It must have been good karma to take over the former Wave Hill bread kitchen in Wilton, because the AMG Cooking School, which opened it’s doors in July, has truly found the right ingredients for success.
Alison Milwe-Grace and her partner, Olivia Savarese, are not new to cooking having run a catering and event planning business for years. When the professional kitchen space at the old Wave Hill Breads came on the market, they saw an opportunity and jumped at the chance to open a cooking school. They have been hosting both adult and kids classes ever since.
The good friends added their own personal touch to the space. Gone are the wooden bread racks and flour dusted floors. A cozy candlelit living room and dining area serves as the entrance, while the kitchen features a huge work area complete with famous chef quotes on chalkboards to serve as inspiration.
Giada De Laurentiis, famed Italian chef, New York Times bestselling author and Food Network star, will greet fans and sign 1,000 copies of her brand new cookbook WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA: Quick and Simple Recipes to Revamp Dinner (Clarkson Potter; on sale March 27, 2012) at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk on Wednesday, March 28 starting at 5:00 p.m.
Providing an intimate sneak peek into Giada’s day-to-day family life with husband Todd and daughter Jade, and chock-full of gorgeous color photographs, WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA will be a new favorite for longtime fans—and a new kind of handbook for home cooks everywhere.
Stew Leonard’s is offering the cookbook at a special book signing price of $29.99 or two for $50.00. Please note that customers are asked to purchase at least one copy of WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA at Stew Leonard’s in order to get in line for the book signing.
RAFFLE: Ten lucky fans will win a free copy of WEEKNIGHTS WITH GIADA and a reserved place at the front of the line to have their book signed.
The Schoolhouse at Cannondale had several requests to again offer thier "Pig Carving 101"Saturday afternoon class at the Millstone Farm in Wilton, Ct. Tim LaBant, Chef & owner of The Schoolhouse will guide you from begining to end on how to successfully carve a full pig, the benefits of different cuts & how to best prepare and cook these cuts. A rustic and seasonal farm to fork lunch will be available throughout the event. Soft drinks will be available or feel free to BYOB for sharing or swapping.
The event is Saturday, March 17 from 12:00PM to 2:00PM at the Millstone Farm, 180 Millstone Rd., Wilton, Ct. It's priced at $45. per person, excluding tax & gratuity. Please make reservations by calling 1-203-571-8990 or email them at rthorpe@schoolhouse.com before March 12. Because of limited space they request reservations be guaranteed with payment at time of booking.
This just in from The Fairfield Green Food Guide: Millstone Farm's spring workshops series has been announced. These events range from Pig Carving 101 with Chef Tim LaBant of The Schoolhouse to Raising Backyard Chickens with Millstone’s Master Farmer, Annie Farrell. You'll want to check these out.
Pig Carving 101
Saturday, March 17: 12pm – 2pm
Tim LaBant, Chef and owner of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale Restaurant provides a comprehensive how-to on carving a full pig. We’ll also discuss benefits of the different cuts of meat, and how best to prep and cook them.
“What’s a nice Greek girl like you doing running a place like this?” I ask Maria Pertesis, who with her mother Katrina, has just opened Cactus Rose, a vibrant new Southwestern themed cantina in Wilton. “My family has owned a Greek diner in Fairfield for almost 40 years,” she offers. “So my mother and I wanted to try something new and exciting.”
And that’s exactly what these amazing women have wrought. Under their husbandry, the former Mediterranean Grill in the Wilton Center has blossomed into a fun-filled, warm, and welcoming hacienda. Indeed, the restaurant came up almost overnight, as if itself a desert flower.
Did you miss Paula Shoyer, author of THE KOSHER BAKER, on the Food Network’s new baking competition “Sweet Genius”?
If so, you can catch her in Westport on Wednesday, January 25 when she will be offering a baking demonstration and scrumptious tasting at Chabad of Westport.
Shoyer performed magnificently on “Sweet Genius.”.She was poised, cool and creative in that episode in October 2011. Along with other contestants, she was given unexpected, last minute challenges like being asked to integrate jelly beans and hot sauce into her recipe already in the works. Her rosemary lemon sponge cake with raspberry mint sorbet between the layers was not the version she had planned on when she started!
I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Ramin Ganeshram to talk about her cookbook; her newly released Stir it Up! a novel written for young adults, as well as her involvement in the community.
But before you start reading...In Stir It Up! heroine Anjali Krishnan enters a video cooking contest for a shot at a reality cooking competition show on Food Network. She does such a good job she makes it to the finals. If you have a young aspiring chef in your family, check out Ramin's video contest below.
Ramin, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, was greatly influenced by the cultures of her Iranian mother and Trinidadian father. The marriage of two different heritages and lifestyles would result creating in new traditions; food was one of them. Ramin explained, “We had access to Middle Eastern markets growing up, but all Middle Eastern ingredients are not the same.
The Silo, one of the region’s preeminent Cooking School, is offering area residents a chance to meet and learn from one of the culinary world’s greats – Celebrity Chef Sara Moulton. She’ll be teaching two demonstration classes at The Silo on Friday evening, November 4 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and on Saturday morning, November 5 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Silo Cooking School is located at Hunt Hill Farm, 44 Upland Road in New Milford, CT.
The Friday, November 4 evening class, Friday Family Dinner with Sara Moulton, will take place from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The menu will consist of Panko Scallops, Breakfast for Dinner Pizza, Celery and Parsley Salad, and Grape Crumble.
On a perfectly clear and balmy night last week, 60 diners gathered at Millstone Farm, Wilton, to dine alfresco in the field adjacent to Betsy and Jesse Fink’s farm house . Tim LaBant, Chef and owner of The Schoolhouse at Cannondale Restaurant, was focused and in good humor as he checked last minute details and greeted familiar faces. Enthusiastic attendees sauntered down the hill towards one very long, white draped table dotted with glowing candles and jam jars filled with brightly colored flowers from the fields.
Rebecca is a 7th grader at The Unquowa School in Fairfield, CT. She loves to read, write, draw and cook. This is her review of Ramin Ganeshram's new book, Stir It Up. [Note: Don't miss the great recipe for Coconut Dark Chocolate Cookies below.]
In Stir It Up by Ramin Ganeshram, the thirteen year old main character, Anjali, causes quite a stir when she chances losing some of the most important things in her life.
Anjali loves to cook; she loves working in her family’s roti shop. Her dream is to have her own Food Network cooking show by the age of fifteen. On the other hand, her father wants her to take an entrance exam to get into the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in New York City.
Award winning local chef and long time CTbites contributor, Nicole Straight,has just published her second cookbook, "More Time to Eat! Delicious recipes from a busy kitchen," which aims to teach families how to streamline time spent in the kitchen, as well as make delicious meals in 15 minutes.
The new cookbook is an evolution of Straight’s lengthy experience as a cooking instructor who has taught thousands of people how to bring their families back to the table and simplify the nightly 6 o'clock dinner time dilemma.
Her new book comprises a plethora of easy recipes, such as BLT Tortellini, Provencal Braised Chicken Thighs, Asian Quinoa Salad and Dark Chocolate Cherry Cookies. She teaches you how to simplify meal preparation while minimizing time spent in the kitchen for both family meals and entertaining friends.
Perhaps one of the keys to the bold flavors and exciting range of vegan desserts presented in Hannah Kaminsky’s latest cookbook, VEGAN DESSERTS, SUMPTUOUS SWEETS FOR EVERY SEASON, is that she insists that there aren’t any disclaimers about her recipes. “Each dessert must be delicious, bold and beautiful, not just for a vegan dessert but for ANY dessert.” It is for that reason, that Kaminsky’s latest book will appeal to a wide range of home bakers including those concerned with reducing fat and sugar, vegans and vegetarians, and Kosher bakers (always on the prowl for non-dairy desserts) alike.
Enjoy a bit of the Berkshires in our own backyard at the "Sunset Picnic on the Hill" @ Ambler Farm. Spread out your picnic blanket on the hill a la Tanglewood or join your friends under the tent for farm-fresh fare and live music as the sun sets over Ambler Farm.
The evening will kick off with a champagne greeting complemented by local artisanal food prepared by A Delicious Affair and homemade desserts. Celebrate our local harvest with the tasty menu below.
Cookbooks used to be written for those who loved to cook or for those who needed to cook. Today’s food-centric culture has added breadth and depth to the genre. Food lovers and home cooks look to chefs not just for instruction, but for inspiration. “Harvest to Heat, Cooking with America’s Best Chefs, Farmers, and Artisans” by Darryl Estrine and Kelly Kochendorfer goes one step beyond, showcasing the local farmers, ranchers and artisans who serve as muse to those esteemed chefs. The result is a celebration of the symbiotic relationship between farmers and chefs and the masterpieces created by their combined efforts.
Why TEN? The new TEN China Bistro in Wilton had a lot to live up to, giving itself a number like that. We would be the ones to decide if TEN was indeed an appropriate rating. We were diners on a mission. Chef/Owner Eric Xie would have a lot of "splainin" to do if the food at TEN ended up as anything less. There was only one way to find out...EAT! So eat we did. There are many reasons to try this new Asian fusion restaurant, (in the same plaza as SOUP ALLEY). Would we give it a 10? Well, here's the verdict:
Looking for that perfect restaurant to woo your significant other this Valentine's Day? Try one of these great romantic spots in Fairfield County, CT.
Schoolhouse - WiltonThis quaint renovated schoolhouse is the quintessential special occasion spot (if you can get a reservation). Local ingredients and nuanced flavors highlight this menu.
Paci - Southport Nestled in the Southport train station, Paci's unique interior combines a renovated freight depot with urban modern chic. This Southport favorite has been serving some of the best Italian fare in FC since 1996.
The Schoolhouse at Cannondale was built just after the Civil War, in 1872 and has been owned and operated by Chef Tim LaBant, a native of Wilton, since 2006. The setting of this authentic one room schoolhouse along the banks of the rushing Norwalk River, makes for an unusual destination dining experience. The deep chocolate hue on the walls, the comfortably upholstered banquet seating that runs under the windows that frame the river just outside, the simple decor accented by 4-5 framed photos of classes of students and teachers from over 100 years ago, sets the tone. This quintessential New England scene is authentic, inviting and superb.
