celebrate with a special menu inspired by Chef White's
classics. Cost for dinner for two persons, plus one copy of the book is $190
per couple, excluding beverages, tax & service. More information about
the dinner is available at:

http://www.incanto.biz/

Sneaky Chef's Techniques are Gross

OK, watching the Sneaky Chef on TV yesterday morning didn't really make me puke, but I was seriously sick. Sick that someone in the media spotlight feels it's okay to enslave oneself to a frickin' blender or food processor in the name of healthy eating. Or that she'd put spinach and blueberries in brownies. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Sneaky Chef is an attractive female chef who decided to always puree veggies and other "good stuff" and sneak it into her children's food. Oh yeah, she also has a book and classes for other parents who want to be sneaky. She puts these gross looking purees in muffins, doughs, with pasta, mac-&-cheese, and other weird combos. What nutritionist feels that children should be regularly consuming meals that are nearly in a pre-digested state (she used words to this effect)? Mmmm-hmmm.

I don't have a problem with being sneaky, but find it weird that one has to go that far just to include some veggies in a meal. This sets up a host of problems: a lot of work just to hide veggies, with no end in sight. By pureeing everything, a child will never feel he or she has to try new and different vegetables. There are so many easier ways to prepare tasty and healthy food than this sneaky approach.

Sure, it's easy for me to judge because that's what I do. I don't yet have a child and in theory haven't experienced the difficulties there, but I have many family members and friends who have offered a variety of veggies (and fruits, whole grains, etc.) to their kids. Overall results are young eaters with an interest in new and different foods, no puree needed. Eating should have a sense of adventure to it, rather than be a way to cut corners and sneak things past others.

The other weird thing with the Sneaky Chef is she uses those purees all the time. That may be okay for baby food. Other exceptions: in elder care facilities, and for folks who are for medical reasons no longer able to eat firmly textured foods. Sneaky Chef is creating a generation of kids who don't know what good and healthy eating is, and who will be loathe to try and prepare things on their own. It also has a smarmy, self involved whiff of spoiled brattiness to it.

Book Review: Slow Food Revolution

Take it slow! Enjoy the sensual side of things. If you must be lulled into such "beauty" (one of Alice Waters' descriptors), a great way to proceed is picking up a copy of Slow Food Revolution A New Culture of Eating and Living, by Carlo Petrini and Gigi Padovani.

Learning about unique, hand-crafted foodstuffs--Santo Stefano Di Sessanio lentils or Signora (cured meat) of Conca Casale, anyone?--in the Slow Food Revolution book makes for fun and interesting reading. These descriptions give good details on exactly the sort of Slow Food Petrini has in mind with his revolution. While I'm glad Petrini started working hard at getting folks to enjoy such small batch items, and focusing on the quality of their food and meals, I think he's still got a tough road. There's no arguing with his message that our lives are better when the food we eat is of a better quality--and the producers who make it are taken care of. Good, clean, tasty, fair, sure. Of course we want that.

The history of the Slow food movement is based in Italy, and covers big societal, political, and economic changes. Carlo Petrini has saved many foods from near extinction, and improved the quality of food and dining as a legacy. Perhaps most impressive, there is now a university dedicated to learning about farming, food, nutrition, and culture. (Imagine such a place! I'm sad I wasn't able to get my degree there.) Factory food is kicked to the curb as the Slow Food participants instead seek out the local, quirky foods, many decades or centuries old. One neat trick he's managed is to get farmers and producers to get a fair and decent payment for their products. The media spotlight helps promote their products as well as give them recognition for hard labor. It's inspiring to hear how humble folks from around the globe meet via Slow Food, and learn ways to survive and improve their farming operations.

It's good that the Slow Food organization continues to grow. The members will need strength. At least in America. Who doesn't try and eat local and artisanal? My bias: I guess I read enough food blogs to think this is happening often. Sure, it's wonderful to imagine having the time and inclination to slow cook meals that are always savored and enjoyed together, with a decent bottle of wine. But what about work? Cell phones? All those other distractions we run into? One thought I kept having while reading this book is that the Slow Food movement could only have started in Europe. I'm glad they've got their priorities straight and continue to influence the citizens of the world.

The Way of the Thumb is here

Update: check out the San Francisco Chronicle Style section write up with exclusive video footage on the booklet from Sunday, December 3.

Just in time for holiday shopping and the New Year! Our thumb wrestling booklet for 826 Valencia is here. Joe Shoulak (known to you as reader Joe S.) did the illustrations. About the only food reference is a "nice hams" story from an East Village deli. The booklet is Oscar's advice and wisdom from being a 3-peat thumb wrestling champ. Other qualifications: he also easily pinned and took down Chronicle Publisher Frank Vega, and Editor Phil Bronstein at a rowdy Chronicle holiday party two years ago. When an online buy-this-booklet link is available, I'll of course put it up. It's a fun read, for a great cause, etc., etc., etc.

Perhaps you read about the booklet recently in Leah Garchik's Thanksgiving Day column (okay, there's more food for ya, if you're digging):

"In other educational notes, The Chronicle's book editor, Oscar Villalon, passes along this advice: "Don't be one of those people who looks down at what I like to call 'the arena of flesh,' mesmerized by the speed of his opponent's thumb, trying to keep pace, all slack-jawed and drooling. Don't do that to yourself. Respect yourself.''

This don't-look advice is from "The Way of the Thumb,'' a booklet being sold to benefit the educational programs of 826 Valencia. Villalon is three-time champ of the 826 Valencia Thumb Wrestling Tournament."

Where I'll be Monday night: Anthony Bourdain's in town!

My fork is ready. It may not be possible to top our Incanto dining experience with Tony Bourdain, but I plan on trying. He has a City Arts & Lectures (sold out) event Monday night at the Herbst Theatre. Last week, I crafted and emailed a few late-ish night meal and drink itineraries for him to peruse. The tentative plan is to eat, drink, and of course get Tony ample smoke breaks. I will let you know where we end up.

Backstage at the JCC SF Jewish Bookfest

If the Green Room is good, the event that follows may be, too. Oscar and I recently got an insider's view into one of the nicest Green Rooms we've ever seen. It wasn't just one room, but almost four connected rooms. Location? The Jewish Community Center (JCC) of San Francisco, during their SF Jewish Bookfest.

The JCC is a spacious, clean, beautiful building on the inside, with what appears to be ample opportunities to learn, relax, exercise, and enjoy cultural programs. It's an impressive place.

Oscar was scheduled to interview Gary Shteyngart about his latest book, Absurdistan. I was happy to accompany Oscar but also tired and peckish from catering that day (it was a Sunday). Barbara Lane, who is Director of Lectures and Literature, and a longtime friend of ours, must have noticed my weakened condition. She brought in more food to the Green Room (E.L. Doctorow's leftover bagel bites sat on a plate), while she went to track down Gary. I nibbled on cashews and half a bagel with cream cheese, tomato, and cucumber. I resisted the brownie bites and other sweets. Had to save room: we were having appetizers and drinks at the 415 Restaurant after the interview. There was a fridge stocked with sodas and waters, and posters and pictures of Roseanne Barr and other famous Jewish entertainers on the walls.

Oscar looked over his notes while I relaxed and sat. We could hear a cell phone ringing within 10 feet of us. The noise was coming from a giant open closet space. The ringing cell was stowed away in a jacket.

Barbara eventually brought a bookseller, followed by a Rabbi in for us to meet. I was oddly nervous to meet the Rabbi, because I wanted to behave as reverently and appropriately as possible. However, I was so tired that I stammered, "Reh-bay, hello. Rabbi, I mean! Yeah... Um, hi there," when I was introduced. Reh-bay? What was wrong with me? Reh-bay?! Realizing my mistake only made me more nervous. I looked at Oscar but he didn't give me any sort of "WTF are you doing?" eyes. Maybe that relaxing Green Room space put me in a daze. We talked about it later and Oscar assured me that no, I hadn't committed the world's worst faux pas, and that Rebbe is actually a term used to address and describe a Rabbi.

At left, Gary and Oscar, at 415 Restaurant. Oscar is not as angry as he appears. 415's eggplant apps were noteworthy. I passed on the chicken skewers, because they seemed too difficult to eat while schmoozing.

Book Review: The United States of Arugula

I wish The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation came out while I was first thinking about going to cooking school. It's exactly the sort of knowledge I was hungry for. I particularly enjoyed reading about more juicy food world dirt as well as how important the West Coast and Bay Area food scene has been in helping our country develop and fine tune its collective palate. True, it's certainly important to read separate tomes on and by noteworthy cooks from the past such as: Careme, Escoffier, Fannie Farmer, and others of their ilk. If you can't take the time and effort for that research, then The United States of Arugula book reports on and covers a huge amount of culinary history material in an engaging way. The biggie questions answered are: Who are the people who helped shape our country's eating and cooking habits? How and why did they do it?

The United States of Arugula goes far beyond being a useful primer. Now food professionals, writers, and those otherwise interested in or obsessed with their food (the book's author, David Kamp, can't get around the use of the dreaded "foodie" term, either) can use it as a historical-sociological-economical guide. Not only that, Kamp has got the juicy and sometimes excruciating (perhaps for those that were there) gossip on major celeb players, including James Beard, Mark Miller, Bill Niman, Alice Waters, Orville Schell, Chuck Williams, Wolfgang Puck, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, Craig Claiborne, Emeril Lagasse, and more. It's fascinating and definitely worth a read.

Litquake Eats: Opening Night

Author Kevin Smokler said to me with a half way shrug and smile, "Once again, there's nothing for the Jews," as he watched guests eat pulled pork sandwiches at the Litquake Opening Night VIP after party. We were in the va-va-voom gorgeous red Lodge space at the Regency Center.

"Uh!" I countered, "There's some nice cheese platter stuff going on, too. But yes, you've got a point." While the pork may not have pleased Kevin (he did confess that pulled turkey would've made him happy), the rest of the party attendees were for the most part digging in. It was almost 11:30, and they must've been tired and hungry after a  night of performing. 

I watched groups huddle over the food, and was looking to see how people reacted while eating.  It may have seemed rude of me to dart around the room, looking at hands and faces to see reactions. I wasn't wearing a tell tale chef's coat or other service attire, so it wasn't obvious that I was the caterer.

The signs they gave off were most pleasing. Seeing sighs, licked lips, and smiles put me more at ease. Catering should never be a relaxing venture, but it is oddly fun to me. I signed on to do the catering at the last minute because I care about Litquake as a cause, but I did have at least one ulterior motive. I wanted to see the Opening Night performers and VIPs eat my food. It's really our food-Oscar deserves the biggest of shout outs for helping me shop and be otherwise strong and supportive. By strong I mean yes, he was putting away catering tables and gear at the end of the night.

Food and supplies cost a total of $203.43 . Because I had a Cala/Bell Market gift certificate, the actual funds spent came to: $178.43. What was my labor cost, you ask? Wouldn't you like to know.