Food News: Meet Chef Josh Capon's at Macy's on 1/19!

Note: The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but any thoughts and opinions expressed are unbiased and uninfluenced.

Happy 2018 brunch fans! Brandy has decided to kick off another year of fantastic culinary adventures with a spectacular event at Macy's on State Street and she wanted to make sure all her followers got the details so that they could join her.

On Friday January 19th at 12pm, the Macy's Culinary Council will welcome Chef Josh Capon to the demo kitchen on the 7th floor for an afternoon of fun and food. Chef Capon is the genius behind several highly acclaimed New York and South Florida restaurants, as well as the host of Spike TV's Frankenfood (which filmed right here in Chicago) and a four time winner of Rachel Ray's Burger Bash.

Those who attend the event are promised an earful of Chef Capon's best kept culinary secrets as he walks everyone through some of his award winning recipes. The audience will also get to sample his food in real time and will be provided with recipes for all the dishes so that they can try their hands at cooking like a champ. After the demo, attendees will be invited to meet Chef Capon in person down in the Lower Level kitchenware department. Any purchase of $30 or more will enable guests to not only chat one on one with Chef Capon, but will also get them a $10 Macy's gift card and a special surprise gift!

The best part of all is that the demo (and the three course lunch served at the demo) is completely FREE and only requires an RSVP by calling 1-800-329-8667. Make sure to visit the official event website for more details.

Hope to see you brunch fans there!

Food News: Meet Michelle Bernstein at Macy's State Street!

Note: The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

The unseasonable warmth in Chicago has Brandy feeling a little confused as to exactly what city she's in lately. "I could swear I live in the Midwest, but every time I go outside, I suddenly start wondering if I accidentally moved to Miami." Her confusion grew recently when she discovered that one of Miami's favorite chefs, Michelle Bernstein, was going to be making an appearance at Macys on State Street on Friday October 6th at noon as part of their free Culinary Council live demo series. 

The James Beard Award winning chef will be bringing her unique culinary perspective to the Culinary Council demo kitchen on the 7th floor of Macys on State as she prepares some of her signature recipes, which have been inspired by her Jewish and Latin heritage, while telling stories from her legendary cooking career and offering invaluable cooking advice. The gathered crowd will also have the opportunity to taste her creations as she prepares them live. After the demo has ended, they'll be able to meet Chef Bernstein down on the lower level of Macys (in the kitchen wares section) and if they make a purchase of $35 or more, they'll get a $10 Macys gift card and a copy of Chef Michelle's cookbook, Cuisine A Latina, which they can even get personally autographed! 

"Whatever it is city I'm currently living in, I wouldn't want to miss something like this," said Brandy.

To join Brandy on October 6th, for the free demo and tasting, simply RSVP here: http://bit.ly/MichelleOct17 

Food News: Meet Chef Dana Herbert at Macy's on State Street!

Note: The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Bunny has once again returned to the surface for a breath of fresh air, and this time she is coming back into Chicago with a mission. "My sweet tooth is itching," she texted Brandy, "and that means something exciting must be about to take place. You know I don't usually just start craving sugar out of the blue."

In fact, Brandy didn't think this out of the ordinary at all. She was rather used to Bunny's near psychic ability in sensing when there is good food to be had. Knowing better than to take her friend's instincts lightly, Brandy began researching, and quickly realized that there was indeed something exciting on the horizon. "Your sweet tooth never fails," she text Bunny, "Seems Chef Dana Herbert is hosting a big-to-do at Macy's. Can you get to Chicago by next week?" "I'm already at the airport," was Bunny's quick reply.

Bunny had been a fan of Chef Herbert ever since his big win on Cake Boss: Next Great Baker, where he first demonstrated his knowledge, artistry, and passion for pastry to the public. But it's not just the sweets Chef Herbert is good at; he is also trained in culinary arts, meaning he can pretty much handle anything thrown in his direction. His cookbook, Sweet and Savory Union, therefore could not be a more perfect for Bunny and Brandy, who live their lives by the principles of finding the perfect balance between savory and sweet.

On July 28th at 12pm, Chef Herbert will host a free fun-filled event in the Culinary Council test kitchen on the 7th floor of Macy's on State, where he will demonstrate some of his favorite award winning dishes and serve them to the gathered crowd before heading down to the lower level to sign cookbooks and hobnob with foodie fans (you can even get one of Chef Herbert's cookbooks as a free gift by making a $35 purchase from the Macy's Home Department the day of). Anyone can attend the free demo by RSVPing in advance by calling 1-800-329-8667. For more information on the event, please visit http://bit.ly/Herbert17 and to learn more about the Macy's Culinary Council and all future events, please click here

Postcards from Bunny: Rick Bayless at Macy's

It's no secret that one of Bunny and Brandy's favorite things to do in Chicago is checking out the Culinary Council demos that happen every few months at Macy's on State Street.  Bunny tries to attend them when ever she can make a quick jot into Chicago, but failing that, she will often send Brandy to watch the stars of the culinary world as they cook live and offer the crowd samples of their dishes so that she can take copious notes and report back to Bunny with the results.

Recently, when Bunny heard that Chicago icon Rick Bayless was going to be doing a demo, she nearly burst into tears as she realized there would be no way for her to attend.  "I've been waiting for them to do a Rick Bayless demo for years!" she cried into the phone.  "Well, I'll go for you and take notes like we've done before," Brandy sighed.  "It won't be the same!" Bunny whined.  Then suddenly, Brandy remembered something.  "He's the one you go all squishy for, isn't he?" she asked Bunny with a smirk.  "I do not go all squishy!" Bunny shrieked.  "I can practically hear you blushing over the phone," Brandy said, "Look, why don't I try that new fangled video chatting thingy while I'm at the demo?  Then you can watch the whole thing from your seat in... where are you now?"  "I'm not entirely sure, but everything smells of curry, so I'm guessing either India or Thailand."

So Brandy trotted down to Macy's on State Street early enough to grab a seat with a good view, and then enlisted the help of a nice young woman beside her to get Bunny on to the screen so she could watch as Rick Bayless entered the kitchen space.  "Oh, it's just like watching his PBS show!" Bunny exclaimed, and Brandy hushed her, wondering briefly how she was going to keep her arm from getting tired holding up the phone the entire time.

Chef Bayless began by making a simple guacamole in the same sort of rustic Mexican cooking with a twist that he is famous for.  "People often add too much lemon or lime juice to their guacamole because they think it will keep the avocado from going brown, and it will, but it also overwhelms the taste," Chef Bayless told the crowd.  He also suggested serving the guacamole as cold as possible, even utilizing a thermionic container like a terracotta flower pot with an ice pack under it when leaving the dip out at a party.  This particular guacamole he spiced up, so to speak, with serrano peppers, as he felt that jalapenos were inconstant in their heat levels, due to genetic manipulation.  He also added a bit of sweetness and crunch with some fennel and green apple, which sounded odd, but as Brandy assured Bunny, actually tasted quite good.

Then Chef Bayless took his guacamole mix and used it to coat some pre-cooked shrimp, plating the dish in a martini glass as he told the crowd how much he liked this kind of thing as an appetizer at parties.  "In America, we're more chippers and dippers," he said, "But in Mexico, this is how you would serve a guacamole, as a sort of dressing."  He also gave the crowd tips on how to cook authentically Mexican by keeping dried chilies in their pantries, buying avocados at Mexican markets (because they cost less and are more ripe), never buying tomatoes out of season (he prefers to use sun dried tomatoes when he can't get fresh), and making sure to rinse your sliced onions to rid them of their natural sulpherous compounds, which not only cause eyes to water, but make digestion difficult and cause food to rot faster.

Lastly, Chef Bayless presented a simple, yet delicious shortbread cookie, which was a combination of a pecan sandy and what people often call Mexican Wedding Cookies (Chef Bayless said the cookies are actually more traditional for things like Christmas than weddings).  Indeed, the crumbly little cookies were so delicious that the chef himself couldn't keep his hands off them, munching away as he took questions from the crowd.  "I'm quite pleasantly surprised," he told everyone, "When I saw we were doing a demo at noon on a Monday, I thought four people would show up and I'd just cook us all a nice lunch!"  "I wouldn't mind that," came Bunny's dreamy voice from the phone screen.  He also spoke about his devotion to yoga, which he practices every day.  "I always make all my difficult decisions while I'm doing yoga," he said, "I find that it puts me in touch with my body, so I'm more aware of when I'm hungry, when I'm tired, I smell things more clearly, and even taste things more clearly."  "No wonder the man is so zen all the time," Brandy whispered to Bunny.

After the demo, Chef Bayless stayed and signed copies of his newest cookbook, Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles, and Snacks (or "The three major food groups," as he put it), so Brandy dutifully joined the line after much begging from the tiny woman in her phone, but by the time she reached the front, Bunny seemed frozen with nerves and couldn't even manage to squeak a "hello" to her hero.  "Don't mind her," Brandy said to a befuddled Chef Bayless, "I think all that talk of yoga gave her a mental picture her senses weren't quite ready for.  She'll be fine in a bit."

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Rick Bayless Live at Macy's on State Street!

Happy Monday, brunch fans!  Brandy has forwarded us some top secret information to share with all of our readers in regards to one of Chicago's most famous and well loved chefs.  Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and Xoco, three of Chicago's top restaurants, will be appearing next Monday, October 20th at Macy's on State Street to demo some of his favorite holiday recipes, which the audience in attendance will get to sample!  There will even be an opportunity to meet and greet the chef, as anyone who makes a purchase of $35 or more will receive a free copy of his cookbook, Frontera: Margaritas, Guacamoles, and Snacks, and can have it signed by Rick Bayless himself!

For more information on the event or to find out how to reserve a seat, click here, or if you won't be able to attend, check back here on Wednesday October 22nd for Brandy's full recap of the event!

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Postcards from Bunny: Martha Stewart at Macy's

One of the downsides to Bunny's constant traveling is that there isn't always to cook for her and her husband.  "Even if there is a kitchen available, there's not always a lot of access to bowls, pans, and utensils in the middle of a dinosaur dig!" she says of her experiences trying to cook while on location at her husbands' archaeology sites.  Maybe this is why when Brandy informed her that the legendary Martha Stewart was going to be premiering her new cookbook, One Pot: 120+ Easy Meals from your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More, at Macy's on State Street, Bunny hopped on the first flight back to Chicago in order to attend.

Bunny has always idolized Martha Stewart, as do many crafty hopefuls, entertaining novices, cooking hobbyists, and home decor mavens all over the world for her classic style and easy-to-follow tips.  "There may not be a single person in America who doesn't know who she is, and with good reason!" as Bunny told her neighbor at the demo, "There may be those who pretend to not know her, but those people are only doing so because they want everyone else to believe that the hors d'oeuvres at their last party were their recipes and not hers...Ok, I may have done that once or twice."  

Luckily for Bunny, Macy's ran a promotion in which shoppers who bought $75 worth of Martha Stewart kitchen wares were given a free copy of the cookbook before it's official release (which is on Tuesday, September 23rd), so Bunny spent a good deal of time debating whether she wanted to get one of the beautifully colored enamel Dutch Ovens, the extra deep skillet, the non stick frying pans, or the gorgeous roasting pan.  "I'm leaning towards the Dutch oven, I think.  They may be a tad on the heavy side, but one should never travel without a Dutch Oven.  You never know when they'll come in handy for a spontaneous casserole!" Bunny explained.

As Martha herself entered the demo kitchen, a waft of sauteing bacon accompanied her, as if signaling to the crowd that she was there to take care of them.  She began by whipping up a wonderfully hearty Corn Chowder with Bacon and Shrimp in one of her stock pots.  As she prepared the soup, she told the crowd about some of the different products in her cooking ware line that could be used in conjunction with the book, also letting them know that she was in the process of developing a slow cooker and a pressure cooker to add to the collection.

The second dish was a simple Linguine with Tomato and Basil, where amazingly enough, the veggies were prepared right along side the pasta in one skillet.  "I grow basil in my garden, you know," Martha told the crowd, "I had to get up early this morning because there were two tour groups coming into my garden and I wanted to pick up a little before they got there.  I didn't want them to think I'm a messy gardener!" She also told the crowd how she drank her own mix of green juice every morning (complete with a good chunk of ginger) before working with her trainer and then heading into her test kitchens, where she works with hundreds of professionals to test and re-test recipes for her magazine and various media outlets.  "That's why we always say to follow a recipe precisely the first time you cook something," she said, "We've done all the work for you already, so if you follow it exactly, you can't go wrong."

The last dish was an Arroz con Pollo (or Chicken with Yellow Rice), which she demonstrated in one of the Dutch ovens, garnishing it with some briny green olives.  Bunny's favorite part of the demo was the fact that Martha then actually began to eat the dishes she'd prepared, a thing Bunny nor Brandy has ever witnessed at any cooking demo before!  "I'm always surprised the chefs don't eat their dishes when they're through!" said Bunny, "If I cooked up something that delicious looking, I'd want to dig into it right away!"

Martha then took a few questions from the crowd, giving them advice on apple pie making ("Use several different kinds of apples."), demonstrating how to cut a bunch of cherry tomatoes in half all at once, and letting everyone know that her favorite cocktail is a Polish or Russian Vodka Martini.  After the demo, she graciously stayed to sign cookbooks for the audience, though sadly, Bunny had to run out and catch her flight to meet Benedict at his next dig in Kuala Lumpur.  "The Dutch oven might be too heavy to take as a carry on!"  Bunny fretted, "Maybe I'll pack my clothing into it and tell them it's just an extra heavy duty carrier bag."

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Food News: Martha Stewart at Macy's on State Street!

Greetings, brunch fans!  Today, Brandy has asked us to let you all in on some super secret food news.  Next Tuesday, September 16th the Queen of Crafting, the Duchess of Decor, Her Royal Highness of Home Made will be in Chicago!  Yes, THE Martha Stewart herself will be at Macy's on State Street, giving a cooking demo and signing copies of her newest cookbook, One Pot: Easy Meals for your Skillet, Stock Pot, Slow Cooker, and More!  The book doesn't get it's official release until September 23rd, but attendees at the demo on the 16th will have the opportunity to get a free advance copy when they purchase $75 worth of Martha Stewart Home goods, and as if that wasn't sweet enough, they will also get a $10 Macy's Gift Card and have the opportunity to have Martha sign their books after the demo!  Here's all the info you need to attend:

When: Tuesday, September 16th @ 5:30 PM

Where: Macy's on State Street, Lower Level

To RSVP and secure a seat: https://marthastewartstatestreet.eventbrite.com 

For more information on the event, please click here

We do hope to see all of your there, but if you can't make it, be assured that Brandy will be posting a recap of the entire event right here soon after!

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Agency for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Hoosier Mama Pie Company and more at Macy's American Icon Event!

It has been said that an objective observer is always more qualified to become an expert in any particular subject, and if that holds true, then Brandy, as an observant outsider, can certainly be called an expert on American culture.  Though she has traveled the world extensively and lived in the USA for quite some time, Brandy's quintessential Britishness still seems to hold true in most cases, but there are a few cracks that have begun to appear over the years, such as a liking for grilled sausages on buns in the summer time, an actual understanding of the differences between American and National League baseball, and a certain fondness for the music of Big and Rich (which Brandy will deny wholeheartedly, if confronted directly).

One American institution Brandy will admit to adoring is Macy's, especially that venerable old and impossibly beautiful store on State Street that once upon a time was the storied home of Chicago's iconic Marshall Fields.  Recently, Brandy learned that Macy's was launching into summer with their American Icons campaign, celebrating everything that is quintessentially American, from music to cuisine to fashion.  Kicking of the campaign was a series of amazing events that included performances from jazz singer Erin McDouglad, Chicago Dance Company, and Motwon: The Musical, a cooking demo from Hoosier Mama Pie Company, a men's fashion show hosted by Details Magazine, and a summer entertaining party featuring exotic cotton candy from Spin-Spun and fun mocktails from Tim Williams of Pour Souls.  Music, candy, cocktails, and pie was something Brandy just couldn't say no to.

Starting at 12:00 on the dot, performers from Motown: the Musical (currently playing at the Oriental Theatre downtown) took the stage on the lower level to invoke the spirit of the 1960's Detroit with dead on imitations of The Supremes, the Temptations, and other oldies favorites.  The crowd quickly got into the performance, especially when one of the male singers grabbed an elderly lady to dance with, who surprised everyone (including the performers) by dropping to the floor in a split!  "I could do that, if I wanted to," Brandy informed the people standing near her, "You might hear a lot of metallic creaking from my titanium hips, but I could do it."

Then, as the Erin McDouglad Jazz Quartet took the stage to serenade shoppers with classic jazz standards, Brandy grabbed a seat for the cooking demo from Paula Haney of Hoosier Mama Pie Shop.  The demo started off with a wonderfully detailed description of how Paula makes the pie crust dough for all of her confections.  "I've done a lot of experimenting over the years and I've got it down to a science," she said, admitting that even though her recipe had only 5 simple ingredients, an entire chapter of the the Hoosier Mama Book of Pie was dedicated to the making of the all important crust.  Going through the specifics, like the type of salt she uses, the amount of sugar, and how she treats her butter to get the perfect flaky texture, showed just how much work Paula has put into the recipe and just how proud she is (and should rightly be) of that work.

Next Chef Paula showed how to make a very simple rhubarb filing, which had both a sweet and tart flavor and was perfect for summer.  Just watching her crimp the pie crust by hand was enough to hypnotize the audience and kept most of the crowd in their seats, even after the Chicago Dance Company took the stage behind the demo to put on a show of modern, contemporary, and jazz dance.  "It's nice that they gave us backup dancers," Chef Paula joked with her comrade Allison Scott, who takes charge of all the savory recipes for Hoosier Mama.

Next, Chef Allison took the lead by demonstrating how to make a fresh and simple asparagus and ricotta quiche, even making her own ricotta live in front of the crowd.  Samples of the quiche were passed around so that everyone could experience its silky texture for themselves.  "The best part is, you can adjust this recipe for any season," Chef Allison said, "Asparagus is in season right now, but you can use any vegetables you'd like.  At the shop right now we're doing a bacon and cheddar quiche, a mushroom gruyere quiche, and a pea and ramp quiche."

After the demo ended, Brandy had a few more hours to pass before the second round of events began.  Unfortunately, she mistook the bedding department for "One of those trendy nap boutiques I've heard all about," and fell asleep on a Martha Stewart Home display until just before the store closed.  The good news is that Macy's is hosting another round of events this Saturday including face painting for kids and a fashion show from INC.  "And if there's anything more American than shopping till you drop," Brandy said, "Than I'd like to know what it is."

You can see tons of pictures from yesterday's events on Bunny and Brandy's Facebook page!

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Society for the information contained in this post, but the opinions of the writers have not been dictated or influenced.

Postcards from Bunny: Macy's Culinary Council with Marcus Samuelsson

After Bunny's little surprise for her on Thanksgiving, Brandy suddenly found herself with a house full of Portuguese handball players who didn't seem to understand that they'd vastly over stayed their welcome.  "Well, what have you been feeding them?" Bunny asked over a crackly phone line (she was deep inside a cave at the time).  "Turkey, of course!  That's all they want to eat, thanks to you," Brandy moaned.  "Well there's your problem!" Bunny laughed, "You need to feed them something else and then they'll know its time to leave.  Try some Swedish food."  "Swedish food?"  "Yes.  Their last big defeat was at the hands of the Swedish team, so it will definitely send a message."

Not knowing enough about Swedish home cooking to make a convincing meal (and not wanting to trek all the way out to the IKEA in Schaumburg for some frozen meatballs), Brandy did a little bit of research and quickly found out that world famous chef, Top Chef Master, Macy's Culinary Council member, and nice judge on Food Network's Chopped Marcus Samuelsson was giving a demo at Macy's on State Street.  Though Marcus was Ethiopian born, he was actually raised by a Swedish family, making his culinary perspective particularly unique.

Chef Samuelsson was also at Macy's that day as part of a partnership with the Make a Wish Foundation, granting the wish of one particularly awesome young lady named Sara who had been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and wanted nothing more than to be a chef.  Chef Samuelsson spent a good part of the morning with her, teaching her various techniques and letting her taste the wears from his burger joint on the  seventh floor food court, then had her assist him in his demonstrations by doing a little bit of prep work and helping to hand out food to the crowd.

The first dish on the docket was a Couscous Paella with Shrimp.  Though not very Swedish in nature, Chef Samuelsson's motive for making a dish like this was more to use holiday leftovers in a creative way.  "Did you know we throw out about 40% of our leftovers, especially during the holidays?" he asked the crowd before launching into the recipe, which he said could be adjusted to fit any meats or vegetables one has lying around.  His paella had a spicy kick from some mild peppers and a hearty chorizo sausage.  By using couscous instead of a traditional rice, Chef Samuelsson added a more interesting creamy texture to the dish as well as making it more international feeling.

Next up was his grandmother's recipe for Meatballs. which he suggested serving with a carrot and apple mash.  These meatballs were not what Brandy expected at all, as Chef Samuelsson coated them in a sweet barbecue sauce instead of gravy, which matched well with the sweet mash.  "You can make mash out of any root vegetables for a nice change of pace," he instructed, "Don't give potatoes all the attention."

Lastly was a very simple Korean style Short Rib, which was marinated in honey, soy sauce, and spices over night and then grilled and sliced.  Chef Samuelson served the tender slices of beef on leaves of lettuce, which provided a nice contrast of cool crispness to the slightly salty and tender beef.

Though initially there to learn how to cook Swedish food, Brandy soon fell in love with Chef Samuelsson's charm and international fusion skills.  He liked to emphasize including all of the family in cooking meals and did this by inviting several members of the audience to cook with him during the demo, including one young lady who had just started on the line at fellow Culinary Council member Stephanie Izard's restaurant, Girl and the Goat.  Chef Samuelsson also delighted the crowd by telling stories about his culinary adventures, like cooking for President Barack Obama (when asking his mother's advice on the occasion, she told him, "Leave before you mess up.") and asking them to name their least favorite judges on Chopped, then threatening to call said judges to tell them the crowd's opinion.

Not sure what to do upon returning home without the Swedish recipes she'd hoped for, Brandy chose to prepare what she had learned anyway, making her handsome young house guests pitch in by rolling meatballs, deveining shrimp, and massaging pieces of short rib.  And to her surprise, at the end of the meal, the dear young things began to pack away their things, presented her with a beautiful poinsettia plant, and finally left her house.  Confused as to what had happened, Brandy once again called Bunny.  "Oh, I know why they left!" Bunny exclaimed, "I told them you would give them a cooking lesson!  They must have been waiting all this time for you to show them some recipes!"  "Bunny, do me a favor," Brandy sighed, "The next time you send someone to my doorstep, at least make sure they've got a couple of bottles of sherry with them.  That way I won't care how long they stay."

*The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Society for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.

Postcards from Bunny: Bento Box Treats with Takashi at Macy's

Seeing as how several dozen presidents and monarchs have finished their reigns since the last time Brandy was in any sort of school classroom, its understandable that the "Back to School" season is always somewhat confusing for her.  "What do they mean by back to school?" she often wonders, "The children don't leave school until they are 18 or 22 or 30 even these days, they're constantly in school!  Seems to me, its more the 'End of the Break that's Slightly Longer than All the Other Breaks We Take Throughout the Year Season.'"

To help Brandy be a little more empathetic with the parents of the world, Bunny sent her to another one of Macy's on State Street's amazing cooking demos from a member of the Culinary Council, as it was to be a Back to School themed afternoon with snacks meant for a busy student's lunchbox.  Brandy was a little hesitant at first, but once she learned the star of the day was none other than Takashi Yagihashi, famed for his namesake restaurant in Bucktown and Slurping Turtle in the Loop, she decided to make an exception.  "Normally I don't pay any mind to the young and their goings on, but I suppose this one time, I can stand to learn something."

The afternoon started off with a refreshing carbonated cranberry lemonade, garnished with a sprig of mint.  Brandy was three cups into the day before she realized the beverage was non alcoholic.  "I suppose a wine spritzer after school would be a bit of a faux pas," she mused.

Chef Takashi started off with Shrimp Shumai, a steamed dumpling filled with chopped shrimp, water chestnuts and mushrooms and topped with a soy sauce/mustard dressing.  These perfect little pockets had the a delightfully chewy outside and a tender, salty filling.  Chef paired them with a little bit of steamed bok choy and said that if someone wanted to make a larger batch of them, that they freeze extremely well and could even be deep fried for a more crunchy shell.

Next Chef Takashi demonstrated Chicken Yakitori, a sort of Japanese shish kebob with juicy chunks of boneless chicken breast, thigh, and leg meat skewered with onions, green peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh scallions.  "These make perfect snacks for a BBQ or picnic too!" Chef Takashi proudly proclaimed.  The secret to these tasty bites was definitely the marinade, a traditional Japanese concoction called Tukedare, which consisted of soy sauce, sugar, fresh ginger juice, sesame oil, lemon juice, kombu (a type of seaweed), and a Japanese spice blend called Togarashi.

Finally Chef Takashi prepared his famous Chicken Tatsuta-Age, a Japanese style fried chicken served with a spicy Asian Slaw.  Again, the secret to juicy, flavorful chicken was down to the marinade, flavored with garlic, ginger, mirin, and sesame oil.  Chef Takashi advised using potato starch to coat the chicken, as it lent a better crunch and flavor than corn starch once fried.

As one last flourish, the chef gave the audience some tips on how to properly steam rice, then assembled a few pieces of all of the goodies he'd prepared into a lovely bento style lunch box, which he said would be sure to make everyone's children "Never want to leave their parents homes!"

At the end of it all, Brandy actually found herself slightly wishing she had some classes to attend just so that she could take with her a fabulous lunch like this one (all of the items Chef Takashi prepared we meant to be eaten at room temperature so no ice packs of microwave were necessary).  But instead, she compromised by buying a brand new rice cooker, a floral backpack ("This will be perfect for carrying my darning supplies to Quilting Club!"), and enjoying a bowl of noodles from Takashi's own Noodles on the seventh floor of Macy's on State Street.  She may not be going back to school any time soon, but Brandy was now happy enough to welcome in the season with the rest of the world.

The writers of this blog have been compensated by Everywhere Society for the information contained in this post, but the opinions stated were not influenced.