Menlo’s Top Chefs Take to the Street
Connoisseurs’ Marketplace Brings Back Chefs’ Demos
 The rapid chop-chop of chefs’ knives and the aromas of garlic and butter will waft across Santa Cruz Avenue this summer as the popular chefs’ demonstrations return to Menlo Park’s Connoisseurs’ Marketplace after a four-year hiatus. The July 17-18 festival and gourmet extravaganza will feature hour-long cooking lessons from chefs at several of the town’s most celebrated restaurants.
“The chefs’ demos are a key component of what makes Connoisseurs’ Marketplace distinctive and appealing,” says festival chairman Rick Ciardella. “They were an important part of the original concept of the event — known for attracting connoisseurs of everything from music and art to classic cars and premium wine.”
Left Bank’s executive chef Manuel Martinez and executive sous chef Brandy Monsada will create a scene right out of a Paris bistro as they prepare their signature moules frites — steamed mussels cooked with white wine, shallots and garlic butter, and finished with spinach. They’ll demonstrate how to select the freshest specimens, clean them, and know when they’re perfectly cooked. While many home cooks may be wary of the foreboding mollusks, the chefs will eliminate all fear and trepidation.
Hailing from the British Bankers Club, executive chef Tim Uttaro will put together a tantalizing upgrade of the humble hamburger: lamb sliders with brie, caramelized onions, oven-dried tomatoes and shaved black truffles. These dressed-up petite patties will definitely push the envelope for summertime barbecue fare.
 The menu at Marché continually changes to reflect the peak-of-season produce grown at the restaurant’s Sunol farm. Sous chef Anthony Cutajar will prepare a refreshing summer gazpacho with sweet corn panna cotta. The chilled gazpacho will showcase the season’s fresh tomatoes, red peppers, cucumbers and fennel, while the panna cotta will transform just-picked corn into a smooth, savory pudding. Cutajar will add a finishing touch with basil-infused oil and delicate chrysanthemum petals.
Carpaccio’s executive chef Jorge Cortes will present a classic veal milanese. He will demonstrate how to gently pound the meat to an ideal thickness, prepare a light breading, and finish the dish with a lemon-caper-butter sauce. Chef Gabriel Madrid of Trellis will prepare a northern Italian dish with a touch of the Mediterranean.
The Chef’s Demonstration tent is located on Doyle Street and Santa Cruz Avenue next to Left Bank Restaurant. Audience seating for up to fifty people will be provided on the umbrella and tree-shaded street. The demonstrations will start on the hour from 12:00 to 3:00, Saturday and Sunday.
The chefs' demonstration stage will feature a professional-series range, custom-built alder wood cabinetry, quartz countertop and overhead mirror for easy viewing — all provided by Mountain View's Meyer Appliance & Kitchens. Meyer Appliance & Kitchens has been providing quality appliances, kitchen and bath design, installation, parts and service for over sixty years. Their 18,000 sq/ft. two story showroom has over 25 kitchen vignettes, built in appliances, cabinets and countertops, and a full parts and service department. Visit http://www.meyer-appliance.com. |
