The SFPFS Blog

A Passionate Tango

February 18, 2012

by John Wiest

It’s an open secret. Our food society is passionate about food, its growth, distribution, preparation, presentation and celebration. Every January, we acknowledge our obsession, starting with the tales of tables traveled, pots stirred and endless bowls tasted, wines sipped … and sometimes quaffed.

The January 23 Annual General Meeting, while in principle a “business meeting,” was really a speed mingle, an embrace of old friends and, thanks to the California Culinary Academy, a sumptuous sit-down dinner. Many a fork was lifted and glass tipped in grateful tribute to our host, the CCA student chefs, Chef Michael Weller and CCA President Peter Lee.

In celebration of the Chinese New Year — the Year of the Dragon— members old and new were greeted at the Technique Restaurant with an array of Chinese astrologic signs, with each attendee adding their personal sign to their name tag.

On that Monday evening, our sponsor and society leaders were recognized for their contributions – especially the 2011 SFPFS Board of Directors. Outgoing 2011 President Dede Sampson played gracious emcee in this year in review. Treasurer Andrea Cope reported sound finances, with planned expenditure for development of the new website and a fiscally sound forthcoming 2013 dues increase, the first in more than 10 years.

Reports from Karen Diggs, Dorothy Nicholson, Sharon Goldman, Gayle Massey, Susan Pridmore and John Wiest highlighted the society’s contribution to the greater Bay Area food community, scholarships, a striking new directory (that Michelin might envy), Food Trend discussions, expanding Facebook capabilities, national culinary outreach, a fabulous annual barbeque and many supportive sponsors.

Rodger Helwig had the honor of presenting the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award to “the hardest working woman in the Food Society,” food educator and culinary travels agent, Lili Rollins.

Of course, metaphorically, it takes two to tango, and while the General Meeting retold the past, the New Members Reception focuses on the future. We were very pleased that our 2012 Culinary Scholarship recipient, Christian Clark, attended and provided evidence of the continued vitality of our Bay Area food culture and industry.

Finally, a tango is propelled by music — which in this case was the generous contribution of our 2011 sponsors. Hats off to our Gold Sponsors: The California Culinary Academy, Constellation Wines and Joie de Vivre Hotels. And this music continues for 2012, with support from Ketchum Communications, CIA-Greystone, Numi Tea and Sierra Select Distributors / Miele Gallery.

Of course, the 2012 dance has only begun. Until next January, the future now assumes the lead, entwined with the past, consuming the thoughts and propelled by the desires of you, our members. A new year to celebrate.

QUEEN of TARTS: Tasting SIG Does Red Wine Vinegars

December 19, 2011

Red wine vinegar is by far the most commonly purchased and used vinegar in the U.S. So on November 1, we thought we’d give various vinegars a try, focusing mostly on mainstream brands.

Little did we know how quickly tart can get overwhelming, even though we sampled with sugar cubes for speedy dip n’ suck! When tasting 10 or more vinegars, no matter how you do it, sour catches up with you. Fortunately, we ended our exploration tasting the best of the best, with expert guidance from Tony Fillicelli of Sparrow Lane Artisanal Vinegars.

In addition to being bowled over by the Sparrow Lane vinegars (which are not widely available yet), our top commercial choices were (1) Colavita, (2) Ponti and (3) a tie between Barengo and Pompeian. For further tasting notes, prices and availability, see the full story on our website.

Our favorite red wine vinegars

#1 Colavita (Italy) 6% acidity, 17 oz $3.99 Whole Foods (“aged”)
Well-rounded, balanced flavor; smooth, fruity, hints of wine

#2 Ponti (Italy) 6% acidity, 16.9 oz $2.50 Andronico’s
Fruity, interesting flavor with nice complexity, yet simple too; one taster noted raspberry

#3 was a tie! Interesting, because the acidities were so different–5% vs 7.5%.
Barengo Vineyards (USA) 7.5% acidity, 12 oz $4.25 Draeger’s (barrel aged) Somewhat fruity with honey undertones
Pompeian* (USA) 5% acidity, 16 oz $2.59 Nob Hill/Raley’s
Smooth and mellow; made from Concord grapes.

After our official tasting and rating, came the champagne of wine vinegars,
Sparrow Lane. I would venture to say that we all were bowled over by the smooth, elegant flavor of these vinegars:

Zinfandel wine vinegar 6% acidity Yumm! and Cabernet wine vinegar 6% acidity with a clearly, delicious wine flavor. Both use California grapes, and both are available only at Draeger’s and Lunardi’s right now. www.sparrowlane.com

My take-away from our red wine vinegar tasting? Sparrow Lane is the clear choice for leafy salads and other lightly dressed dishes in which the vinegar flavor would be obvious. The others vinegars, while quite tasty, might be best for marinades, cooked sauces and stews. If you like smooth deliciousness, Sparrow Lane is it. If you want bold robust tang, choose one of our top choices.

* Pompeian was among the red wine vinegars recommended by Cooking Light in 2010 and by Cook’s Illustrated in January 2011. Another of the vinegars we tasted, Holland House, was recommended by Cooking Light as the best “pantry staple” red wine vinegar.

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By Rita Held

The Wines of Alsace — Overlooked Gems

November 30, 2011

In describing the wines of Alsace, Tom Schmeisser, one of the foremost wine retailers in the country at Marty’s Fine Wines in Newton, Mass., calls these wines some of the “most undiscovered, underappreciated, overlooked and undervalued wines from France.”
I agree completely. These outstanding wines, especially the unique white wines from this region, have long been personal favorites, and the only white wines I’ve cellared.

The winemaking history of this region in northeast France goes back centuries, with some of the older houses making wine since the 1600s. And although this area has passed back and forth many times between France and Germany over the centuries, the style of these wines is quite different from their neighbors to the East. German wines tend to be on the sweet side, retaining some residual sugar, whereas the wines of Alsace, except the late harvest versions, are for the most part fermented completely dry. Also, because of the Germanic influence, it is the only region in France to produce mostly varietal wines, typically from grapes similar to those used in Germany, primarily riesling and gewürztraminer.

From still and dry, to lusciously sweet, to crisp and bubbly, one is sure to find an ideal Alsace wine for any occasion. Long known to wine insiders for their freshness and versatility, these aromatic and terroir-driven wines make ideal partners for a dizzying array of cuisines — from Thai to Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, French, New American and beyond.

At our November Wine SIG we sampled a wide range of varietals from Alsace, including wines made from sylvaner, pinot blanc, riesling, pinot gris (pinot grigio in Italy) and gewürztraminer grapes. As one veteran Wine SIG participant said, “I would buy any of these wines,” with the general consensus of the group calling this the best tasting we’ve ever done.

Notable dry wines we sampled included the 2009 Zind Humbrecht, Herrenweg de Turckheim, Riesling, only 800 cases produced ($39.99 at K&L Wines, SF). Rich, unctuous, crisp and incredibly well balanced were some of the comments.

High marks also went to the 2007 Charles Baur, Pfersigberg, Gewürztraminer, Grand Cru ($23.99 at K&L Wines, SF), from one of the most famous Grand Cru vineyards of Alsace. Well balanced, this elegant wine displayed rich lychee, honey and exotic fruit flavors.

Value wine of the evening was the 2008 Domaine Boyt Geyl, Pinot d’Alsace, Metiss ($15.95 at PlumpJack Wines), an organic and biodynamic wine combining four grapes from the pinot family (pinot blanc, pinot auxerrois, pinot gris and pinot noir). A wonderful aperitif wine, tasters described it as minerally, with well-balanced lemony flavors.

But the showstopper of the evening was a last harvest wine I brought back from my wine cellar in Upstate New York, a 1976 Hugel, Vendage Tardive, Selection de Grains Nobles, Gewürztraminer (purchased in 1982 for $18; now going for around $125). Deep gold in color, with highly concentrated flavors of caramel, butterscotch and coffee, this gem was drinking marvelously now but still had a core of acidity that would carry it another 10 years.

To accompany these terrific wines, Wine SIG members outdid themselves, preparing many wonderful dishes, such as a traditional choucroute garnie, kugelhopf and other tasty delights to make this a truly memorable evening.

Delicious Alsatian foods

Alsatian Cake

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By Rodger Helwig

Adventures with Abalone

October 31, 2011

AbaloneOn a sunny Sunday in late October, SFPFS members and guests gather for an in-depth abalone adventure that includes an insider’s look at aquaculture, an expert cooking demo and a classic Coastside feast.

The fun started down on the docks at Half Moon Bay’s historic Pillar Point Harbor, where Google Executive Chef Olivia Wu and California Abalone Company owner Doug Hayes teamed up to explain the ABCs of abalone – from farm to table.

Olivia praised Doug’s abalone farm as “sustainable aquaculture at its best. This is as fresh and local as you can get– and a true labor of love.”

“What I’m doing is so labor-intensive that you might question whether it’s worth it,” Doug admits. “But this is probably the only way people will be able to enjoy abalone in the future.”

Only the best is good enough for Doug’s abalone. Every Saturday, he drives down to Monterey to harvest a ton of kelp in the three tasty varieties that comprise the mollusks’ favorite menu, then hauls the fresh seaweed out to the farm to feed his “pets.”

The smallest are about the diameter of a nickel – and will take up to 14 years to reach the largest size that Doug sells off his boat (the “medium” ones are about 9 years old). As Doug pries one of the biggest abalone out of the tank and packages it in a special oxygenated bag, he laughingly advises the buyer to “take good care of Steve.”

When you’re buying something as rare and valuable as abalone (with or without a name), you want to make sure to prepare it properly – so Doug and Olivia provided all the details.

“In the Asian culinary tradition, abalone isn’t pounded,” Olivia told us. “The secret lies in the knife skills of the chef – you need to slice abalone very thinly to get the perfect texture. After that, it can be stir-fried, poached or steamed.”

“You want to keep it really simple so you don’t overpower the abalone’s delicate flavor,” Doug said. “Start by dredging the abalone in flour – then get a real hot frying pan, add butter and a little olive oil, and cook the slices for about 30 seconds each side.”

After abalone lovers have been clued on the how-tos, Jim Anderson of the Half Moon Bay Fishermen’s Association makes a surprise announcement: he’s arranged for a vintage 1920s fishing trawler to take us out to the farm for a close-up look.

The growing operation is just inside the harbor breakwater, where water conditions are perfect for abalone. We cruised by the 3,000-square-foot platform that marks the top of the farm – and used our imaginations to envision the car-sized cages below, each home to hundreds of happy abalone.

As everyone knows, ocean air is great for your appetite, so after the harbor voyage we were all ready to dig into the seaside spread at the waterfront Maverick’s Event Center. On the menu: Philly cheese steak eggrolls, homemade hummus and pita chips – and a premium mini burger trio (Kobe beef, chicken and ahi tuna sliders).

After lunch, Jim Anderson explained how Half Moon Bay fishermen have partnered with Google to create a new CSF (Community Supported Fishery) program that brings the company’s employees the freshest local seafood. “We deliver fish to the Googlers every week. Olivia developed a special pouch that keeps the fish super-fresh, so everyone is guaranteed the best quality.”

“At Google, we work directly with the Monterey Bay Aquarium to create our own green seafood list that’s more refined and local than the more general one they provide,” Olivia says. “Eating a truly local catch is much more delicious and offers incredible variety – it really showcases what being a locavore is all about.”

To crown the afternoon’s adventure, Gaston Alfaro, Executive Chef at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, shared his secrets for prepping, cooking and serving the ultimate abalone salad and abalone meuniere. He followed up the generous tasting sampler with a special dessert: his signature “Mavericks Beeramisu,” made with handcrafted Mavericks porter and stout.

Hungry for your own home-cooked abalone? Just stop by Doug’s boat at slip F-22 in Pillar Point Harbor – he’s there most weekends from 11 a.m.to 4 p.m. (depending on the weather and his mood). Then check out Chef Gaston’s recipes (below) – and enjoy a seafood-loving locavore’s delight!

Maverick’s Event Center: http://www.maverickslodge.com/

Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.: http://hmbbrewingco.com/

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By Laura Martin Bacon

Stirring the Pot ~ Spotting and Translating Trend: A How-To Discussion

June 15, 2011

A curious group of members and guests enjoyed the hospitality of Joie de Vivre’s Hotel Vitale and Americano Restaurant & Bar while getting an insider’s peek into how various culinary professionals think about, track and translate food and beverage trends. On June 6 I had the great pleasure of assembling a smart and articulate panel of savvy culinary professionals representing both the foodservice arm and magazine and cookbook publishing world in our profession. They generously shared their best practices with our audience with verve and humor.

I kicked off our trend exploration by explaining the Center for Culinary Development’s five-stage Trend Map, which offers a framework for understanding where food and beverage trends are operating on a spectrum of emergence and acceptance. We saw how many trends start in the restaurant world, move through food media and specialty retail, to chain restaurants, into women’s magazines and finally into the mainstream. The key to thinking about trend acceptance is to look for the drivers, the forces that propel trends into the mainstream by meeting a wide variety of consumer needs, like convenience, wellness or even flavor adventure.

From there, our panel discussed the ways trends work in their businesses. Morgan Plant, vice president of F&B for Joie de Vivre, talked about how she follows Twitter and chef blogs, and eats out a lot, to get ideas for menus and restaurant concepts. Her company also works with communities and consumers to find the best restaurant fit for new hotel properties. Sometimes the first idea doesn’t work, she explained, and needs to be tweaked to fit the locale and moment. For restaurant menus, she can react more quickly, such as seizing on the booming food truck-meets-pie scene and adding cute “pie holes” to a dessert menu.

Ida Shen is responsible for preparing thousands of meals each week at UC Berkeley as the assistant director-executive chef of Cal Dining. She follows about 20 blogs and soaks up the many food photos she accesses through social media and the web to get an idea of what her very vocal students may want to eat. Although Cal vegans weren’t delighted with one day’s pork festival, she routinely thrills young palates with international cuisine and trend-forward dishes, including ones that “smash” two cuisines together, like Korean tacos, though she notes that comforting dishes like mac and cheese are always crowd pleasers.

Amy Machnak, recipe editor, was clear about what Sunset magazine looks for: fresh, newsworthy stories that fit with the mission of the esteemed magazine focusing on the West, the second oldest in the U.S.! It’s got to be new, it’s got to be hot, yet it still must meet the needs of longtime readers. She and her fellow editors look for topics that appeal to them, that are cool and noteworthy and haven’t been covered before at Sunset. Amy pointed out how timing can be everything, illustrating with an example of covering the Portland food truck scene long before the current food truck mania hit — thus precluding additional coverage during the peak of the trend. At the same time, recipes must meet the needs of folks looking to cook a great dinner and still have some time left over to enjoy life.

Jennifer Newens gave us an inside look into Weldon Owen Publishing, a company that has an incredible catalog of cookbooks, many for Williams-Sonoma. Jen’s relationship with buyers at the gourmet retailer provide her with insight on what people are buying and cooking, whether it be the quirky aebelskiver pan, the classic slow cooker or even the newly intriguing pressure cooker. It turned out that publishing an aebelskiver cookbook gave the company one of its biggest sellers, despite the esoteric nature of the tasty Danish pancake ball. Look out for Jen’s upcoming cookbook with the Voltaggio brothers using modernist cuisine techniques.

Our lively evening concluded with an even livelier reception featuring a delicious selection of trend-forward appetizers and desserts, including a marvelously decadent mini salted caramel chocolate tartlet, provided by the Americano, and three fine wines from SImi Winery, generously donated by our Gold Sponsor Constellation Wines. I also relished our happy hour cocktail the Americano bar prepared with donated Svedka vodka. It featured lemon, fresh basil and elderflower liqueur, a tasty trend in itself.

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By Kara Nielsen

Vineyards and Winemaking in Napa Valley

May 11, 2011

It was a cloudy, windy Sunday when we gathered at the William Hill Estate Winery on the southeast side of the Napa Valley. With jackets zipped and umbrellas in hand, we had come to learn more about the grape growing process.

Nate Kaufman, our wonderful guide for the adventure, greeted us with a taste of William Hill’s Napa Valley Chardonnay. It was a delightful, crisp wine sourced from the Carneros region of the Valley. We then walked onto their landscaped terrace for a birds-eye view of their 140-acre estate while he explained that we were standing on a “benchland.” Their vineyard is close to the valley floor climatically, but the volcanic soil and the size and vigor of the vines means William Hill is more like a mountaintop vineyard.

We stepped onto the ground in a section of the vineyard just steps away from the puddles near the tasting room — and discovered that the soil is so porous that the ground was dry! Nate pointed out that, unlike the rich, sandy loam soil that dominates the Napa Valley floor, benchland soils — like those at William Hill — tend to be rocky, thin and nutrient-deprived. Vines here struggle to find water deep within the soil, forcing them to produce smaller berries with more intense color and flavor. Their location affords the coveted combination of abundant sunlight and a temperate climate, ideal conditions for growing red Bordeaux varietals

We were standing between two rows of vines – one of Cabernet Sauvignon and the other of Cabernet Franc — and it was time to taste wine that were partially sourced from these very vines. Nate poured us their delicious signature Benchland Blend of each varietal. Each of these wines displayed intense varietal flavors with balanced tannins and a long finish. At William Hill, the “blend” refers to their winemaking regime. Significant variations in elevation, drainage and sun exposure in their vineyard — even from row to row — have prompted winemaker Ralf Holdenried to carve out specific vineyard blocks, some as small as one-tenth of an acre. The grapes from each block are picked at their optimal ripeness and fermented separately before being blended together in the final wine, allowing Ralf to bring the full expression of the vineyard into the bottle.

Nate then took us into the barrel room and discussed the concept of “toast.” We were all intrigued with their half barrel display, with each stave showing an increasingly darker level of toast. After a barrel is assembled, the inside is placed over a heat source and toasted, much as we do when we place a piece of bread in a toaster oven, to bring out the oils and caramelize the sugars. As we tasted their richly flavored Benchland Blend Merlot, he demonstrated how darker toast levels bring out flavors of vanillin and smoke in the wine.

Armed with our new knowledge, we retreated to the warmth of Sharon Goldman’s house just a mile away for our traditional potluck. An assortment of creative salads dominated our lunch while a welcome and wonderful hot asparagus soup chased away any remaining chills. Of course, we filled our glasses with William Hill wines and raised a toast to a delightful spring Sunday in the Napa Valley!

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by Sharon Goldman

The National Food Lab Tour

March 30, 2011

Ever wonder how that pouch of shelf-stable chicken dinner stays fresh in your cupboard, or what role oregano oil has in preserving food? These are the types of subjects covered during SFPFS’s March 25, 2011, tour of The National Food Lab (NFL) in Livermore, a center for culinary ideation where food products are formulated, produced, and packaged.

Of the lab’s 750 clients per year, most are large food manufacturers with multi-million-dollar budgets. CEO Kevin Buck says companies come to NFL for two main reasons: fresh ideas and speed. NFL can bring a product to fruition in 3 months to 2 years.

The company is divided into many departments. The kitchen is where chefs and nutritionists formulate recipes for products. In the Innovation Center, products are critiqued in consumer focus groups and trained chefs perform sensory evaluations of attributes like taste and texture.

The Tech Center is where the chemists and microbiologists clock in. “Biohazard” caution signs abound, and entry into some labs requires vaccinations and FBI fingerprinting. The scientists ensure that foods are free of pathogens and other undesirables such as pesticides and heavy metals. They also analyze products for quality attributes such as moisture, protein, and sugar content.


Housed in the Tech Center is a pilot plant where commercial operations such as canning and packaging in aseptic containers are simulated. Scientists determine which processes are most effective for food preservation, eliminating pathogens and processing foods so their packaging doesn’t rupture under pressure.

It was an educational day for SFPFS members, who had lots of questions. Thanks to Mr. Buck and his employees for being so generous with their time. Thanks also to SFPFS member Laura Stec for initiating the tour after meeting Mr. Buck at the CIA Greystone World of Flavors conference. Laura was the lucky recipient of a ticket to the conference from the SFPFS community services raffle.

 

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By Laurie Gauguin
Photos by Nader Khouri

Wine SIG Report: Wineries? In Berkeley? Mmmmm.

March 18, 2011

For some odd reason, I thought I heard mooing as we arrived at Tim Patterson’s Subterranean Cellars in Berkeley, located in Tim and Nancy’s garage. Tim is the author of the recently published “Home Winemaking for Dummies” and agreed to host the March SFPFS Wine SIG.

Tim began the tour outside, displaying the hardware involved in home winemaking. In contrast with “full-scale” winery tours, it was refreshingly accessible. Those gigantic white plastic bins you see at wineries? Here they look like short yellow recycling bins (“FYB’s” in the colorful parlance of the home winemaker). The crusher/destemmer looks like an old-time crank clothes washer. And the fermenter? Hey, it’s a big trash can. How do you control temperature? Extra refrigerators, heating pads and a big PG&E bill.

We learned a lot. For example, 100 pounds of red grapes makes 7 gallons of wine, the average price is $1.00 per pound, and about $1.50 of alcohol-tolerant yeast gets the process underway. You can use a modified potato masher to punch the cap down, and the pressed juice goes into either a barrel (red) or a glass carboy bottle (white) for a bubbling active nap at 85 (red) or 60 (white) degrees. The winemaker tastes every week, and may need to make adjustments (for those, read the book).

We had an impressive tasting of Tim’s wines:

  • 2010 Barbera from Amador County
  • 2010 Zinfandel field blend with petite syrah and carignan
  • 2009 Buechsenstein Vineyard Mendocino Chardonnay
  • 2009 Rosé Veronica (named after Tim’s mother)
  • 2009 Silvaspoons Vineyard Lodi Douro Fabricado II (a Portuguese lookalike)
  • 2008 Silvaspoons Vineyard Lodi Douro Fabricado
  • 2007 Cuvee Maxine (modeled after Fife Vineyards Max Cuvee, 2010 double gold winner at Orange County competition)
  • 2002 Toscano Falso California Sangiovese (9 years old! Beautiful, round, maybe a touch of butter in the finish.)

Can I say the Wine SIG lays out a good spread? Tim’s wines were wonderfully food friendly, not surprisingly. While eating and sipping, we chatted. Tim’s been making wine for 14 years, and makes 50 cases a year. Home winemakers can legally make up to 200 gallons (130 cases) per year. Hey, I have an extra garbage can out back, maybe I can…where’s that book?

Thanks to Tim Patterson and Nancy Freeman for hosting.

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By Linda Yoshino

An adventure of the senses at Blue Bottle Coffee

February 25, 2011

An adventure of the senses at Blue Bottle Coffee

Enveloped by the fragrant aroma of coffee, the loud hum of roasters and the chilly air of the former produce market, James Freeman, founder of Blue Bottle Coffee, escorted SFPFS members throughout the company’s fascinating roasting plant on Feb. 18.

While showings sacks of (mostly) organic coffee beans, James pointed out their global origins and explained that the bean is actually the pit of the fruit. (This fruit is referred to as a “cherry” by the coffee trade.) The group next made a diversion to the incredible bakery where his wife Caitlin was brushing absinthe (yes, absinthe!) onto biscotti and sprinkling them with sesame seeds, resulting in their namesake Regina’s Biscotti. In fact, all Blue Bottle pastries emanate from this flagship bakery with the exception of those at SFMOMA, where an additional selection is available.

Art meets science in the roasting process. Experienced supervising artisans evaluate the beans for appearance, taste and smell while monitoring the environmental conditions. Today’s unplanned challenge was a power outage, thankfully restored by PG&E just prior to our visit. For blending coffee beans, the surprising piece of equipment used is none other than a cement mixer.

“Cupping” ensued–a three-stage process where first we smelled a variety of ground single origin beans. Next, hot water was poured over these grounds and we inhaled the aromas of each one. Finally, spoons were provided for sipping. Here are some tasting notes about each:

Sidama – highly fruity
Yirgacheffe Peaberry – dried apricots
Sulawesi Peaberry – Molasses
Brazil Poco Fundo – pungent, excellent for espresso
Daterra Reserve – maple, almonds
Ethiopia – tangy, sour, peach acidity

Lively banter about favorites was interspersed with more information about Blue Bottle from James, including plans for a new location in Manhattan. Incredibly, after only eight and a half years, this brand is recognized as premium in the category.

A platter of Caitlin’s pastries provided the sweet finish to our visit. SFPFS members will be dreaming about Parmesan-Fennel Biscotti, Stonehouse Olive Oil-Caraway Shortbread, Saffron Snickerdoodles and Michael Recchutti Chocolate-Chocolate Cookies for months to come!

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By Kathy Lassen-Hahne
Photos courtesy Nader Khouri Photography

Notes from Cooking Teacher SIG Meeting

February 16, 2011

Although it was a windy and rainy night, the enthusiasm at the February 16 meeting to discuss this year’s Cooking Teacher SIG programs was palpable. The meeting was high spirited and productive.
This was my opportunity to listen and absorb all the wonderful ideas that will help shape future meetings. It was unanimously agreed that cooking must continue to be an integral part of our meetings. This provides the forum all of us to continue learning and growing, which helps further our abilities and, in some cases, our businesses.

One of the ideas discussed is to conduct cooking demos (either individual or teams) at a few of the SIG meetings. Themes are unlimited and could include vegetarian, gluten-free, working with kids, and cooking for health, among others. Additionally, there was enthusiasm for the idea of presentations in which SIG members can gain knowledge from other teachers, such as asking Weezie Mott to demonstrate her method of conducting in-home cooking classes. For those of you with a large collection of recipes and notes who are interested in information on how to publish your material, the topic will be addressed at a future meeting featuring SIG members who have “been there, done that.”

Other recurring requests are for help with marketing our skills and businesses, learning the art of blogging, and becoming more proficient on Facebook. It looks like we’ll have a lot on our plates in 2011! I look forward to fun and instructional meetings.

We agreed to start themed potluck meetings. The first will be a Mexican theme at our meeting on April 26 in Novato (address to come). The meeting will feature two guest speakers. Ann Humphrey will dedicate an hour to the subject “Marketing Your Business.” Ann worked in channel marketing and international marketing at Autodesk and for the last 7 years has done marketing projects, marketing plans, and coaching for small and medium businesses in a variety of industries. Her favorite projects involve working directly with entrepreneurs on tactical projects to generate sales leads and orders. Ann will share practical, measurable marketing strategies to grow a small business. She will also cover some common marketing money-wasters to avoid.

We will also welcome SFPFS member Gayle Massey, who will spend a few minutes helping us to connect to the SFPFS Facebook Site and showing us how to utilize the site in our business life and SFPFS communications.

Thanks to all who attended our last Cooking Teachers SIG, and a special thank you to Marie Simmons for opening her home to us for the February meeting.

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By Carl Drosky

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