Elite Event: Savory Kitchen

This was my very first Unilocal Elite Event, and I couldn’t have been more excited. Especially when I read that this would include not only food (duh) but cooking demos AND wine! I kept checking my email hoping that I had gotten in!
What an incredible time I had.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Colleen’s (the owner) concept. My favorite things, food, cooking, and wine tasting, all in one place. I had so much fun preparing the second course, crostinis topped with prosciutto covered manchego, and chatting with new faces.
Colleen and her staff know their stuff. I was truly impressed by how well the wine pairings went with each of the courses. I have done many wine-​course pairings, and while I never really care or even know how well things are supposed to pair (I mean, it’s wine, I’ll drink it regardless) I actually did notice it this time. My favorite was the Heinz Eifel Riesling paired with the Turkey Meatballs. And the flavors in each of the courses were phenomenal! The last course was an «OMG-​I-​think-​I-​just-​died-​and-​went-​to-​heaven» banana caramel blondie paired with a Tawny Port.
I enjoyed the experience so much that I have set up some time to meet with Colleen to discuss some possible birthday plans. Actually, their marketing person is pretty awesome. She reached out to me after seeing me gush about this on Instagram, so I was even more impressed by her quick action. Thank you to Abby for putting this together! And thank you to Colleen and her staff for their generous hospitality.

This was the best Unilocal event (to date) that I’ve attended. Then again, Abby and the Unilocal team continue to blow my mind every single time I attend one of these shindigs, so no guarantees on whether it still has the title at a future date ;)
From the intimacy of the small group of Unilocalers, to the hospitality and friendliness of our host, Chef Colleen, to the amazing food and wine pairings… this event was top-​notch.
As we walked in, we were greeted by a bright and shiny kitchen, the menu for the night posted on a chalkboard, and tables set for the meal.
Beautiful cheese plates, wine and beer were offered to us while we got acquainted with our fellow Unilocalers (the no +1 policy facilitated this).
After the strict hand-​washing policy was followed, we donned aprons and drifted into one of three food prep stations. Our hosts/​chefs guided us in the preparation of various dishes. In my case, Colleen showed us how to make caramel sauce (uh oh) for the banana blondies. She was perfectly friendly yet precise in her instructions to us.
The amazing thing was how they (the staff) took over in an unobtrusive manner once we started getting more interested in socializing than cooking. I figure this is how they facilitate parties and events so that attendees can enjoy themselves and their company.
We enjoyed ginger scallion meatballs (paired with Heinz Eifel Riesling), strawberry manchengo, and prosciutto crostini (paired with La Cane Albariño), and banana salted caramel blondies (paired with Yalumba Antique Tawny Port). Needless to say, everything that entered my mouth was incredible. I can’t say the same for what left my mouth (haha). The table I sat at was lively and the conversation was peppered with «balls,» «buns,» «nuts» and «bananas.» (Alluding to ingredients, I’m sure)
After the meal, recipes were distributed and our host spoke more about their events and invited us to join their mailing list. A donation to OneFund (for victims of the Boston marathon bombing) topped off the night.
Definitely a culinary experience to remember!