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Every so often I find a service that I can’t stop talking about, and The Chef and The Dish is one of those!
I’ve had the travel bug this year – I’ve found myself in five states, on six trips and I can’t stop! I literally want to jump on a plane anytime I’m able to.
With Bryan’s accident, we put our travel plans on hold.
We decided that for the next 8 weeks, we would focus on his recovery and do whatever it takes to make sure he gets better.
Part of that recovery is finding fun things to do where his life feels a little bit normal. Being in a wheelchair is a huge change for him, and it has taken some adjusting.
One of the ways I can be helpful is to find activities that we can do together!
What is the Chef and the Dish?
The Chef and the Dish is a fun cooking service that transports you to another part of the world via Skype to help you learn how to cook with an experienced chef from somewhere in the world, and make authentic dishes from that region right in your own kitchen.
How does the Chef and the Dish work?
All you need for the class is your computer, your charger, the willingness to cook, really!
You’ll pick your meal from the website (you can also give, or get one as a gift!), and the fun starts.
The Kitchen Prep Session
The Chef and the Dish calls you for a kitchen prep session to make sure you have all of the tools you need and the ingredients to cook with.
You’ll need to make sure you shop for your ingredients, but The Chef and the Dish also has your back! If you need help finding a rare ingredient, they can help you locate it for your class.
It’s also helpful to figure out where your laptop is going to go so your chef can really see what you’re doing when you finally Skype together.
I also got some education on Parmigiano Reggiano, so that I could learn where it comes from, and how to buy the authentic product.
My class was an Italian cooking class, so we used Parmigiano Reggiano in both sweet and savory dishes!
It was a surprise to me to learn that a consortium in Italy make sure that the product is made with consistent quality and is branded properly. So when you’re at the store, if you see parmesan – your cheese probably isn’t regulated, and authentic.
That was an added bonus – I love food education! The Chef and the Dish provided that knowledge to me, so I could learn more about the product how it would influence my class!
Meeting Chef Paola
Chef Paola was our instructor for the day and after we connected with her on Skype the rest was history!
She gave us a great understanding about the region we were making food from. She answered some of our burning questions about Italy (like, ps, Chicken Parm is not really Italian, sorry to break your hearts!), and explained where she was in Italy.
We talked about everything from her tiny FIAT, to what grocery shopping is like in Italy. She even taught us a few Italian phrases.
Most of all, what I loved about our experience with her, was that even though she was on a screen, it really felt like she was in the kitchen with us.
She showed us how to cube pancetta, for our carbonara, and peel tomatoes really easily. She also helped me go at a pace I was comfortable with (and believe me, I was really slow!).
I also love that she was aware of some of my dietary restrictions, so she let me know it was okay to adjust the recipes with sugar to a measurement that I was comfortable with.
In the end, we made a beautiful Carbonara, a bruschetta recipe that will forever live at my parties and some ricotta stuffed pears, that yes, had Parmigianno Reggiano, and were completely delicious.
You also get to keep the recipes at the end. So all of these amazing dishes? I can make them again for us later (which is great because I’m still dreaming about the bruschetta!)
Why The Chef and The Dish is such a unique experience.
I mentioned travel, and what I love about this experience is that you get transported to another place, but it’s a private class, right at home where you’re comfortable.
The chef helps you go at your own pace, and teaches you techniques to make the perfect dish.
Would I do it again?
I love the guidance I got from my chef and I would totally do this again.
I would love to try making some dishes for a girls night in, date night, or even a fun dinner party with friends to get everyone working together!
If you want to have a unique and fun cooking experience I would highly recommend The Chef and the Dish.
It’s probably going to be one of the most fun things you do in your kitchen!
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