Nerves

Before Stacey’s daughter Lauren went off to college in Spain; she came back to Beijing to spend time with her family and friends; get her things in order and say her final goodbyes.  This all sounds wonderful but by the time she left, she was just a little antsy and emotional.  So many farewells, so many lasts and so many days until she started her new life.  Moving away from home for the first time, albeit to a very safe university environment in a UNESCO World Heritage city, is scary.

Don't let the two bags fool you.
Her father brought the rest of her things a week later!

Boy can we relate!  After a relaxing(ish) summer break, we were very eager to get going. It felt like forever since we were in the STARAkitchen and we were feeling just a little nervous.  One night Sara even had nightmare where 40 people showed up for class and we had nothing prepared. After 45 minutes, one of the students walked into the kitchen (why they were not there in the first place we don’t know) outraged at the bad service.  Now we are no reader of dreams but her subconscious clearly was working overtime. Suffice to say; we spent the last few days getting our pantry and recipes in order to ensure our first class of the season went smoothly on D-day.

And it did.  It was so nice to welcome our fabulous students, both new and experienced, back into our kitchen.  We must admit that it took a few minutes to get back in the swing of things, but in no time everyone was slicing, dicing and chopping like they had never left. 

 This week we also welcomed Signature Wines to our class.  They expertly paired two excellent wines with our Italian fare.  The Tarani rosé perfectly complemented the antipasti consisting of eggplant fritters, a sexed up Insalata Caprese and Stracciatella (Italian egg drop soup) and the red, a Spanish La Tribu, worked well with our version of Chicken Saltimbocca – chicken breasts with prosciutto and sage.   We look forward to enjoying their pairings at many of our future classes!

I think we liked the wine! 

It was so nice to be back in the kitchen, see everyone again and hear about your summer activities.  We have a great season planned and can’t wait to see you – in the kitchen!