CHEF DEMO TENT

Menlo’s Culinary Stars (and one from Hollywood) Demonstrate Tricks of
the Trade

Connoisseurs’ Marketplace Brings Together a Stellar Line-Up of Top Chefs

The chefs' demonstration stage will feature a professional-series range, custom-built alder wood cabinetry, quartz countertop and overhead mirror for easy viewing — all provided by Mountain View's Meyer Appliance & Kitchens. Meyer Appliance & Kitchens has been providing quality appliances, kitchen and bath design, installation, parts and service for over sixty years. Their 18,000 sq/ft. two story showroom has over 25 kitchen vignettes, built in appliances, cabinets and countertops, and a full parts and service department. Visit www.meyer-appliance.com.

There’s nothing like watching a gifted chef at work to fire up a home cook’s culinary ambition. At Connoisseurs’ Marketplace, July 21-22, chefs from some of Menlo Park’s top restaurants—plus one soap opera star—will prepare dishes ranging from summery salads to luscious desserts for an audience relaxing on umbrella-shaded seats. The demos will take place every hour, on the top of the hour, from 12:00 to 3:00 both days.

Left Bank’s chef Brendy Monsada will compose an ahi tuna niçoise salad, a dressed-up version of the southern French salad traditionally made with canned tuna. Though a simple recipe, it involves two techniques that are crucial to its perfection: properly searing tuna for just the right crust and blanching haricots verts (French green beans) to the ideal crispness. Not only is the dish ideal for warm weather, it’s healthy, beautiful and easy to prepare.

Chef Barry Stiles will be on hand both days to prepare dishes from the classic French eatery Bistro Vida. On Saturday, his mussels provençal will showcase the famous Prince Edward Island mussels, steamed in a light tomato-based, herb-infused broth. Sunday’s demonstration, another refreshing dish for summer, is elegant yet deceptively simple—a velvety Lebanese chilled cucumber soup with buttermilk and toasted cumin.

The menu at Sultana reflects the depth of flavor and creativity in Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine. Chef Matt Karacuban, whose family is from Istanbul, will send his wife, Aycan, and his mother, Nime, to demonstrate two of his signature dishes. They will teach the art of making stuffed grape leaves with their dolmas recipe using rice mixed with Mediterranean herbs and studded with currants and pine nuts. Manti, or Turkish ravioli, will be their other hands-on dish. Homemade dough is stuffed with ground beef blended with mint and parsley and quickly cooked, then topped with garlic yogurt.

Trellis Restaurant is known for its Italian comfort food, and chef Gabriel Madrid will demonstrate just that with his grilled pork tenderloin with roasted garlic–wild mushroom sauce and polenta cake. He will talk about how to elicit creamy sweetness from garlic by slow roasting, and he’ll demonstrate the simplicity and versatility of polenta—a gluten-free alternative to pasta and an Italian staple.

Ken Berry, co-host of KSFO Radio's Edible Escapes, will lend his expertise and skill MCing the Chefs' Demos on Saturday, July 21. Edible Escapes can be heard every Sunday Morning from 11am - 1pm on KSFO 560 AM.

Edible Escapes will focus on the region's fantastic food, world-class wines, travel destinations and much more. Each week, local chefs, winemakers, farmers, authors and experts in their respective fields will keep you up to date on the latest happenings and trends in food and travel culture.

Another classic comfort food—chicken parmesan—will be prepared by chef Jorge Cortes of Carpaccio. The chef will discuss how to organize a multi-step cooking process that involves preparing chicken breasts, breading, pan-searing and making a béchamel sauce.

A dollop of Hollywood stardust tossed with farm-fresh produce will be on the marquee for Sunday afternoon, when soap opera star Deidre Hall shares recipes from her book Deidre Hall’s Kitchen Close-Up, along with co-author and Pescadero resident Lynne Bowman. Best known for her portrayal of Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives, Hall has also been an advocate of green living, dedicating herself to the fight for nutritional lunches in American schools. Bowman has been a Silicon Valley creative director and today serves as president of the Pescadero Foundation, leading community efforts to encourage organic farmers and sustainable living in rural San Mateo County. The longtime friends teamed up to write a book showing how a few fresh ingredients can quickly come together to create extraordinarily delicious and healthy meals. Their demonstrations will include red pepper soup (a whiz in the blender), pasta verdi (a fragrant miracle meal with greens, garlic and pasta) and Mexican slaw (a quick biceps workout with cabbage, cilantro, oil and vinegar).

A recent addition to the Menlo Park lunch scene isn’t behind restaurant doors . . . it’s on four wheels. Butterscotch on the Go, a food truck that moves among several local office buildings, is operated by former personal chef/pastry chef Kathleen Jensen. She will enchant the audience with her chocolate pots de crème topped with salted buttercrunch. Her demonstration will reveal techniques for making the silky French custard and the contrasting buttercrunch, a candy like English toffee that she folds into melted dark chocolate and sprinkles with sea salt.

The chefs’ demonstration tent is located on Doyle Street and Santa Cruz Avenue next to Left Bank Restaurant. Audience seating for up to seventy people will be provided on the umbrella and tree-shaded street. The demonstrations will start on the hour from 12:00 to 3:00, Saturday and Sunday.