The “Sharing Chefs” fundraising cooking classes continue. They benefit Share Our Selves, a nonprofit organization in Costa Mesa that provides food, medical, dental and financial aid for those in need. Two more classes are scheduled at area restaurants, and if they are on par with previous years’ efforts, then a lot of much-needed money will be raised for this worthy cause.
Tomorrow evening, Oct. 23, the class is titled “Christmas in Thailand.” Traditional foods served for the Christmas holiday in this beautiful and exotic country will be demonstrated. A three-course dinner with wines will follow. This cooking class and meal will be held at Royal Thai Cuisine, 4001 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Chef Sumeth Tila will preside.
Then, on Monday, Nov. 12, we celebrate the dishes of “New Years Eve Italiano.” Chef Sonny Mergenthaler will conduct the class at Villa Nova Restaurant, 3131 W. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Sonny will take us on a nostalgic trip to Italy through the dishes that appear in homes when welcoming in the New Year. A three-course dinner with matching wines will also follow this class.
Tickets are $75 per class and can be purchased by calling (949) 673-6738. Since most of us are not traveling so much now, this is an opportunity to take trips vicariously to these two wonderful countries and help a lot of people in need at the same time.
Wells Coming to OC
It may seem a little early to be mentioning something destined to happen five weeks away, but when it involves the most widely read restaurant reviewer in Europe, who just happens to be an American, if we wait longer, your chance to meet her may have vanished. This will probably be a popular event and making reservations now would be prudent.
I am sure Francophiles from around the nation will show up for a hands-on cooking class and gourmet lunch with French cookbook author and restaurant critic Patricia Wells. Executive chef Christian Rassinoux and chef de cuisine Yvon Goetz of the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel will assist her. Guests will be able to mingle with Wells and the award-winning Ritz-Carlton chefs. Wells will be at the resort on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 to celebrate the publication of her newest book, “The Paris Cookbook” (Harper Collins Publishers, November 2001).
On both Friday, Nov. 30, and Saturday, Dec.1, the contemporary Dining Room, with its five-diamond rating, will feature a prix fixe four-course menu from recipes in Wells’ new cookbook. Wines to complement each course will be poured. The meal is priced at $295 for two, inclusive of tax and gratuity, and an autographed copy of “The Paris Cookbook” is included. Dinner reservations may be made from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on both evenings.
On Dec. 1, in a cooking class scheduled from 9 a.m. to noon, the two chefs and Wells will join forces to prepare some of her favorite dishes. A plated lunch and book signing will follow the class. The cost is $135 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. A copy of “The Paris Cookbook” also is included.
Wells is the restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune and the author of several best-selling books including “The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris,” “The Food Lover’s Guide to France,” “Bistro Cooking,” and “Patricia Wells at Home in Provence.” A native of Wisconsin, Patricia and her husband, Walter, now divide their time between Paris and a farmhouse in Proven & #231;e.
Her newest cookbook takes you on a guided tour of Paris. From the three-star cuisine of Alain Ducasse to traditional bistro favorites to the prized dishes of butchers, cheese makers and market vendors, Patricia Wells’ culinary travelogue is all-encompassing. From Michelin-starred restaurants to marketplace vendors, Wells has transformed the laborious recipes into simple preparations that even an inexperienced home cook can conquer. I am sure “The Paris Cookbook” will be as popular as her other acclaimed works.
The ocean-view Ritz-Carlton Resort Laguna Niguel has been acclaimed as one of the top 10 resorts in the world and has racked up every prestigious culinary and travel award there is. If you wish to stay over during this culinary extravaganza with Wells, accommodations are available at special rates of $279 for a garden- or pool-view room or $389 for an ocean-view guestroom. For room reservations, call (949) 240-2000. For more information and reservations for the cooking class or the special Patricia Wells dinner in the Dining Room, call (949) 240-5008.
