I attended an Introduction to Indian Cuisine, A Cooking Class with Khalil Akhtar during Feast Tofino, BC. Khalil is a CBC journalist, food writer and culinary instructor in Victoria, BC. During this event he demonstrated a five course Indian inspired seafood lunch, and here is his recipe for Spot Prawns with Potato and Fruit Chaat.
Pacific Rim
In North America, being a chef is no longer a blue-collar “default job” but a desirable career. Without them, I would not be doing this, and I am incredibly grateful to have met so many talented chefs along the way. Thanks to food media and the rising public interest in food, cooking is no longer just cooking, it’s an expression of creativity as well as a survival skill.
State Bird Provisions – America’s Best New Restaurant… or was it?! I have my issues with anything being called “the best”, so I won’t even go there, but it was an excellent restaurant. The food wasn’t necessarily the highlight (although I had some fantastic dishes), but it was the whole concept and execution. It was innovative, smart, original and memorable.
I felt like I was a friend of the chef at a catered party featuring funky tapas and hors d’oeuvres. It was a nice open kitchen and I got to watch all the food being prepared and “sample” all the food before going out. That’s not what really happened and I didn’t get to “sample”, but it’s how I felt. It was almost like the New American version of a Japanese Izakaya place.
Line ups build anticipation and it can really make or break the experience. The restaurant needs to bring their A-game and the food needs to be top notch to make it worth it, so the pressure was on especially after winning what the restaurant world would call an Oscar (James Beard Award).
State Bird Provisions – America’s Best New Restaurant… or was it?! I have my issues with anything being called “the best”, so I won’t even go there, but it was an excellent restaurant. The food wasn’t necessarily the highlight (although I had some fantastic dishes), but it was the whole concept and execution. It was innovative, smart, original and memorable.
This city is synonymous with food and good restaurants. People visit just to eat and it is truly a treat to be in San Francisco. It is home to some of America’s “Best Restaurants” and my main purpose for this trip was to judge Cathay Pacific’s Noodles of Asia contest, but I couldn’t help but to extend my stay…
