At the Fork, Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese’s brand-new culinary center just north of Point Reyes Station, chef Duskie Estes of Zazu Restaurant and Bovolo demonstrates the preparation of a five-course farm feast featuring Point Reyes Blue cheeses and a bounty of local farmstead ingredients on Dec. 3. Fresh from her appearance on The Next Iron Chef, Duskie delves into dairy. The class begins with an hour-long tour of the farm, where visitors get to know the cows (“The happiest you’ll ever meet,” says Fork owner Jill Giacomini), followed by a hands-on primer in sustainable agriculture and cheesemaking. Then it’s back to the culinary center for cheese tasting, cooking and dining.
Throughout the demonstration, guests will enjoy dishes like fresh mozzarella ravioli with tomato eggplant jam, Brussels sprout salad with Sebastopol-grown apples, Point Reyes Blue Cheese and chef Estes’ own Black Pig bacon. Each course will be paired with wine or beer, and for dessert? You’ll have to go to find out—it’s the chef’s secret coup de grâce—on Friday, Dec. 3, at Fork. 14700 Hwy. 1, Point Reyes Station. 10:30am&–3:30pm. $125. 800.591.6878.
Army barracks aren’t where you’d usually hunt down a culinary experience, but the Cavallo Point Cooking School in Sausalito might be the one scrumptious exception. Tucked along the shores of the San Francisco Bay at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge, Cavallo Point sits at the former site of Fort Baker and houses a cooking school with a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen and a stable of culinary talent. On Nov. 18, the school partners with Marin Organic to offer the second in its successful class series “A Tale of Two Farmers,” which brings together farmers Annabelle Lenderlink from La Tercera and Kevin and Nancy Lunny from Drakes Bay Farm for a convivial evening of cooking and conversation.
Students will prepare and enjoy a seasonal five-course meal with wine pairings under the instruction of head chef and teacher Jayne Reichert. “It’s the perfect opportunity to ask any and every question you ever wanted to know about how our local farmers grow and sell their food,” says Anna Hillgruber Smith Clark of Marin Organic. In the spirit of whetting your appetite, the meal begins with oysters and finishes with apple fritters with cinnamon-cayenne syrup and fresh cream on Thursday, Nov. 18, at Cavallo Point Cooking School. 601 Murray Circle, Sausalito. 6&–9pm. $85. 415.339.4777.
