SF Chefs 2010: Gary Danko and Joanne Weir Cooking Demofeatured
Gary Danko and Joanne Weir are best friends in the kitchen and in real life too. Their great dynamic made for a fantastic, fun cooking demo at the Williams Sonoma test kitchen last Saturday during SF Chefs. Weir and Danko took a controlled chaos approach to the flow of their demo, as they helped with cooking each other’s dishes during their demonstration and socializing with the audience. The demo showcased teamwork at its best.
When brainstorming what to present for their demo, they both agreed showcasing a seasonal summer ingredient was a must. They decided to focus their demo on seasonal summer berries, with raspberries being the star of the show.
The demo began with them describing how make a raspberry vinegar or Raspberry Shrub, as Weir and Danko called it. They combined beautifully ripe raspberries to make a raspberry vinegar reduction, which was used as an ingredient in each of their dishes. Before they added the shrub to anything they passed around a bowl of it for the audience to try. We all passed it around and dipped our little spoons into the deliciously sweet and slightly tart reduction and I think we all could have been content just eating it straight from the bowl the whole demo.
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SF Chefs 2010: Sugar & Spice Partiesfeatured
Beyond the headline events at SF Chefs were two smaller tastings held at the Westin St Francis for the hotel’s VIP guests, KGO contest winners and event sponsors. Featuring seven to eight chefs, the parties offered a chance to sample the creations focused around a theme. Thursday evening’s event was all about Spices, showcasing a range of similar spices across varied, culturally-driven dishes.
The highlights of the evening were Dosa‘s Lamb and Potato Croquettes with Avocado and Tamarind salsa. Employing traditional South Indian spices, these croquettes were crunchy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside and packed a heat that only intensified with each bite – characteristic of Anjan Mitra‘s approach to his food, and one that I definitely appreciate.
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SF Chefs 2010: View from the Topfeatured
What happens when you get some of the best chefs in San Francisco together under one roof for a panel discussion? Great conversation, a mutual love for food, and energy in the room that screams, “I’m in love with what I do.”
After the indulgences of Friday’s events, guests at SF Chefs were greeted with a fresh start Saturday morning atop the Westin St. Francis Hotel for a panel discussion about the ins and outs of the industry. Culinary rock stars Michael Mina (Restaurant Michael Mina), Cindy Pawlcyn (Mustards Grill, Go Fish, Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen) and Charles Phan (Slanted Door, Out the Door), Perry Hoffman (étoile) and his grandmother, French Laundry legend, Sally Schmitt, all joined together to share their legacy.
The main focus? Advice on how to start your own restaurant, have it stay afloat, and how to stay happy in the process. Each chef shared the obstacles, joys and wisdoms of how to create a successful restaurant in the city.
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SF Chefs 2010: Anolon Chef Challenge – As Seen On TVfeatured
Early birds that ventured across Powell Street were treated to a two-on-two battle Sunday morning at the Anolon Chef Challenge: As Seen On TV, as Tyler Florence (Wayfare Tavern) and Elizabeth Falkner (Orson, Citizen Cake) squared off against Jennifer Biesty (Scala’s Bistro) and Chris Cosentino (Incanto) in an Iron Chef-esque competition. Each team had an hour to create three dishes with the secret ingredient: American lamb. Each dish was judged on presentation, taste, and creativity on a scale from one to ten. The winning team received a ten piece cookware set from Anolon, the event sponsor.
Over the course of the hour, emcee and potential Ricky Gervais stand-in, Liam Mayclem charmed the crowd while poking fun at the chefs, particularly Chris Cosentino (apparently they’re neighbors). He even threw a jab my way for using a laptop during the contest. When he wasn’t cracking jokes at the chefs’ expense he handed the microphone over to audience members for questions.
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