“Every time you see pork belly or bone marrow, kidneys or trotters (increasingly “hot” offerings) on an American menu – you might well owe a debt of thanks to Fergus, who showed so many of us the way. St. John has quickly become a must-try on the international traveling chef circuit. Chefs, foodies, food writers, and cooks on sabbatical often stop there for a taste of the real, to find out what all the buzz is about. Who is this Fergus Henderson?”
Anthony Boudain

You will have the opportunity to meet Fergus and find out who he is during this very special and very intimate evening. You will also be served some of his wonderful food as he regales you with stories of his top London restaurant. Fergus Henderson is the chef and co-owner of the award-winning St. John Restaurant and St. John Bread and Wine in London. He is also the author of several cookbooks, including The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating. Fergus worked in a restaurant while studying as an architect, and soon switched his career to that of a chef. Henderson is known for his passionate devotion to using each and every part of any slaughtered animal. Last year he was awarded an MBE by the Queen.

Kathy Block-Brown, instructor at In Good Taste and local personal chef, recently did a demo at the Farmer's market on behalf of In Good Taste. I listened as she stepped everyone through the joys of preparing meals with seasonal produce. She taught us all how to oven roast tomatoes and how to freeze them. I left all fired up about freezing my own roasted tomatoes!

Kathy demonstrated how to make this salad which is bright with a fusion of bold tastes. I loved it! She has happily shared the recipe with us so we could pass it on to you.

In the Fall cooking class catalog, you will see that Kathy is teaching three classes: Oregon's Seasonal Best, from Farmer's market to the Home Table; E legant Vegetarian Entertaining; and, a Sicilian Christmas Eve Dinner of Seven Fishes.

It's that time of year again ... that is, time to buy your tickets for the Wild About Game event. This one promises to be pretty spectacular with more space, more chefs, and more fun! Also, Fergus Henderson, top London chef, will be a judge this year. And, he'll be signing his cookbook there too.

The location has changed and so has the format. Be sure to check out the web site to get all the details. I know I'll definitely be there.

This month Judith Bishop reviewed the latest local Junior League cookbook. She advises that the book is a great gift for out of town friends and family, as well as a good resource for those of us that live here in Portland.

After reading her review, I think I'll go and gather some of our prolific tomato harvest and go and make some Sauvie Island Tomato Soup!

We’ve just returned from our annual buying trip for the holiday season. There were a number of new food products from around the world. We were excited by a few items that we couldn't resist such as bottled Carica fruit from Chili. Exotic and beautiful, Carica, which is also known as pawpaw, has sensual flavors and aromas that characterize this boutique Chilean fruit. It is all natural and bottled with no preservatives. It will add a stylish and elegant touch to any meal. I would serve it alongside duck or chicken, and it will make a lovely, simple last-minute dessert served with ice cream.

We also couldn't resist the Comet Tail Pepper from Java as well as a new olive oil from France and one from Greece.

Probably the most exciting new taste sensation for us was a truly splendid rose petal jam from Armenia. Tom Hurley, chef/owner of Hurleys restaurant, took one taste of it and rushed back to his kitchen to cook up another fabulous dish using the jam. (I can't wait to go and try it!). The picture above shows you the time consuming process needed to make this flavour-loaded new product.

We also found many new kitchen tools to make your life easier and some fun items too. You won't have any problems coming up with gift ideas when the holidays roll around.

Barb Randall, food writer and In Good Taste instructor (we are proud to say), recently donated her time to a good cause. This article, written by Barb, appeared in the Lake Oswego Review. It includes a great recipe for tomato and thyme soup, another way to make the most of your summer tomato crop.