Foodies unite for Epicurean Classic
August 28, 2006
3rd annual event 'a little better, a little broader'
BY HEATHER JOHNSON DUROCHER
Special to the Record-Eagle
TRAVERSE CITY — Admit it: you've always wanted to learn how to make from scratch your grandma's yummy homemade salad dressing. Or what it takes to bake a scrumptious homemade pie.
You'll have your chance to do this and more during the third annual Traverse Epicurean Classic, a celebration of food and wine artisanship slated for Sept. 14-16.
New this year, the event's class offerings include "retro, old-school stuff-stuff your grandma should have taught you," said Matt Sutherland, who co-founded the event with Mark Dressler.
"We loved the idea of doing some classes that are bit out of the norm for us," Sutherland said of sessions that cover pickling, classic homemade salads and dressings, butcher basics and savory pies, pasties and quiches.
In all, this year's Epicurean Classic features more than 50 classes on wine, beer and spirits, cheese, cooking and cigars. Classes are open to the public and cost $39 each.
Online registration is encouraged, but organizers said drop-ins are welcome.
"Everything is priced a la carte; there's no registration fee," Sutherland said. "If you want to show up for one class, you pay $39 and you go. We really want to attract people of all incomes and ages and skill levels."
Organizers expect close to 3,000 people to attend the three-day culinary affair, which takes place mostly at the Great Lakes Campus of Northwestern Michigan College. The Classic kicks off Thursday, Sept. 14 with an opening reception featuring a raw seafood bar with several different Riesling wine tables and continues with a wine tasting pavilion both Friday and Saturday, four "Great Chefs Dinners" at local restaurants Friday night and a grand reception Saturday evening.
"We're doing much the same, but everything we're doing is a little better, a little broader," Sutherland said.
The event continues to attract award-winning chefs and wine experts from around the country. This year's line-up includes authors of new cookbooks, which are available for purchase.
"This year we've got eight James Beard Foundation cookbook award winners," Sutherland said. "It's far and away the organization that basically keeps track of great chefs and great cookbooks. Even getting a nomination is a big deal."
New York City-based chef Jason Denton, who operates NYC Panini bar 'ino with wife Jennifer, will make his first trip to Michigan as a participant in this year's event. In addition to his restaurant, Denton and partners Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich own and run the popular Lupa Osteria Romano and Otto Enoteca and Pizzeria restaurants in the city.
"I'm really looking forward to coming. I'm psyched about being part of it," said Denton, whose Great Chefs Dinner at Trattoria Stella will feature his mini Paninis. "I've read quite a bit about the Great Lakes Culinary Institute and I'm such a fan of working with young people interested in this field."
Organizers also are excited about Takashi Yagihashi, named Best Chef in the Midwest by the James Beard Foundation a couple of years ago. Yagihashi, who is putting the final touches on Restaurant Takashi, a marriage of Japanese and French culinary influences in Chicago, is among the chefs participating in the Great Chefs Dinners and will prepare an upscale feast for 65 diners at NMC's Lobdell's Sept. 15.
Not only are the chefs and wine experts top-notch, they're down-to-earth and extremely approachable as well, Sutherland said. Class participants will have the opportunity to ask plenty of questions, he said.
"Every one of these classes is for the at-home epicurean who likes to cook and wants to learn more," he said.
Go to epicureanclassic.com for class registration and event information.
