Relish Culinary Center in Healdsburg California is a unique place in that it not only offers cooking classes, but tours and group dinners. They use all local ingredients from nearby farms on the various seasons.
To get an idea of what owner Donna del Rey has in mind for people’s experiences, watch this MyHBG.tv clip. She teamed up with chef Christopher Greenwald who shares her “local, sustainable and fresh” thinking, and together they threw a three-course family-style dinner featuring a whole roasted pig – a massive one — which was served family style for a group of about 40 of us.
I was in Healdsburg for their “Epicurean Winter” and was able to participate in the dinner, which was nothing short of delicious, fun, eclectic and unique. Over a starter of Fromage Fort & Bay Laurel house-cured cloverdale olives, they talked us through the process of how they were cooking a whole “La Caja China” pig, which was in a massive roaster just outside the center, where they used mesquite rather than coals.
I met some interesting people at the event including a group of women who are all local sustainable farmers and ranchers in the area….it started out with two women farmers getting together for dinner and the ‘idea’ turned into a group which meets once a month at different restaurants throughout Sonoma County, Marin County and greater Healdsburg area.
While the people in attendance were interesting, I couldn’t wait to get outside and watch them move the big from oven to wooden board to be moved inside.
Below, Chris prepares to move the pig onto the board for preparation.
Chris aka @baylaurelculinary, gets to work carving ‘him’ up for 35-40 people. (it can apparently serve about 50). There was plenty to go around and we all left with ‘doggie’ or rather I should say ‘piggie’ bags.
Condiments they suggested for the pork dinner: a horshradish cream, apricot chutney, chili sauce, and winter carrot kimchi.
They served the pork with roasted potatoes and a wild arugula salad which was just simply tossed in olive oil.
They ended the evening with an organic lemon sorbet. I’d give the experience a huge thumbs up! Below are two videos I shot so you can get a more in-depth flavor of this culinary experience:
A must try if you are in town or can plan to be in northern California for one of their events. They had a pork butchering workshop in late February — hands-on with chef Dino Bugica. In March, they will team up with Gustafson Winery, above Lake Sonoma, for a Wild Mushroom Foray and Wine Pairing Lunch at the Gustafson home where chef Elissa Rubin-Mahon’s special wild mushroom lunch menu will be paired up with Gustafson wines.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
