Cal Cooking Club

2009-05-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Join us at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts for this entertaining and
enlightening evening of comedy and conversation about our favorite subject
- FOOD!  Best of all, it benefits The Alameda County Community Food Bank!

Host and MC: Clark Taylor - Comedian and documentary filmmaker

Locally Grown Comedians: Johnny Steele, Kamau Bell, Richard Stockton, Dave
Pokorny

Guest Speaker Panel

Betsy Rosenberg-Host of Eco Talk from Green 960

Helge Hellberg- Executive director Marin Organic

Carmen Tedesco- Leader, Slow Food SF

Greg Steltenpohl- Founder of Odwalla, CEO of Adina

Bring any non perishable food item to be entered in our raffle!

Advance tickets can be purchased online at: http://www.juliamorgan.org

Last General Meeting!

2009-04-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

Before we all get bogged down by finals studying, it's time for our last Cooking Club meeting of the semester! Meet your new officers, eat some delicious food, and grab some samples from our demo! PLUS, sign up for Snack Stop at Relay for Life and more!

When: TUESDAY, 28th April; 8pm
Where: Tandor Kitchen [Parker and Telegraph]
What: Get yourself some Indian food and watch as your new co-presidents demo a lovely fresh Mediterranean kale salad and strawberry-apple cobbler! Yummm! Sign up to volunteer and more!

See ya guys there! =D

Dinner Night with Cooking Club at Finfine Restaurant!

2009-04-02T22:44:00.000-07:00

Come dine with us at this exotic restaurant!
Http://www.finfine.com/menu.htm
Next thursday April 9th 7-8PM!

Location: 2556 Telegraph Ave between Blake and Parker.
Anyone can sign up to attend!!
Everyone pays for their own dinner. (about $12-20)

Questions? email Brionna at
dinnerparty@cooking.berkeley.edu

Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House

2009-04-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

A message from Society for Agriculture and Food Ecology


*Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House*


WASHINGTON — Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of the South
Lawn on Friday to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since
 Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets
the president does not like them — but arugula will make the cut. [NY Times]<http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html>

Please redistribute this announcement widely. If you received this
message indirectly and would like to be reminded of future SAFE events, please
visit Agrariana.org <http://agrariana.org/participate> and subscribe to our
announcements list.

New Delicious Events for April!

2009-04-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! New exciting events are now posted on our Calendar! Click on the event on the calendar for more information~! ^^

Sat, April 4, 2pm – 4pm
Indian Food Clinic!!!(including dessert!)

Learn how to make some traditional dishes from North India!

Fri, April 17, 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Tandor Kitchen Crazy 8 Naan Tasting (with curry sauce)

Naans: Regular, Garlic, Onion, Panner Cheese, Ginger, Potato, Keema (lamb meat); and Jalapeño and Garlic Naan. Proceeds goes to Charity!

Sun, April 19, 7:30pm – 10:00pm
Hands-on Cooking with Owner of Venus Restaurant

We will be making a gourmet chicken dish. The exact details of what we'll be making is based on what's fresh on that day at farmer's market. Venus buys local and cooks organic=) To RSVP , email tuckielove@gmail.com $17/person. 10-15 people limited.

Smart Holidays Menu Makeover Recipe Contest

2008-12-22T11:25:00.001-08:00

Hello!

Do you want a free stand mixer? Well, you can win one if you've got a good walnut recipe. Don't miss out! Stand mixers go for $500!

Check out http://www.walnuts.org/contest/ to enter the Smart Holidays Menu Makeover Recipe Contest!

Best of Luck and Happy Holidays,
Melisa Lin

The Next Food Network Star

2008-11-16T19:22:00.001-08:00

Do you have what it takes to be the next Food Network Star? I don't :( I'm only 20 years old, but perhaps you're 21 or above and know your way around a range. Apply here!

I think my friend Rayfil of the Campusfork blog would be perfect. He's got the enthusiasm and know-how to teach viewers countless Chinese dishes and culinary techniques. You can take a look at his audition clip and learn how to make delicious Bali noodles. Enjoy!

November Cooking Show!

2008-10-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow Foodie,

You are cordially invited to our upcoming cooking show featuring Chef Rick DeBeaord of Cafe Rouge! Using local, organic, and seasonal ingredients donated by our sponsors, Executive Chef DeBeaord will show us how to make a delicious Potato and Celeriac Gratin! Come to learn his secrets and enjoy delectable samples :D

When: Thursday, 11/13 8-9PM
Where: 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley campus (see map below)

We welcome students, faculty, and the greater Bay Area community, so please bring your friends and colleagues! We hope to see you then!

Yours in the search, creation, and enjoyment of good food,
Melisa Lin
Cooking Club- President
B.S. Sustainable Food Business '10
University of California - Berkeley

The Crabby Chef Competition!

2008-10-17T00:49:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!
MY NAME IS MARIA AND I AM THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE CAL COOKING CLUB. I AM VERY EXCITED TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT OUR CLUB'S MOST RECENT CHALLENGE. THIS PAST WEEKEND, WE ENTERED A REAL COOKING COMPETITION CALLED THE CRABBY CHEF. IT IS AN EVENT HOSTED BY SPENGER'S FISH GROTTO WHERE LOCAL CHEFS COMPETE FOR THE COVETED CRABBY CHEF TITLE (AND A GREAT BIG TROPHY). EACH CHEF IS PRESENTED WITH A WHOLE COOKED CRAB, AN ASSORTMENT OF VEGETABLES AND A SECRET INGREDIENT. THEN, THE CHEFS ARE GIVEN ONLY 20 MINUTES TO PREPARE A DISH USING THE SECRET INGREDIENT AND CRAB. A JUDGING PANEL TASTES AND THE CRABBY-EST CHEF IS AWARDED THE TROPHY!

THIS WAS OUR SECOND YEAR COMPETING IN THE CRABBY CHEF COMPETITION. LAST YEAR ANDREW, CRISTINA, THE DOG, MAGGIE AND I MADE HAND-ROLLED RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH CRAB, PUMPKIN (THE SECRET INGREDIENT) AND A CILANTRO-MINT DIPPING SAUCE. IT WAS DELICIOUS! WE EVEN PLACED FOURTH AMONG OTHER RESTAURANTS AND COOKING SCHOOLS.

THIS YEAR, MAGGIE AND I WERE BACK FOR THE CHALLENGE. WE WERE THINKING THE INGREDIENT MIGHT BE PEAR... OR MAYBE APPLE. IT TURNED OUT TO BE ARTICHOKE! HOW DIFFERENT! SO WHAT DID WE DECIDE TO MAKE? WELL, CRAB TACOS OF COURSE! WE WANTED TO DEEP-FRY CRAB AND ARTICHOKE PIECES COATED IN A BEER BATTER AND SERVE THEM IN A WARM TORTILLA WITH A SALSA OF TOMATO, ONION ARTICHOKE AND LIME. WE HAD TO MAKE THE TORTILLAS IN OUR 20 MINUTE LIMIT BUT THAT WASN'T SO EASY! FOR ONE THING, THERE WAS NO LARD OR SHORTENING WE COULD USE TO MIX WITH FLOUR. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, A PILE OF THICK SLICES OF BACON. OH BOY! WE FRIED THE BACON AND COLLECTED THE FAT! IT WAS PERFECT- WE POURED IT INTO ICE WATER AND USED IT TO MAKE THE TORTILLAS. LET ME TELL YOU, THOSE WERE THE BEST TASTING TORTILLAS IN THE WORLD. WE PRESENTED OUR CRAB TACOS AND THEY LOOKED BEAUTIFUL!

EVEN THOUGH, MAGGIE AND I DIDN'T WIN FIRST PLACE, WE DID HAVE A TON OF FUN CREATING A DISH IN 20 MINUTES. THAT IS NOT VERY MUCH TIME AT ALL! WE ALSO GOT TO KEEP SOME OF THE VEGETABLES, OLIVE OILS AND WINES. ALL IN ALL- A GREAT SUCCESS.

WE'LL BE BACK NEXT YEAR FOR CRABBY CHEF. THAT'S FOR SURE.

Melisa's Live Cooking Show!

2008-10-02T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello again!

We had a great meeting last night- our officers have organized numerous foodie events for you to enjoy. Please check out our calendar to sign up!

Last night's special guests included Rayfil Wong from the Campusfork blog, Liz Scatena, the Demo & Event Manager of our local Straus Organic Family Creamery, Eric Pomert, my friend and former Oscar Awards editor now turned chef, and Amanda West who founded Amanda's, one of my favorite restaurants (it's off Shattuck and Center). Thanks to you all for attending and showing your support!

I hope everyone had a great time learning how to make the best granola EVAR! The recipe has been emailed to our members- please enjoy! We'll also be selling our granola every Wednesday on upper Sproul, 11:30-3:00 next to The Local produce stand in front of the Martin Luther King building near Telegraph. We're pricing it at the cost of production so you can enjoy our tasty and wholesome snack at the same cost of producing it yourself! Please stop by to pick up some granola, get your culinary questions answered, borrow or lend cookbooks, join our email list, become a member, and buy Cooking Club merchandise!

If you missed the show- no worries :) My friend and former Hollywood film assistant producer, Stephen Jang will be editing our show and posting it onto youtube! We'll also post it on this blog :D

Yours in the search and creation of good food,
Melisa Lin
Cooking Club- President
University of California at Berkeley
B.S. Sustainable Food Business 2010

Officers' Meeting at Anh Hong!

2008-09-25T01:23:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a fantastic meal at Anh Hong while planning our upcoming events. Anh Hong is the best Vietnamese restaurant I've ever been to (though I should also mention I haven't been to many). Nonetheless, they use beautifully fresh ingredients to craft each delicious dish and you can definitely taste the difference :) Check out their website, or better yet, dine at their restaurant and let me know what you think- I'd love to hear about other great Vietnamese restaurants as well :)

(Team Members: Noel, Sofia, Melisa, Shikha, Amy, Eric, Tiffany, Andy, Jesikah, and Cat)

Blogged by Campusfork!

2008-09-06T22:57:00.000-07:00

Chefs MikeC. and Olivier were amazing! I learned so much about the chemistry of cooking during their demonstration and really enjoyed the soup samples and Acme baguette. MikeC.'s Seasonal Cream of 4 Mushrooms soup was absolutely phenomenal!

The cooking show was so great that Rayfil Wang of the Campusfork blog favorably blogged about it! You can check out the Campusfork post about us at http://campusfork.com/blog1/2008/09/06/cal-cooking-club.

September Cooking Club Meeting!

2008-08-23T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hello!

My name is Melisa and I'm the Cooking Club president. This year, the Cal Cooking Club officers and I will be working with Bay Area food businesses to bring the culinary arts and slow food movement to you!

To start, I’d like to invite you to the first ’08-’09 Cooking Club meeting. We're featuring a live cooking show by Berkeley Gourmet Ghetto's Kitchen on Fire chef, MikeC..

Using local, organic, and seasonal ingredients donated by Whole Foods, Straus Organic Creamery, Acme Bread Bakery, and the Berkeley Bowl, Chef MikeC. will be making two warm and hearty soups- Sausage & Corn Chowder and Cream of Mushroom Soup! Admission is free and attendees will receive samples of both soups with a slice of Acme's baguettes.

(Photo Credit: laurenrosenbaum)

Our meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 3rd at 8pm in Room 2050 Valley Life Sciences Building in UC Berkeley. Special guests include Temra Costa, the Bay Area Buy Fresh Buy Local Coordinator and Community Alliance with Family Farmers Program Director, Sehat Sutardja and Weili Dia, Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences alumni who are funding the construction of CITRIS (The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society), and Nick Heustis, the Marketing Manager of our local Whole Foods who has continuously supported our club with generous donations of top-quality ingredients. Please view the map below for building and parking locations. We welcome everyone so please invite your friends!

See you at our cooking show!

Yours in the search and creation of good food,
Melisa :D