A few months ago, on May 4th, 2018 some very good friends got married. Yes, it was on Star Wars Day, however, there were no Darth Vader or Wookies in attendance. It was, in contrast, a very beautiful and elegant, outdoor affair in a peaceful but grand setting. The music was amazing, complete small string quartet with a cellist and a celebrity soloist. The food stations were divine and the signature cocktails flowed freely. Needless to say, we had a wonderful time. What do you get for a couple who put so much thought into providing for their guests and who are both having their second marriages? No gift card or fancy appliance would do, so my husband and I thought of providing an experience instead and we could not have been more right.
We had over the years enjoyed some cooking classes with this couple at a local kitchen store with one chef, in particular, her name is “Anna Tapioca Soares”. She is not only a talented chef who has eaten her way across the globe, but she is quite the entertainer. Her out of the box style, a no-holds-bar way of communicating instantly connects her with people and endears her to their hearts. As you may have guessed, we hired Ana to hold a private cooking class at this couple’s home with a small group of close friends. Our hosts selected their menu for the evening from Ana’s extensive list. They wanted to learn Southeast Asian cooking.
That evening was a blast! We started with a bit of champagne and learned how to make Fresh Spring Rolls with shrimp and fresh vegetables. This is something healthy that we love to eat and we order all the time from the Asian restaurant, so learning to make this at home is a win-win. (Look for my video coming soon on how to make these).
We also made Pork Satay and a Yellow Chicken Curry– which I learned is the mildest of all the curries. I have been wanting to explore curries and was hesitant, but now I feel confident enough to experiment (look for my video soon).
No dinner would be complete without a signature cocktail and Ana did not disappoint! She found an herbal infused Thai soda and paired it with- of all things, gin, it was a perfect match.
We finished the evening by making Coconut Ice Cream and to balance the sweetness in the ice cream a tart mango sorbet. Over dessert and while doing our best to stave off a food coma, we planned our next Ana adventure, a food shopping experience like no other. We will be visiting all of Ana’s favorite international markets where she visits regularly. We will be educated, entertained and we will be served the exotic foods that are served in their eateries, I can not wait!
Our group had so many laughs that evening and since Ana brings an assistant with her, our hosts did not even have to wash a dish. All in all, I think our gift was befitting a lovely couple who enjoy the flavors of food, fun, and friendship.