What's Going On??

It has been a year of great speculation at STARAfood.  Are we leaving or staying and/or will we continue on and what will it look like?

Well, summer is over, we are both still here and will be continuing on as before, with a few minor changes of course!  We are busy planning our class schedule so if there is that one special dish you want to learn – speak up now!  We guarantee something for everyone even if you are new to the STARAfood family or have been with us since the beginning. 

Stacey and her kids on the California coast

Sara's kids embracing their inner vikings

Summer holidays are becoming a distant memory but we have some business to attend to before we can immerse ourselves completely in food and wine.  Stacey is sending her first born off to college and is dealing with all last-minute stuff that that entails. Sara has to move house before the end of the month and was ready to dig into that when her appendix decided to get inflamed and instead, the surgeon had to do the diggin’. Five weeks of no heavy lifting is not going to make the move easier but luckily, labour is cheap in China!

Labour is not so cheap in San Francisco's Chinatown

We had an incredible year last year and are so proud and grateful for the community of cooks that have graced our kitchen and enriched our lives.  We have so many ideas to make the STARAexperience even richer but have only one little challenge - time. We are trying to find time not only to develop new classes (and teach them) but also to assemble some of our recipes and knowledge into a book.  The greatest of intentions but we have just been too busy to do so.

Therefore, we have decided to expand the STARA team!

Firstly, we would like to introduce Liduska Rojas – baker extraordinaire and founder of Lidu’s Sweets.  Originally from Venezuela, she and her family arrived in Beijing eight years ago via the United States.

Lidu’s Sweets is committed to bringing fabulous, fresh and delicious cakes, cupcakes and desserts to the Beijing community. All of her treats are made from scratch with the best ingredients and she delivers!  You might have had an opportunity to try one of her decadent cupcakes either at one of our classes or at the ISB Spring Fair.  

We are thrilled to support Liduska in her strive for Beijing cake domination! Contact Liduska on 159 0148 9374 or Lidussweets@hotmail.com.

Cheryl Houston is our own Domestic Goddess!  Born and raised in Austin, Texas, she and her family have lived in Paris, Sweden, Houston and Norway - twice, prior to moving to Beijing. She holds degrees in Sociology and Nutrition & Food Science and is also an amazing seamstress, knitter, baker, cook and decorator!

Cheryl not only slightly resembles Martha Stewart but she shares many of her traits (except the insider trading we hope) and we are very lucky to have her on the STARA team. We hope Cheryl can share some of her ingenious ideas to make your house look more beautiful and helpful tips how to create the right ambiance for your party.

We have a few other surprises in store for you this year but you will just have to wait and see!  

Stay tuned for our new class schedule and we will see you in the STARAkitchen soon!