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Month: June 2018

  • Kennesaw State University …Chef’s Table

    Kennesaw State University …Chef’s Table

    I was honored to be able to take part in the Chef’s Table at Kennesaw State University’s Continuing Education Culinary Program. Yeah that’s a mouth full. It had taken me back 20+ years ago to when I was in my culinary program back in New York. There’s nothing better than being around that kind of excitement awaiting what’s to come. The students were excited to share what they learned. I was looking forward to tasting their creations.

    Prior to the start of dinner, we were given the chance to view the kitchen and the students at work. I was immediately brought back to the quantity kitchen in my school. This was where as students we cooked for the school. We learned front end and back end stuff. It could make or break you from attitude to abilities. So I know first hand some of what they may have been experiencing that night. You definitely learn how to become a team player when you work in a commercial kitchen. Communication is key! You have to be able to convey a great deal from dishes being ready, time constraints, missing items, and more. Every single thing so that service moves without a hitch or at least not letting clients know there was one.

    While in the kitchen, I ran into one of the instructors, Chef Robert Gerstenecker. He remembered having met me before, as my face was familiar to him. I wouldn’t say I have a very common look, so he must have met me somewhere. Well once officially introduced, we realized that we met at The Four Seasons in Atlanta. He used to be the executive chef there. I attended an event there on behalf of breast cancer awareness, The Atlanta Food and Lifestyle Bloggers’ Society and MSquared PR Firm. You can read all about my time at the Four Seasons here

    The students worked in teams of two, each team preparing a specific dish for the meal. Before I get to the meal, I must mention the special invited guests were asked to speak. Now I never turn down an opportunity to talk to people, but this time I didn’t have any idea what I should talk about. When it was my turn, I shared the fact that I graduated from school during a time when celebrity chefs weren’t a real thing. There weren’t any social media apps to share all things you. Well fast forward 25 years and welcome to this new era. I told the graduates and their family that building their brand and creating a space in this fast-moving world of the internet was key to standing out amongst all the other chefs of the world. It was a way to be seen and also to see what others are doing. These were some of the things I learned and wanted to share with them. I am always representing my brand. There isn’t a time I walk out of my home without at least one pearl on. People often check me when out in public just to see if that’s true.  After our time in the limelight, the students started our meal service of four courses.

    We started with our salad course. It was a Mushroom Carpaccio with seared Day Boat Scallops and Truffle Vinaigrette. It was very light, the scallop was perfectly seared and not over cooked. I did wish that the remoulade was lighter because it made the dish a little heavy. Next was our seafood course. It was Oven Roasted Halibut served alongside Spring Vegetable Ragout with a Lemongrass Beurre Blanc. I enjoyed this course very much! I especially loved the fact that the fish was not overcooked.  I have a thing about overcooked fish, well actually I have a thing about overcooked everything. The lemongrass beurre blanc made me want to recreate my own version.

    Our third course was Braised Beef Short Rib Bali Maki, English Pea Whipped Potatoes, Ginger BBQ Reduction and topped with Herb Salad. The dish presented very well. I loved the colors. The toppings were a bit much because you lost sight that there was beef under it all. The beef was wonderfully cooked, nice and tender. I did learn about the Bali Maki style of cooking, as one is never too old to learn something new. Our final course was dessert, of course. We had a Buttermilk Panna Cotta with a Fresh Rhubarb Coulis. The Panna Cotta was smooth and velvety. I loved the inclusion of the Meyer lemons in the rhubarb sauce. Overall the students did a wonderful job . I know they will be culinary rock stars when they graduate and enter into the cooking world.

    I had a wonderful night at Kennesaw State University’s Continuing Education Chef’s Table. It’s always fun to be around my fellow bloggers. As always I made some wonderful memories. If you ever get a chance to do a Chef’s Table please do it. You can read about one I had last year at Cobb Galleria Center here in Atlanta  The memories you create will be unforgettable. So go forth and make new memories.

    Until next time….

    ~ The Chef In Pearls

  • I’m Not Judging You… A Taste of Conyers

    I’m Not Judging You… A Taste of Conyers

    May 5, 2018 . . . What a busy Saturday for The Chef In Pearls! I had so many things on my plate. I just prayed I would be able to pull it all off. I was chosen to be a judge for Taste of Conyers. How cool was that? Tré cool, if you ask me. I would get a second chance to find out more about my small town. Excited I was (in my Yoda voice). Then there was the event that was very close to me. My family, along with One Heart Ministries, hosts a community event to bring awareness to cancer in memory of my bonus Dad, Raymond Brown. I was the unofficial official chef for the event. Anything my family does know that there will be food involved.

    Game plan. Adorn one of my black aprons and get the food done. Shower, get dressed and head to Olde Town Conyers for Taste of Conyers. Meet up with other bloggers/judges. Meet and judge participants for Taste of Conyers. Discuss and tally vores with fellow bloggers/judges. Leave Taste of Conyers and head to family event. Be present. Participate in games and activities. Go home and rest.

    What actually happened. Adorned apron. With the help of a few friends, we were able to knock out over a hundred burgers, 25 lbs. of potato salad, 2 full trays of coleslaw and get 21 whole chickens portioned and cooked. Very tired and rather slowly I got showered, dressed and headed to Olde Town Conyers. Problem. Can’t find any parking. Miss meeting fellow bloggers/judges. Finally find parking. Fellow bloggers/judges are three-quarters of the way thru meeting and judging participants. Teri Haler to the rescue. She provides me judge’s badge and clip board. I look official. After just 5 booths I run into my fellow bloggers/judges. They have judged and tallied their votes. So . . .?

    No, Taste of Conyers I am not judging you. How could I? But from what I did see of you I look forward to next year’s invite to judge. The fact that it took me forever to find parking tells me it was well received. And the booths I did get to visit showed that they were in it for the win. The crowds that I passed through tells me that small town Conyers ain’t so small anymore. Everyone is going to want to be in the place to be next year . . . Taste of Conyers.

    As for the rest of my day, I had a good time at my family’s community event. I was present and accounted for!  I even tried my hand at a game of trying to get an Oreo cookie in my mouth by using my facial muscles. So much harder than you think, Know that the tired chef didn’t win. Afterwards, I didn’t go home and rest. I ended up at a Cinco de Mayo party. I would find rest on another day.

    I still managed to make it a day of memories. Food, Family and friends. How could I not? I hope you’ll consider attending next year’s Taste of Conyers so you can make some wonderful memories of your own. If you don’t know anything about Conyers, check out my post about the tour I took of my new hometown here.

    Until next time…

    ~The Chef In Pearls

  • Small Town Love…Conyers, Georgia

    Small Town Love…Conyers, Georgia

    For the past 2 years, I lived in a town 40 minutes outside of Atlanta.  Conyers is a place most people know of or have least heard of but most can’t say they have been. Until recently, I fit into the live here but do not know of category. Yes I created my own category!  I mean, I would drive down what I considered the main street of Conyers, Highway 138, and wish for more. I often complained that the only way for me to get what I wanted in food and entertainment was to drive into Atlanta. How wrong I was! I signed up to take a tour of Conyers courtesy of the Conyers Tourism Board. And now Conyers is so more to me than the place where Vampire Diaries was filmed.

    Before I get started, I want to take time to thank a couple of people. Thank you to Teri Haler of Conyers Convention and Visitors Bureau. Your tour helped to change my mind about the where I now call home. Also thanks to Toby Bloomberg, President of Atlanta Food and Lifestyle Bloggers’ Society, for organizing this wonderful tour. Now to share some of what helped me fall in love with my small town

    Have you ever been to a Monastery? Me either! The first stop of our tour took us to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Sitting on 2,300 acres of land it is nature at it’s best. There are trails for running, walking and biking, a beautiful church with stained glass created by one of their very own monks, a museum where you can learn all about the monastery and all things relating to monasticism. Monasticism or monk hood is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. You’re welcome. The property also boasts an all natural burial ground, no chemicals of any sort are used in body preparation and caskets must be of all natural materials. Pretty cool, huh? You can still care for Mother Earth even in death.

    The last two places I want to mention are the bakery and the gift shop. They kind of go together. Well at least in my mind. The monks at this monastery make some great treats; fudge, fruitcake and my favorite biscotti. I forgot to mention when we first arrived, we were blessed with coffee and a tray full of biscotti. This was not your ordinary biscotti, the dry, extra crisp kind that you soak in your coffee or tea. This was a moist dense cake filled with nuts and fruits and was very hard to stop eating. It definitely gets #CIPapproved. The important thing is that all of their goods can be purchased in the gift shop. See why they go hand in hand now? You can purchase all their yummy goodness as well as other spiritual and religious items in the gift shop. Check out their website to find out how you can visit them and enjoy all things Monastery of the Holy Spirit.

    The second leg of tour took us into Olde Towne Conyers. It’s like the downtown of Conyers. You can find the court and many of the municipalities you need for a small, thriving city. There are even some really cute store fronts, some of which we got to visit during our tour. After a full morning at the monastery we were good and ready for lunch. Our first stop The Tin Plate. This place has become my saving grace. There have been many nights on my way back from Atlanta that I wanted something to eat but would not do fast food. The Tin Plate has come to the rescue because their kitchen doesn’t close until 10pm. Wait I skipped some stuff. The Tin Plate is what I have been hoping for in Conyers. A non chain restaurant offering locally sourced foods with a farm-to-table concept. The food gods answered my prayers.  They source the beef for their burgers from White Oaks Pastures. That name should be familiar to you because I recently wrote a post about them. If it’s not, check them out here.  So we know the burgers are good but did I mention the hand cut fries made on site with the unheard of flavor combinations? Flavors like the Thai Coconut Fries or the “PB&J” (pimento cheese, bacon and pickled jalapeños) and so many more. They even make some pretty amazing salads. You just can’t go wrong with choosing to eat at the Tin Plate. Make sure you visit their website here to read all about them and their menu.

    We continued on our tour by taking a stroll across the street to the E-Station. It’s Conyers answer to the ideal work space. You no longer have to fight the noise and bustle of the local Starbucks or Panera Bread to have a meeting or get some work done. You can utilize their open space desks or opt for a private office space with door so you can look really official for your twelve o’clock meeting. There is full A/V equipment as well as printing & copying services too. You can have all this with daily drop in fees or do a monthly membership. After viewing a presentation on Conyers at the E-Station we proceeded to walk around the corner to Beasley’s Pharmacy. This pharmacy is pure nostalgia, like you walked back in time. They have a soda fountain counter. You can get a hand crafted milkshake or ice cream float to name a few of the things offered. Let’s not forget that it is a pharmacy so you can fill your prescriptions there as well. And just like any other drugstore there are knickknacks you can purchase including nostalgic games like pick up sticks and my favorite jacks. Some of you may have to google those games because they are not something you play on a screen. LOL! The best thing about Beasley’s Pharmacy is that it has been family owned for 85 years. You can’t beat that.

    From Beasley’s we headed to one of the newer businesses in Olde Town Conyers, Corks and Cuvee. Conyers has it’s very own wine shop. Not a package store but an actual place dedicated to wine, wine lovers and learning about wine. The space is beautiful and inviting. The owner, Regina Jackson, has crafted a place where you aren’t afraid to ask questions about all things wine. She offers daily wine flights, private tastings, wine and wine accoutrements; everything for the wine enthusiast. Check out her site here to learn about all she offers.

    Teri was the hostess with the mostess and represented Conyers to the utmost.  As any fine hostess would do, she ended our night with appetizers and cocktails at Las Flores, a Mexican restaurant located in Olde Town Conyers. We had margaritas, on the rocks of course, fresh made salsa with chips, a platter of street tacos and yucca fries. We were a group of happy bloggers. Visit their website to see if they have your favorite Mexican dish here.

    This tour helped me to appreciate where I now call home. I got to meet some wonderful new people while hanging out with some old friends. Memories made. So when you get an opportunity, come on out to Conyers so you can make some memories of your own.

    Until next time…

    ~The Chef In Pearls