Holiday Entertaining at Cavallo Point: Cocktails, Chocolate and Sweet & Savory Hors d'Oeuvres

Hosted by Cavallo Point's Cooking School Director Kelsie Kerr, Executive Chef Joseph Humphrey and Executive Pastry Chef Ethan Howard with Michael Recchiuti, Chocolatier; Jeff Hollinger, Mixologist; and Kate Arding, Cheesemonger

November 30-December 5, 2008

About the Program

Celebrate the upcoming holidays in this exciting five-night, four-day session of hands-on cooking classes and demonstrations. Hosted by a team of experts, you learn how to shake a perfect cocktail using homemade syrups and infusions. Prepare an array of savory hors d'oeuvres. Put together a delectable platter of handcrafted cheeses with wines to match. Bake an assortment of cookies, and other sweets. Taste extraordinary chocolate then learn from a master how to turn it into truffles and more. Travel to San Francisco's Ferry Building Marketplace to tour artisan food and kitchenware shops with plenty of time for holiday shopping. At the end of this culinary adventure, you will know how to throw a first-class cocktail party and make a beautiful basket of gourmet treats.

At-a-Glance

• The average program size is approximately 16 guests.
• The program fee is $2000 and includes instruction; materials; transportation; wine pairings; all breakfasts, lunches, dinners Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; and the hotel parking fee.
• 2008 Sign-Up Specials: Sign up with a friend and receive complimentary lodging for two for 5 nights – a value of $1425 or more! Or sign up alone and receive one night’s accommodations free. Click here for details or contact Reservations at 888-651-2003.

Highlights

Bio

Kelsie Kerr is a passionate chef and teacher dedicated to cooking beautiful, delicious food from the freshest ingredients. Most recently Kelsie was chef of Chez Panisse Restaurant. In 1997, while chef of Café Rouge in Berkeley she received Food & Wine's best new chef award. Kelsie also operated an intimate cooking school in her home, which received rave reviews from students and media alike. Kelsie recently co-authored "The Art of Simple Food" with Alice Waters, which was released in late 2007.

Cavallo Point's Executive Chef Joseph Humphrey comes to Murray Circle from the Michelin-rated Restaurant at Meadowood in Napa Valley. Joseph's culinary roots come from the American South. He grew up in northern Florida, where Cajun flavors and fresh produce kindled a lifelong dedication to the craft of cooking. After working in New Orleans at the acclaimed Palace Café, Joseph went on to work at some of the best restaurants in the country - One Market and Fifth Floor in San Francisco, Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley, and Picasso at Las Vegas' Bellagio hotel. His culinary philosophy is to use the finest local, organic and sustainable ingredients available. These are skillfully prepared with influences of France, Spain, and the Mediterranean, resulting in an intensity of natural flavor that maintains lightness and elegance.

Cavallo Point's Executive Pastry Chef Ethan Howard was previously pastry chef of Bouchon Bakery and Restaurant and Ad Hoc in Yountville, California, where he oversaw the pastry department for both restaurants and was part of the team that garnered Bouchon its first Michelin star. Ethan first gained kitchen experience on college summer breaks working at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and Payard Patisserie and Bistro in New York . In 1999, Howard joined the staff at The French Laundry and later became pastry chef for the opening of Martini House in Napa Valley's St. Helena.

A native of Britain, Kate Arding knows cheese. She is a dairy consultant and expert with almost two decades of experience in the cheese industry, from marketing for British and Irish farmhouse cheese producers to helping start up Tomales Bay Foods and Cowgirl Creamery. Kate has spent considerable time with dairy development projects both overseas and in the United States. Kate Arding is based in Northern California.

Michael Recchiuti, a self-made chocolatier, has been conjuring sweets all his life, first in Philadelphia as a boy, baking Italian wedding cakes alongside his grandmother. He graduated to creating plated desserts at the renowned Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia and trained in sugar and chocolate with Alain Tricou. In 1997, the owner/confectioner of Recchiuti Confections, along with his wife Jacky, began introducing Americans to their now-famous savory flavors such as Tarragon Grapefruit and Star Anise and Pink Peppercorn. He co-authored the award-winning Chocolate Obsession, which has received many awards and accolades. www.recchiuti.com

Jeff Hollinger is the manager of restaurant operations for the popular Absinthe Brasserie & Bar in San Francisco. A lover of inventive cuisine from a young age, he started playing bartender for his cousins as a child, a talent that eventually led him to the California Culinary Academy. Behind the Absinthe bar, he uses his knowledge of historical cocktail culture and seasonally-fresh ingredients to develop new cocktail recipes and resurrect forgotten classics. As restaurant manager, Jeff developed a series of educational cocktail programs at Absinthe and is the co-author of "The Art of the Bar," which was named Best New Cocktail Book in 2007. www.theartofthebar.com