Floyd and I are fortunate to live within driving distance of the Honeyville Grain store in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. We have attended several classes there, and really recommend them to anyone who can get there.
For those who haven't been to Honeyville for awhile, their new kitchen is up and functional. It looks great, and functions so much better than the previous setup. Having the camera/flat screen setup to see into the bowls being stirred and pots bubbling away makes a huge difference.
This past weekend we attended a class by Chef Tess (Cheftessbakeresse.com). The class we were able to get to was on healthy recipes for her 52 method meals in a jar.
We had attended one of her classes in the past, so we already knew that she sounds in person just like she writes for her website. She is zany funny. If you ever have a chance to take one of her classes, do yourself a favor go.
Apparently the word has gotten out, because the class was packed. People just kept coming and coming and coming. I've never seen that many people at a class there, nor have I ever seen that many people in the store at one time. It was pretty crazy, but in a very good way.
One of the best parts of classes at Honeyville is the opportunity to sample. Floyd likes to sample just because he thinks any class with food is a good class. I like to sample so I can be sure whatever they are doing up there actually tastes good before I go home and attempt it myself.
We especially enjoyed the Pistachio Spiced-Peach Pie Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal. I will definitely be making this. We both also liked the Polynesian Sweet and Sour Chicken Baked Beans. Both recipes are on her website.
Another reason I appreciate sampling during classes is having the opportunity to try storage products before committing to a large quantity. While sampling during this class I learned that I like freeze dried chicken, quick cook beans, granular Erythritol, potato pearls, and freeze dried peaches. Yum! All will be on my shopping list in the future. I am not a fan of the texture of freeze dried beef, and that is very good to know before purchasing a #10 can (Floyd liked the beef "okay" but I'm guessing I will just sub chicken or turkey).
One of the things I love the most about her classes is her emphasis on food safety. I am very much the same way, and I spend a lot of time double checking things I see and hear and read to be sure they are safe for my family. I learned some interesting food safety/shelf life things as she answered questions, and I will definitely be following up about them with another post.
Chef Tess was delightful from start to finish. We got there about 30 minutes before class time, and she was very graciously answering questions when we got there, and continued to do so until the start of class. I'm guessing she did after class, as well, but we were shopping at that point.
Oh, I almost forgot! Her new book is out. The Gourmet Food Storage Handbook by Stephanie Peterson. I only got to glance at it briefly, but I can tell you those books were FLYING off the shelves. Seriously. They were moving like crazy. If you want a copy, you might want to get it quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment