The Culinary Center at Whole Foods

Super Bowl Party with Sierra Nevada Brewing and the Fong Bros.

For Christmas, I received a great gift for a foodie. A cooking class! Whole Foods has a culinary center and they present cooking demonstrations. My friend and I shopped the classes and chose the Super Bowl Party. We arrived early and there were people inside but we were told that they were not ready to seat until the start time of 5:00 pm. The facilities at the Arden Way store consist of a counter seating area directly in front of the prep and cooking space and long narrow tables on wheels that are set back from the front with pub style chairs. There are two video monitors and no microphones.

The line formed outside of the closed door as we anticipated our entry. We could see all the action going on inside setting up and prepping for the anxious crowd. Once the door opened, we were surprised to find out the counter section was reserved. So, we moved to the back and took our seats. Here is where I began to take offense to some of what followed.

As we waited for the class to begin, 5 men took the reserved seats. Unfortunately for us, one was very large and completely blocked our view of the cooking and prep area. One of them was texting the entire time so could not have been too interested in the demonstration. As a mother, I would have taken his phone away and told him to pay attention. They also brought in alcoholic beverages purchased at Whole Foods into the class. That is good to know if you have a special wine to enjoy with the meal. Someone in the crowd asked if they could turn the monitors on since our view was blocked. Only one of the cameras worked so we could only see the prep area on the screen. The group in general were friendly. Although it was difficult to be attentive with the distractions from the counter. I knew that the Super Bowl Party title invited the good old boys and they were in attendance with Tiger Woods jokes, loudly speaking to each other blocking out what the chef was describing and with an attitude that they were the only ones there. This was a distraction from the entertainment and enjoyment of the evening, for me.

The highlight of the event was the personable Molly, from Sierra Nevada Brewing. She made suggested food pairings with the brews that were interesting and educational. She spoke about the brewer, Joe Whitney and his visions beyond Pale Ale. She provided our group with the history of Sierra Nevada Brewing and brought her enthusiasm to the story. She informed us of the green side of the brewery and how they strive to sustain our planet while making their whole-cone hop beers. She spoke about the events Sierra Nevada Brewing hosts. I will definitely make the short trip to Chico soon to experience Sierra Nevada Brewing first hand.

Personally, I enjoy beer tasting as much as wine tasting. I long for the flavor distinctions and the pairings of both wine and beer. We tasted Torpedo Extra IPA first, not as her choice but someone else began to pour. Torpedo is beyond bold and so aromatic in the hoppy genre. Just the type of flavor that stands up and invites you to savor.

Next we tasted the Glissade, a golden bock, smooth and quiet. I liked the color and the overall softness of this beer. It would be delicious super cold and served in a smaller glass...my favorite way to drink beer.

The Kellerweis is a wheat beer, not one I would normally choose. I was pleasantly surprised by the flavor produced in this beer. Delicious with a hint of banana. Lit up my taste buds and took me right to summer at the beach. Coppertone in the air and a cold beer in the hand.

Back to the food...Thank goodness for the beer since most of the food was so hot, pepper hot, that you needed a beer to calm down your tastebuds. My husband would say that I think everything is too hot. It takes away from the flavor that I look for in food. I am not going to review or discuss each item on the menu but rather give you the highlights from my perspective. We were served Southern Fried Wings that were cooked to perfection and not on the spicy side but really full of flavor. I enjoyed these much more than any hot wing or sweet sticky wing. These were tender and tasty. I tried the recipe at home and it was just as good.

Our chef Eddie is from Eddie's on Broadway. I heard a lot of great things about the restaurant but sadly never ate there. He prepared and served one of the best Turkey burgers I have eaten. They were made with Fuji apples and that kept them moist and tangy. This paired wonderfully with the Glissade.

Another favorite was the Honey-Lime Chipotle Prawns. The brining makes all the difference and carmelizes during the grilling. They packed some heat but the sweetness of the prawns provided balance. My choice of brew here was the Kellerweis. I'm a beach gal and the combination left me longing to fly to St. Somewhere.

The three hour tour of taste ended on a better note than it began. I got past the chef's comment early on, "Usually we are pretty on it!" When I asked how to reserve the counter seats, the response was "You have to be family." Too bad. They probably get to see and taste this food all the time. We observers in the back still got our money's worth. I especially want to recognize Molly from Sierra Nevada Brewing for tying up the loose ends dangling in the kitchen with her friendly beer-speak.

I also want to thank my friend for the gift of her friendship and sharing the pure enjoyment of dining.