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| Volume 4, Number 4 |
July 12, 2013 |
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Dear Culinary Friends,
When asked which cuisine most typifies America, chefs are bound to tell you it stems from the South. From the luscious belly of our nation, the mountains where sweet corn is grown and the rivers where trout flashes its rainbow colors, all the way down to the Mississippi Delta, the South has a gift for capturing both our hearts and our taste buds.
If the South is the heart of America, Appalachia is the heart of the South. Husking bees, ‘lasses boilings, hog killings have always been occasions to gather around a laden table where, crisped in cracklings, the bounty of the garden is served up with generous chunks of cornbread and washed down with huge gulps of iced tea.
Food is inevitably what holds a society together, familiar flavors linking memory to both present and past, as well as to religion and to culture, and creating a roadmap for generations to come.
This year’s Seasonal School of Culinary Arts summer session will feature over two dozen of Asheville’s most celebrated chefs and beverage experts, creating a forum from which to explore the essential role Appalachia plays in bringing our nation back to its heart: The Table.
Chefs include John Fleer, of Canyon Kitchen (formerly of Blackberry Farm), William Dissen of the Market Place, Mike Moore of Seven Sows & Bourbon, Elliot Moss of Buxton Hill Barbeque and Ben’s Tune-Up, Nate Allen of Knife & Fork, Denny Trantham, executive chef emeritus of the Grove Park Inn, Joe Scully, of the Corner Kitchen and Chestnut, Brian Sonoskus of Tupelo Honey, Bill Klein of Jack of Hearts (formerly of Fig and Bistro at Biltmore), Brian Ross of Dough, and Mark Rosenstein creator of the Market Place and Asheville’s top food guru, among others.
A special added feature this year is an afternoon session led by nationally acclaimed mushroom expert Alan Muskat, geared towards educating chefs as to what is safe and what is not when a forager comes to your door. This session is free to chefs and $50 for the general public, and includes a tasting finale.
The event opens on Sunday evening, July 14th, with a roundtable panel discussion of the principles of Appalachian cuisine, parallel to the Nordic craze, which has swept the world in its recent popularity: making something from almost nothing, foraging the woods and the streams for whatever might be edible in times of scarcity, turning some unexpected ingredient into a feast. This lecture is free and open to the public.
Classes take place on the campus of Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, immediately east of Asheville. Price for the entire week (the best option) is $1400, per day is $275, per morning session with wine-paired luncheon is $200, and per evening session is $75.
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| Appalachian Elegance~A Timeless Culinary Affair |
Next week's schedule is as follows:
Sunday, July 14th
2:00-5:00 Arrival & Registration
5:00-6:30 Welcome & Hors d'Oeuvres, catered by Joe Scully in Garden Cabin
7:00-9:00 ROUND TABLEwith Denny Trantham, Wilma Sorrells, Mark Rosenstein, Michael Moore, Brian Sonoskus, Joe Scully, Rick McDaniel, Bob Bowles, Doug Orr, & Susi Gott Séguret for students, WWC, and Asheville Community, ending with a community cocktail & selected hors d'oeuvres by Joe Scully, at Jensen Lecture Hall
Monday, July 15th
Theme: GRITS & RAMPS
Chefs: Nate Allen & Denny Trantham
7:30-8:15 Walk with Ian
8:15-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:30 Session One
10:45-12:15 Session Two
12:30-2:00 Lunch on Café Patio
2:00-4:00 Chefs Guide to Wild Foods with Alan Muskat
5:30-7:30 WNC MAGAZINE RECEPTION at Strada
7:30-10:00 Brewery Tours
Tuesday, July 16th
Theme: HOG & HOECAKES
Chefs: Michael Moore & Elliot Moss
7:30-8:15 Walk with Marc Williams
8:15-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:30 Session One
10:45-12:15 Session Two
12:30-2:00 Lunch on Café Patio
2:00-5:00 Entertainment fare with Mary Collins-Shepard
5:00-7:00 FOOD SONGS & STORIES with Swannanoa Gathering staff and studentsat the Pavilion
Wednesday, July 17th
Theme: TATERS & MATERS
Chefs: John Fleer & William Dissen
7:30-8:15 Walk with Michael Gentry
8:15-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:30 Session One
10:45-12:15 Session Two
12:30-2:00 Lunch on Café Patio
2:00-4:00 Free
4:00-6:00 WHISKEY ON THE PORCH, hosted by Troy & Sons, accompaniments by Brian Ross
Thursday, July 18th
Theme: GREENS & BEANS
Chefs: Brian Sonoskus & Bill Klein
7:30-8:15 Walk with Mark Brenner
8:15-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:30 Session One
10:45-12:15 Session Two
12:30-2:00 Lunch on Café Patio
2:00-5:00 Free
5:00-9:00 LOG CABIN ESCAPADE
Friday, July 19th
Theme: MOONSHINE & MORELS
Chefs: Mark Rosenstein & Joe Scully
7:30-8:15 Walk with Alan Muskat
8:15-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:30 Session One
10:45-12:15 Session Two
12:30-2:00 Lunch
2:00-7:00 Students plan, shop for and prepare dinner for chefs
7:00-9:00 CELEBRATION DINNER
Saturday, July 20th
8:00-9:00 Breakfast in Glad
9:00-10:00 Check out and farewells
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| Coming Up Next~Ithaca Escapades |
The Finger Lakes region of New York is swiftly becoming one of THE places to be if food and wine and farming is your passion. With more than 90 wineries flanking the shores of glacially-carved lakes, and the delightfully quaint college town of Ithaca which has more restaurants per capita than New York City, if you haven't yet discovered this pocket of the country, it's time you joined us. And if you have, and just want more of a good thing in the company of other enthusiasts during the height of fall coloring (October 2-5), you're on the right track as well!
Visit our website for an idea of places we will explore.
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| And Later On This Year~Sonoma Serenades |
Ah, Sonoma! The rolling hills which range from reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands to redolent of the South of France...only footsteps away from San Francisco, through a corridor of redwoods, there are wines, cheeses, oysters, and olives a-plenty, all cultivated in the space of one of the most diverse counties on the globe.
Wine lovers who have already discovered Napa or who seek a more personal introduction to California's wines must visit the richness of Sonoma's terroirs before their time is up. From December 4-7 we'll explore vineyards, creameries, markets, and oyster farms, and we'll enter wine-makers' domains, indulge in hands-on sessions with local chefs, savor pinot until we can tell the difference between grapes grown on the coast and those grown further inland, and marvel at all this country has to offer if only we are ready to taste!
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| Paris in Asheville~Bastille Day Dinner |
If you're hungering for an immediate taste of France and a preview of the week to come, join Chefs Brian Ross and Susi Gott Seguret at Dough on the eve of Bastille Day for a special menu de fête:
Summer Tomato Tart with Garlic and Thyme
Lobster with Ginger, Lime & Sauternes
Plate of Apple Brandy Farms Lamb: Roasted Chop with Mustard, Lamb Loin Confit with Tarragon, Navarin
'Gâteau Moelleux au Chocolat' with Vanilla Sauce & Raspberry Coulis
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If you are unable to attend a session in person but would like to be with us vicariously, a trilogy of cookbooks with recipes from past sessions can color up your shelves. Or you might want to consider a selection of specially chosen knives in a streamlined SSCA knife wrap to give your kitchen an extra touch of class. Or yet again an SSCA apron in a lovely shade of green or a blue brushed cotton SSCA cap to add a little jaunt to your look. Visit our website to embellish your bookcase, your wardrobe, and your knife rack! Or become a sponsor and help us establish scholarship funds for culinarily-inclined youths.
Wherever your appetite leads you, we hope you will share this page with friends and family, and join us somewhere soon along the culinary trail...
Until then, bon appétit!
Susi
828-301-2792
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