Relish Culinary: Roasting a 130 Pound Pig in Healdsburg

Comments Off on Relish Culinary: Roasting a 130 Pound Pig in Healdsburg

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.

Read More Share

Recent Author Posts

Join Our Community

Connect On Social Media

Most Popular Posts

We Blog The World

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share this post with your friends!