Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience '08

On Sunday, July 13, 2008 I had the opportunity to be invited the Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience at the Tremont Grand. There were food and wine experts from across the country. There was cooking demonstrations from local and national chefs, wines from all over the world and tasting from local chefs and authors. www.chefsandwine.org

Some of the featured quests were:

• Sandra Pinckney (TV star, Reporter, Author)
• Ted Allen (TV star, Author)
• Warren Brown (TV star, Chef, Author)
• Martha Hall Foose (Executive Chef of Viking Cooking School, Author)
• Jerry Edwards (Corporate Chef & Owner, Chef’s Expressions)
• Michael Costa (Executive Chef, PAZO)
• Benjamin Erjavec (Executive Chef & Operating Partner, The Oceanaire Seafood Room)
• Therese Harding (Chef, Classic Catering People)
• Will Koch (Banquet Chef, Tremont Grand)
• Kevin Miller (Executive Chef, Ixia)
• Fabio Mura (Executive Chef, Blue Sea Grill)
• Jerry Prllrgrino (Executive Chef, Corks)

I had an amazing time and met a lot of wonderful and extraordinary people. To see a list of a all participating exhibitors and presenters see my list.

The first cooking demonstration that I went to was Michael Costa (Pazo). He was making Grilled Pork Tenderloin Pinchos with Andalusian Spices & Caramelized Honey Aioli. He started with going over the proper butchering technique of pork tenderloin. He then showed how to make the Andalusian spice rub and moved onto how to make the aioli.

Next I moved on to a wine seminar with Monyka Berrocosa. She talked about the why and how of tasting technique. She covered the ‘Six S’s of Sipping with Style”. She also talked about pairing food with wine. Another tip she talked about was starting your own wine cellar (the amount of bottles doesn't matter the system does).

After that I then attended Ted Allen’s wine seminar “Dare to Pair” where he very enthusiastically covered beginner-friendly tips and approached to matching food and wine. We were given 2 whites and 2 reds and small plate of different foods (cheese, chicken, lemon, sun dried tomatoes, olives and chocolate). He had us take small bites of different foods and then sip on 2 different wines and decided which went best with it. For example, we tried the sun dried tomatoes with the reds and the olives with the 2 whites. His presentation was very fun and funny.

From there I moved on to exploring the many rooms that hosted the different exhibitors, food and wine tastings and quests. The food and drink was amazing. Each table was friendly and open to explaining their items. Some of my favorite items were Chili Marinated Skirt Steak with a Chimichurri sauce (Pisce’s), Pan seared Cod Cakes with Dill sauce (Lucy’s Irish Pub & Restaurant), and Gambas al Ajillo (La Tasca).

• The skirt steak had a nice spice to it and was perfectly cooked
• The cod cakes weren’t overly powering and didn’t have too much filling
• The Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp) was perfectly cooked and had the right about of kick

I also saw Ted Allen’s cooking demonstration. Once again he was very enthusiastic. He explained things with great detail so that you perfectly understood each step of the recipe. He made a Pan-roasted salmon with sweet tomato vinaigrette and Rosemary chicken with summer tomatoes and olives.

Overall, my experience was wonderful. When I left I felt like a little kid who just met Dora the Explorer or who just got the brand new bike of their dreams. I recommend to everyone who is a foodie that they should consider going next year- I know I will be! Downtown Baltimore did a wonderful job with the Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience!!

To see my photo album from the event click on the album below:

Baltimore Chefs and Wine Experience '08

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