Meet chefs and taste free samples at Aptos Farm to Table Tour

You can meet chefs and taste free, delicious samples at the Farm to Table Tour on Saturday April 9, 2011 from 8am-noon at the Aptos Farmers Market at Cabrillo College. Plus if you go to three of the demos, you receive a free potted herb plant to take home. The tour, traveling around the country, is sponsored by Toyota (read about national tour). There will be hybrid cars available for test drives – and if you participate, you get to take home a free John Boos cutting board.

For this event, 11 local chefs are pairing their creativity with ingredients from farm vendors at the Aptos Farmers Market. They will be preparing fresh dishes to showcase local produce, doing demonstrations, and giving away tasty treats. Each chef has a designated tent and demo/sample time. A full schedule is below, and here are some of the enticing descriptions:

Stephany Buswell of The Wedding Stop & Cake Shoppe is preparing three dishes: whole slow-roasted strawberries with balsamic vinegar and raw sugar, chocolate truffles with local olive oil and fleur de sel, and orange-cinnamon scented yam cupcakes with honey cream-cheese icing. Market vendors she’s using: Amen Bees for honey, Belle Farms olive oil, Bob Sue Harris Eggs, P&K farms organic strawberries, Schletewitz Family Farms oranges and yams, and Pinnacle Nut Company’s honey glazed walnuts.

Owen Snyder of Papa O’s will be preparing baked, bacon-wrapped Medjool dates stuffed with whole natural almonds. The chef says it’s his most requested appetizer when he caters parties. The ingredients are from several market vendors: Del Real Dates, Corralitos Market bacon, and Stackhouse Brothers Orchards almonds.

Andrea Mollenauer of Lifestyle Culinary Arts is demonstrating and sampling a crostini featuring seven market vendors. “I designed the item walking through the market one day and was so excited to be able to feature so many great vendors in one delicious, coherent bite-sized item. My hors d’oeuvre will be a representation of my love of combining surprising bold flavors in small exciting bites – a true amuse bouche! It will be a savory item atop Golden Sheaf baguette crostini.” In addition to Golden Sheaf Bread Company, she’s featuring the following vendors: Old Creek Ranch Meat, Schoch Family Cheese, Del Real Dates, Pinnacle Nut Co., and Belle Farms Olive Oil, Schletewitz Family Citrus.

Lionel Le Morvan of the restaurant Ma Maison is creating two dishes using market vendors: Mache Salade with goat cheese and vegetable julienne, and Celery Rémoulade with Shrimp (I am a huge fan of this celery remoulade and can’t wait to sample it with shrimp!).

CHEF SCHEDULE (subject to change):

Tent 1

8:00 am – 9:00 am – Jamie Smith, Executive Market Chef, Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Market

9:15 am – 10:15 am – Derek Rupp, Pleasure Pizza

10:30 am – 11:30 am – Udo Prambs, French Culinary Institute

Tent 2

8:15 am – 9:15 am – Paul Magill, Personal Chef

9:30 am – 10:30 am – Elizabeth Bourget, Gourmet To Go

10:45 am – 11:45 am – Lionel Le Morvan, Ma Maison Restaurant

Tent 3

8:30 am – 9:30 am – Stephany Buswell, The Wedding Stop & Cake Shoppe

9:45 am – 10:45 am – Owen Snyder, Papa O’s

11:00 am – 12:00 pm – Andrea Mollenauer, Lifestyle Culinary Arts

Tent 4

8:15 am – 10:30 am – Hans C. Haveman, H & H Fresh Fish Co., Inc.

10:45 am – 11:45 am – Kevin Koebel, Local FATT (formerly Rogue Chefs)

The Details

Toyota Farm to Table Tour

Sat, April 9, 2011, 8am–noon

Aptos Farmers Market

Cabrillo College, 6500 Soquel Drive, Aptos 95003

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