(Pictured above: Chef Townsend “Tod” Wentz of Townsend)
In two days, COOK will release its January 2015 schedule and there’s something for everyone, including pasta and baby food making, Valentine’s desserts, cocktails, ceviche and more! Here’s a sneak peek of what’s in store for the New Year. So check out the schedule below and get ready to be online this Wednesday at 2PM when classes go on sale. (Hint hint: COOK classes and gift certificates make great holiday gifts!)
Last Thursday marked the fifth annual FEASTIVAL: the amazing benefit for FringeArts. For five years now, this premier arts festival has joined forces with Philadelphia’s world-class restaurants to present an event described as a “completely delicious and amazing” evening and named “one of the best events in the last decade”. FEASTIVAL celebrates both our artistic and culinary scenes – two great economic engines that push Philadelphia forward. The evening has been hailed as “the cultural event of the year,” “the best party in Philadelphia,” “a party from a different world” and this year was even better!
For the 2014 “helping”, FEASTIVAL moved a few blocks south along the Delaware River transforming Penn’s Landing (Delaware River Waterfront between Chestnut and Market Streets) into a magical, exclusive and chic party for the hottest movers and shakers in Philadelphia’s business, culinary and social scenes. FEASTIVAL continues to unite Philadelphia’s most distinguished chefs and restaurants with featured live performances from some of the world’s most acclaimed artists. Below are some of our (proud sponsor COOK) favorite photos from the night. Hungry for more? Here is the official 2014 Audi FEASTIVAL photo gallery with tons of cool pics with more on the way (so check back periodically).
This past Tuesday, COOK was thrilled to welcome for the first time, Marshall Green, Executive Chef of the Northern Liberties eatery, Jerry’s Bar, for a fall feast.
Jerry’s Bar is essentially the perfect neighborhood restaurant. The beautifully renovated space (run by father and daughter William and Christie Proud) has a timeless feel, and everything is done the way it should be. The local, seasonal dishes are always fresh and flavorful, and the brunch menu is arguably the best in town. There are cocktails to match the food – classics and new creations, but never too fussy.
BBQ lovers, get excited! Fette Sau (German for “fat pig”) is the Fishtown barbecue restaurant specializing in dry-rubbed meats, sourced from small, local farms and smoked in-house. The menu changes daily, with a rotating selection of meats available for purchase by the pound. The sides are kept simple and include burnt end baked beans, broccoli salad, pickles, sauerkraut and potato chips. Fette Sau is also a transplant from Brooklyn by way of partnership between restaurateurs Stephen Starr and Joe Carroll, marking Joe’s first restaurant outside Williamsburg. This August, Fette Sau’s chef, James Davidson, made his COOK debut with a night of exceptionally delicious barbecue!
This September, COOK is featuring a number of first-time instructors who are all bringing something new (and delicious) to the table. Here are some of COOK’s not-to-be-missed fall newbies:
Thursday 9/5 7PM Summer Corn Dinner with Jason Hook of H20 Kitchen
Local chef Jason Hook is making his COOK debut by partnering with Blue Moon Acres Farm to present a cornucopia of corn dishes. After years working in the elite kitchens of Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges, Christian Delouvier and Philip Legendre, Hook has returned to the Berks County region, bringing with him his style of avant-garde fine dining. His H2O Kitchen special tasting events provide a full spectrum experience for local residents, with a taste of both the local and fresh and the international and rare. In September, each of the courses on Hook’s menu will include organic corn from Blue Moon Acres Farm in Pennington, NJ. Other local ingredients will be included on the menu, which also fuses exotic tastes and ingredients. Please note: this class is not vegetarian.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to revisit the rooftop garden of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. I went about 3 years ago when the “edible landscape” was first installed by my old friend Grace Wicks of Graceful Gardens.
Over the past 3 years, Executive Chef Rafael Gonzalez (who took me up there yesterday) has worked with a new gardening pro to double the garden’s size and capacity. And while we are still weeks out from really seeing major growth up there, there were plenty of signs of a fruitful season to come.
Recently COOK had the great pleasure to host a class led by superstar Boston chef and restaurateur, Barbara Lynch: the brains and spoons behind Boston restaurants including Menton, No.9 Park, The Butcher Shop and B&G Oysters.
Chef Barbara (with the help of sous chef Stephanie Cmar and Elle Jarvis, GM of her COOK-like Boston demonstration kitchen, Stir) served a menu of recipes that can all be found in her cookbook, Stir: Mixing It Up In The Italian Tradition.
The gang from COOK was so happy to have been included in the “by invitation only” event on Friday night at the newly opened Le Bec Fin. The glamorous and elegant interior has been painstakingly renovated and here are some of our fave shots from the night.
We know the new Le Bec will be a huge hit – and we wish our friends there all the success in the world!
Vive Le Bec Fin!!
When Georges Perrier opened the doors on Walnut Street’s haute cuisine mecca, Le Bec Fin forty years ago, he single-handedly started a restaurant revolution in this city that is still going strong today. Next week, when new owners Nicolas and Fazilet Fanucci re-open the doors of the dining institution to the public, chances are, Le Bec Fin 2.0 will once again change face of dining in Philadelphia.
COOK had the distinct pleasure of being invited to the see the renovated space during the final stages of construction last week. We took a few less-than-Leibowitz-esque pics on our phones but it gives you a sense of the major team effort going on to get the new Le Bec Fin ready for its close-up.
There are many things that distinguish Pierre Calmels, Chef/Owner of Bibou, from other chefs in Philadelphia – his height, his thick French accent, his “four bell” rating by the Inquirer’s Craig Laban – to name a few. At COOK, what distinguishes Pierre is the fact that he is the only chef who comes without a sous chef or assistant of any kind and manages to plate 5 courses – 16 times each – over the course of the evening in amazing time, knocking our socks off with every delicious bite (most chefs knock our socks off though!).
