Ritz Carlton Cooking Classic

[robyn]

OK - I hope this got your attention .

Last month I mentioned in the Florida forum that the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island was holding something called Cooking Classic 2005. I had no idea exactly what the event was - but the price was right ($580 for 2 nights at the hotel - breakfast - valet parking - an Iron Chef type of competition - a bunch of seminars - and an eating event called Cooking Classic). We just got back from the weekend event - and I can tell you that not only was the event a bargain - it was terrific (and at times spectacular).

It was pretty apparent from the start on Friday that this really wasn't an event put on primarily for people like me and my husband. Instead - this was a gathering of executive chefs (and some of their sous chefs) from the Ritz Carltons in Florida (Orlando/Naples/South Beach/Palm Beach/Coconut Grove/Amelia Island). The point was for the chefs to create - cook - compete - and - in the end - compare notes and brainstorm with one another about the results of their efforts. Those of us who attended were merely the lucky recipients of the fruits of this chefs' mini-convention.

A lot went on over the course of 2 days - so I'll break up my report into several messages.

The first event of the weekend was an "Iron Chef" type competition before dinner. Four chefs competed. Lawrence McFadden - who is from Washington. He's responsible for directing and developing the culinary programs for the Ritz Carlton Company. He is a "Certified Master Chef" from the American Culinary Federation. For those of you familiar with the certification - and the TV show about it - rumor has it that he was the person who wanted his identity withheld during filming (although he wound up passing the exam).

Then there was Roy Khoo - originally from Malaysia - who is the Executive Chef at Naples. Thomas Connell - the executive Chef at South Beach (via Liguna Nigel and the Hotel Arts in Barcelona) and Stefan Kauth - originally from Germany - now the Executive Chef at Coconut Grove. [to be continued]

[robyn]

The event started out in a relatively light-hearted way. Each chef got an "assistant" from the audience. Here are 2 of the "assistants":

As an aside - in case you couldn't tell looking at the assistants - Viking was a major sponsor of the event. I don't have anything to do with Viking. But thanks to Viking for helping to make the event possible.

The "surprise ingredient" was announced - lobster (the subject of a theme dinner later that evening).

And everyone went to get the ingredients needed to make the dishes:

After spending a few minutes teaching the "assistants" what they had to do - the chefs got down to business. And they were dead serious about their business:

The sweat wasn't only from the lights. It was from the pots! This is Chef Khoo's lobster cake.

And then there were 5 minutes left:

There was a very official panel of regional (southern) professional foodies - who - after due deliberation - announced the winner - Chef McFadden (I think - I had to run upstairs for 10 minutes to shower and change for dinner!).

A fun event. But really my least favorite of the weekend (although it was the easiest to photograph). More to come. Robyn

[robyn]

After the competition (which by the way was called "On Your Mark! Get Set! Cook!) - there was a dinner which was billed as a "Lobster Feast". We had been told by dining reservations that it was basically a lobster bake - lobster - corn on the cob - etc. We were almost tempted to pass it up at $69/person (it wasn't included in our package) - but we're glad we didn't.

Yes - there were baked lobsters. And grilled steaks. And grilled pork chops. All cooked outside on huge grills. But there were lobsters with an oriental flavor steamed in huge bamboo baskets. A table groaning with vegetables and salads - including the most delicious heirloom tomatoes - baby beets and carrots - fat tasty asparagus. Another table with Asian specialities - including a wonderful shrimp curry.

And one of the visiting chefs who had time to rest during the earlier competition - Kai Lermen - born in Germany - who came to the Ritz in Palm Beach after years in 3 star French restaurants and a stint as the executive chef at the Ritz in Philadelphia (among other places) was put to work at his own station (I did a double-take when I read his jacket and saw that an executive chef was preparing each and every plate himself). He decided that baked and steamed lobsters weren't enough - so he - together with his sous chef from Palm Beach - did this:

The dessert "station" was no slouch either. At one end of the dining room - Viking had set up a basic "dream kitchen". And every nook and cranny of that kitchen was filled with something delectable. I suspect that Chef Laurent Lhuillier (executive pastry chef from Orlando) and Chef Sheldon Millett (executive pastry chef from Amelia Island) (more on both in later messages) - had a hand in this wonderful display - but there was no sign giving them credit.

This was a terrific meal - and - as you can tell - I spent more time eating than taking pictures . Regarding pictures - I have to tell you one interesting thing about this weekend. At every turn - just about every visiting chef - home chef - and all of the kitchen staff - was out there taking pictures of food - other chefs - etc. - etc. This was truly a festive event by chefs - for chefs. Robyn

[Gifted Gourmet]

Robyn, your photographs are exceptionally delightful and make me feel as if I had also been to this event! The descriptions you wrote completed the festivities! Many thanks for sharing these with us.

[robyn]

Robyn, your photographs are exceptionally delightful and make me feel as if I had also been to this event! The descriptions you wrote completed the festivities! Many thanks for sharing these with us.

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I'm not finished yet. Have to do all of Saturday's events. But I'm glued to the TV watching the Katrina reports. Seems like if the storm stays "as is" - the surge in the western panhandle of Florida will be even worse than what happened in Ivan <sigh>. That's not to belittle what may happen in Alabama - Mississippi - or Louisana. Only shows how huge this storm is. Robyn

[robyn]

Chefs often don’t get much sleep – and neither did we Friday night. A full day of classes started promptly at 9 Saturday morning. Before classes started - we received a nice handout detailing all of the recipes for the day's dishes so we could try to make them ourselves when we got home. Then we settled into the comfortable stadium style seating and set our sights on trying to learn some new kitchen skills.

The first session was a pastry class with Chef Martha Foose - Viking Chef, bakery owner, and first class baker. Her background includes stints in France (where – contrary to her family’s opinions – she learned to do things other than smoke and drink ) and La Brea Bakery. She is from Mississippi – and I hope she and her family are doing ok as Katrina passes.

Chef Foose started out the morning right with breakfast pastries. She showed us how to make Almond Breakfast Tortes with Fig Preserves – Sweet and Savory Scones – and Banana Cocoa Muffins. We got some delicious samples of each. And I got a hint about how to avoid hockey puck biscuits next time I try to practice my baking skills.

Next up was Chef Thomas Toxldorf – Executive Chef from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island (via Germany and Singapore) - with a brief primer on Asian cooking. He promptly went to work cooking a Thai Style Curry Shrimp – the kind of dish he cooks at home (he even brought Thai basil from his garden to throw in the pot).

While the smells of garlic and lemon grass from the huge simmering wok filled the room – Chef Toxldorf showed us how to prepare which could be a starter for the curry – Japanese Seared Tuna with a Sesame Crust and Wasabi Yogurt Sauce. It was a bit early in the morning for curry and wasabi – so I passed on the samples.

The next instructor was Chef Tom Gray from Bistro Aix – one of the top restaurants in Jacksonville (and one of my favorites). He did two of the restaurant’s signature dishes: Seared Tuna with Napa Cabbage, Shallots, Bacon and Spicy Harissa and Mussels Steamed in White Wine, Herbs and Garlic with Saffron Aioli. When I saw Chef Gray mincing herbs – I realized that I’ve been mangling them for a long time. Note to self – no need to chop herbs into total submission before throwing into pot.

We skipped out before the samples were passed to grab a bowl of soup for lunch – and returned in the middle of the next class – a wine tasting seminar. I don’t drink wine – but the presentation looked excellent. The participants were seated at large tables. Each was given 4 glasses of pinot noir to sample – and the teacher (whose name I forgot to write down) – gave a lot of detailed information about how to judge the wines.

I couldn’t miss any of the next class – Classic Chocolate – taught by Chef Sheldon Millett – Executive Pastry Chef from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island. He took us from the relatively easy – Grand Marnier Bittersweet Chocolate Truffles and Chocolate Crème Brulee to the more complicated – Chocolate Eclairs (which he usually makes 300 at a time at the hotel!). This was one class where I never thought of passing on the samples.

The last class was Mixology – how to make those fancy drinks you find on menus for $10 or $12. I think this seminar was sponsored by Absolut Vodka - since every drink contained a liberal amount of Absolut . Again – ample tastings. But I passed on them. Didn’t want to fall asleep before dinner. And – as you’ll see in the next message – I’m glad I didn’t fall asleep or dull my appetite. Robyn

[robyn]

The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday evening Cooking Classic. I think it could accurately be called "Chef’s Showing Off" . I loved it .

The venue was what looked like a double ballroom at the Ritz Carlton. All done in black with “opening night” lighting – and fairly loud upbeat recorded music (performed I’m sure by groups I’m too old to have heard of). The entire room was filled with tasting stations – both food and drink (the latter supplied by various wine and liquor distributors). And high tables to use as “eating stations”. In addition – the lobby outside the ballroom was filled for the evening with comfy retro couches and tables for those who needed to rest between tastes. Think $1 million wedding reception - and you might have some idea what it looked like .

The theme of the evening’s eating was “bocaditos” – small bites. So – in effect – it was an extended tasting menu. Except you could eat in whatever order you wanted – and as much or as little of anything as you wanted. One thing I really liked is that the number of tickets sold for the event was limited. So the waiting time for any station was – at most – a couple of minutes (and I didn’t wind up waiting for anything). Here is the menu for the evening:

And the chefs mentioned didn't only create these dishes. They were there at the stations preparing them (when they weren't off for a minute sampling another chef's dishes ).

This wasn’t your normal “hotel banquet” food. There wasn’t a clunker to be found anywhere. Everything - even the throwaway things - like veggie crudites (heirloom/baby) and oysters (tasty briny from the northeast and west coasts) was – at a minimum – very good. And there were some extraordinarily yummy dishes. My favorites were the “Soleil” Mac & Cheese, the “Nyonya Assam” Prawn Curry, the Porcini Mushroom Cappuccino, and the Fried Cheese and Cold Mango and Tapioca Soup. But let's see - I can't forget the Scallop with Potato Pancake. Or the Chorizo with Peas and Corn Stew. You get the point . I apologize for not posting pictures of these and other dishes. The lighting was bad for pictures (except at the end of the evening – when the lights were turned up a bit and I got the dessert pictures). Many pictures that I took really weren’t suitable for posting (I’d rather have you fantasize than look at some dim blurry pictures).

Those of you who’ve read my messages know that I am something of a dessert freak. And – to me – that was the highlight of this dinner – the desserts. My hat is off to the two chefs who were primarily responsible for the desserts (as well as the staff which helped them). The first is Chef Laurent Lhuillier from the Ritz at Grand Lakes – who started his career in pastry in France at the age of 15. He’s come a long way since then. He’s won numerous competitive awards – including 3 gold medals for his chocolate work at the Chocolate Challenge. And he’s no slouch when it comes to sugar. The piece which appears at the beginning of this thread is his – and made entirely of sugar. And I believe this is one of his pieces too:

And this is just a small sample of the other things on the dessert tables:

I can’t write about the desserts without mentioning Pastry Chef Sheldon Millett from the Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island. I don’t think that Chef Millet has won any awards – but his enthusiasm for his profession was evident during his Classic Chocolate seminar. When asked by TPTB to come up with something special as serving plates for the desserts – he came up with this – “serving plates” made out of chocolate and nuts and fruits. I did a double take when I saw them (had to take a small taste to make sure they were real ):

I can’t tell you how terrific this dinner was. Except to say that my husband – who usually hates eating at anything other than a “sit down” dinner – really loved it too. We were both happy campers. And as we walked back through the grounds to our room - we noticed that all the chefs were in a meeting room. Not partying. Probably going over their notes. What worked - what didn't (I thought everything worked but they're more discerning than I am). What could be improved. I think this glimpse gave me a lot of insight into what this weekend was all about.

The next morning we stopped by the regular Ritz Sunday brunch (which we couldn’t possibly eat). It was billed as an opportunity to “meet the chefs”. I had spoken with quite a few of the chefs and other kitchen staff over the course of the weekend’s events – but gave those who were there a very enthusiastic “my compliments to the chefs and staff”. I don’t know if the event will be as good next year (it’s an annual event) – but I plan to attend and find out.

By the way - I hope that you don't think I'm insensitive writing about a festive event when so many people in the US are suffering the catastrophe that is Katrina. As someone who went through Hurricane Andrew - my heart goes out to them. The only reason I've been able to get all these messages out in 24 hours is that I've been glued to the TV in my home office watching the Katrina story unfold. I hope that those in the affected areas can summon the strength and patience to get through the difficult days, weeks and months ahead. Robyn

[Susan in FL]

Robyn, what an outstanding event, and your write-up did it justice. Thank you so much for taking the time to compose an excellent report. I read it with Floridian pride, and appreciated your comments on Katrina, as well. I too add my wishes to the victims for their strength and patience in the coming months.

[M.X.Hassett]

Robyn, wow, what an amazing event and an amazing post to go with it. Do you know if these will be held again. Thanks agian for the great post, wow.

[robyn]

Robyn, wow, what an amazing event and an amazing post to go with it. Do you know if these will be held again. Thanks agian for the great post, wow.

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You're welcome. It's an annual event (although I don't think it took place last year due to the hurricanes) - usually held around Labor Day. So check with the Ritz Carlton next summer if you're interested. Robyn

[RyuShihan]

I had seen this event in the ACF magazine i get but had no idea what was really gonna happen. That write up you did really helped out alot. I couldn't imagine that type of calibur chefs and expect anything less, but the visuals are a nice touch.

[joiei]

Great writeup Robyn, thanks.

[robyn]

Here are the details of the Ritz Carlton Cooking Classic scheduled in August of this year. Robyn