A sure sign of summer is the Guest Chef cooking series that benefits Children’s House. Throughout the month of June, visiting chefs will be conducting classes at the Red Rabbit Farm in West Sound.
The weekly classes begin on June 2, with Cynthia Nims chef and author. Chef Nims is the author of over ten cookbooks, among them, The acclaimed Stone Fruit. Nims is a Northwest Native and a graduate of the legendary La Varenne Cooking school in Paris. Food editor of “Seattle” Magazine, she is a proponent of the of the regional local food movement and on the board of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
On June 9, Greg Atkinson, is making his fourth appearance at Cooking in the Barn. Greg Atkinson is a leading voice in Pacific Northwest Culinary trends. This year he was awarded the Angelo Pellegrini award for furthering the Northwest Food region. The author of several cookbooks and a lively food commentator, he is regularly featured in radio, television and print.
Coming June 16 is Scott Mangold, owner and chef of the very popular BreadFarm Bakery in Edison Wash., which he founded with his wife Renee in 2003. His baking career began at the Black Bear Bakery, a certified organic artisan bread bakery in Portland, Oregon. Scott polished his baking skills at Grand Central Bakery both in Portland and Seattle. He also attended classes at the CIA Greystone, the National Baking Institute in Minneapolis, the Ritz Escoffier in Paris and the San Francisco Baking Academy.
Scott will be teaching the fundamentals of making artisanal- style bread at home. Each student will take home some naturally cultivated sourdough “starter”.
On June 23, Becky Selengut chef/owner Cornucopia, returns. She is a teacher and private chef who started an innovative website which is a tool “…to easily identify when local foods are in season” for all Puget Sound cooks. She will be demonstrating recipes from her new book, Washington Local and Seasonal.
With her will be April Pogue who will lead a tasting of wine appropriate to the meal. April is the general manager and sommelier at The Grand Cru Wine Bar in Bellevue, Wash.
All classes run from from 4 to 7 p.m. Cost per class is $100 and includes demonstration, dinner, and wine.
On June 30, the third annual celebration of local farmers, the Farm to Table dinner, will be hosted by Christina and Bruce Orchid at Red Rabbit Farm. The menu will feature the best of the season in locally grown produce, meats, and dairy, connecting us to the bounty and community of our beautiful island. Cost for the Farm-To-Table Dinner is $75 per person, including dinner and wine.
Register on line at our website www.oich.org/form.html or contact Children’s House directly at childrenshouse@rockisland.com or call 376-4744.
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