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In This Issue |
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• Letter from the Chef
• Client Profile: Gail Mead
• All the Latest News
• Warm Fig Strudel with Rum Caramel
• Sharing the Blessing of Good Food
• Farmers' Market Finds
• Fantastic Food Events
“Our event at the Ferry Building was simply spectacular! Everyone was talking about it for days. Thank you for your attention to detail, flexibility, excellent service, and of course, fabulous food. We all had a great time!”
— Lawrence Mak, CNET, Culinary Team Building Client
"We had soooo much fun!!! Many thanks for all of the prep, the yummy cuisine, the fabulous service, clean-up, and now the party photos!"
— Judy Hood, Cooking Class Birthday Party Client
"Chef Stephen has a unique approach towards food – and entertains a crowd with his passion, gusto and special flare. Working with Hands on Gourmet was truly an enjoyable experience."
— Anne Woodard, Gourmet Magazine, Promotional Cooking Event Client
Become one of our satisfied customers!
Give us a call to talk about what you are looking for.
Approach life with Relish!
Stephen, Molly, and Anne
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Client Profile: Gail Mead |
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 Our clients are the heart of our business. We work closely with them to design their events, and always enjoy the collaboration. Here is a brief introduction to one of our clients. Gail's gift to her sister last Christmas was a gift certificate for a Hands On Gourmet party.
“I thought this would be a great gift because Jill is a sophisticated entertainer, and this would be something where she could present wonderful food for her guests without having to do all the work. And it was more than just great food – it was a fun and intimate social experience. And we got to share this fun experience with them and their friends! It was so much more memorable than a restaurant dinner or food gift would have been.”
Gail, a long-time Orinda resident, makes the most of our state’s natural beauty. She rides horses in Briones and skis in the Sierra’s almost every weekend during the winter (her three kids are all on a competitive ski team). She is also active in her church and volunteers with Common Hope, which builds schools and supports communities in Guatemala. |
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All The Latest News |
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| You really like us! Executive Chef Stephen Gibbs has won 7x7 Magazine’s On the Verge Award for Menu Creation and Development! The On the Verge Awards honor innovative leaders in creative fields. The winners will be profiled in the December issue of the magazine and honored at a special event. More details as we have them...
Hands On Gourmet also made an appearance on newstands last month in Diablo Magazine’s Food Lover’s Issue. Not only were we featured in “The East Bay’s Best Cooking Schools,” but the article opened with a gorgeous full page shot of Chef Stephen’s Crawfish and Lobster Ragoût, taken by our favorite photographer, Joe Budd.
HOG Gourmet Goody Bags just keep getting better! We've been busy adding great new items just in time for holiday parties. Fabulous French chocolate, fresh gourmet spices, mustards, imported olives, herb-infused oils, and more.
You can order our Gourmet Goody Bags as part of a cooking class event, or on their own. Every bag is custom designed for you. Check out the many great choices, or call us to learn more.
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Sharing the Blessing of Good Food |
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| We know that good food sustains both body and soul – we help people experience that every day. Yet too many of our neighbors throughout the Bay Area do not have enough food.
To mark the holiday season, Hands On Gourmet has made a donation to the Glide Memorial Church Free Meals Program, which serves three nutritious meals a day to San Francisco’s poor and homeless every day – over 1.5 million meals every year.
We hope you will take time this holiday season to share the gift of warm, nourishing food with those who need it.
Learn about other Bay Area Food Programs |
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All The Latest News |
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Farmers' Market Finds |
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| Winter vegetables may not be as flashy as their summer cousins, but they make for hearty, nourishing dishes perfect for rainy weather. Here is what's best right now at Bay Area Farmers' Markets.
• Rainbow Chard
• Pomegranates
• Chanterelle Mushrooms
• Fuyu Persimmons
• Cauliflower
• Satsuma Mandarins
• Celery Root
• Kiwi Fruit
• Purple Potatoes |
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To check out your local farmer's market, use the link below.
Find Your Local Farmers' Market
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Fantastic Food Events |
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 Holidays in the Vineyards. A holiday open house at Livermore area wineries celebrates the season by sharing the joy of special wines, crafts, music and more! Award-winning wines are available along with gourmet foods, specially wrapped gift boxes and special holiday treats. Many of the wineries offer special barrel tastings and holiday wine pairings. Toys and warm coats are collected at many wineries to be shared with families in need in the local community.
Saturday & Sunday, December 3rd & 4th, 2005. Free. More information.
Get Your Christmas Tree at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market! This year the market is offering fresh-cut silver tip (red fir) Christmas trees. Every Saturday from November 26 until December 17, you can buy long-lasting, old-fashioned, sustainably grown and harvested trees from Double K Christmas Tree Farm. Double K will be located on the far North side of the market along the Embarcadero, and there will be a Christmas tree loading zone curbside. The farm will be bringing mostly small (5 feet and under) trees to the market, but you can special order large trees in advance by calling 707.773.4702 and asking for Bill or Nan.
Learn about Perennial Vegetables and Other Edibles that Grow Well in San Francisco. Many edible plants from other parts of the world do perfectly well in the Bay Area climate. Learn about some of these, and about a few easy herbs and greens that will keep your salad bowl brimming all year. Recipes, samplings, seeds, & starts provided.
Saturday, December 3, 10:00am-12:00pm at Garden for the Environment, 780 Frederick Street. Cost: $15 Pre-registration required. 415-731- 562.
Find More Bay Area Food Events
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| Letter from the Chef |
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Just the other week, when I had my first pot of root vegetables on the stove, I was thinking how happy I was to be eating fall. Then in true San Francisco tradition, summer arrived! November in the Bay Area; do we put away the grill, or fire it up?
Just when you think it’s time to lay on the couch with a thick blanket and a bowl of hearty fall food, the heat blows in from the south and you find yourself craving a crisp piece of fish and some ripe melon. You suddenly want to shed the blanket, jump on your bike, and head to the beach.
Which brings up a question I get all time, “What is your favorite food?” My reply is always the same, “Whatever is in the air.” By that I mean food that goes with the weather.
So just what is a good meal for a hot winter’s day? It’s helpful to look at other cuisines around the world. Many Latin countries, parts of India and Thailand have foods that compliment hot weather. Foods like cilantro, mint, chilies, coconut, ginger, garlic, rice, crunchy wet greens and tangy lime juice. Conviently enough, most of these wonderful ingredients are available from other sources when our fields are at rest.
But anyway, by the time you read this, it is likely that cold rain will be upon us and those thick pots of stew will be back on the front burner.
Enjoy the weather, whatever it may be!
Chef Stephen |
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A rich, jammy spin on the traditional apple dessert for the holidays.