Approximately 9 students participated in the hands on grilling class. Chef Tarver King is very knowledgeable about grilling and enthusiastically shared his knowledge with the
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| The Restaurant's glass enclosed space |
student participants. 30,000 B.C is the first documented instance of charcoal use by wall drawings in a cave. Most charcoal is made via dry distillation (high temperature charcoal is made. Chef Tarver showed the class his distillation unit and various pieces of charcoal.
Chef discussed the importance of selected the material you wish to burn in order to achieve the desired outcome with your grilled item (e.g. applewood, hickory), making charcoal, marinades to use with items to be grilled (the marinades add and enhance flavor) and the sequence in which to grill items (meats and more dense items go on the grill first, chicken and veggies go on the grill next, fish and shellfish last- they cook quickly). Chef told us that when meats are dry aged it's the fats in the meat that take on the flavor.
After the informative lecture and a demonstration on how to thread foods on a skewer, the class was tasked with preparing the menu items for grilling. On the menu:
shiitake mushrooms, marinated in parsley and peanut oil
lamb marinated in nam pla
swordfish marinated in olive oil and pastrami seasonings
ribeye, marinated in yakitori tare
air baguettes
rice
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| skewered mushrooms and lamb |
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| skewered Shiitake mushrooms |
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| lamb skewered on rosemary twigs |
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| swordfish skewers on the grill |
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| Grilled pork belly, swordfish, ribeye and lamb |
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| Old Hickory |
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| Sitting by the Campfire |
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| Smoke and Fire |
I tried all three cocktails and liked all three. The Smoke and Fire is not for the faint of heart or those who can't handle heat as this cocktail has plenty of it. I've had Sitting by the Camp Fire before and enjoyed it with this meal. Old Hickory was winner as well.
Fortunately we received recipe packets so the marinades and cocktails can be replicated at home.
Chef Tarver couldn't have been nicer. He was a patient, easy going instructor and regaled us with stories about how he discovered grilling (on a trip to Las Vegas), his chef's knife (look closely at the blade). Beverly, co-owner of the Restaurant, allowed me to walk through the garden before class and showed me the areas being prepared to grow peas, okra, mixing greens, micro greens, onions, spinach and fava beans.
Thanks to all at The Restaurant at Patwomack for a wonderful learning experience. I look forward to returning to the restaurant to see the garden's progress.
Be well,
Technicolor girl
Technicolor g
