ing is an adopted holiday for me. It is my favorite holiday, as it involves food and family around the dinner table versus material gifts. What wines do you pair with your dishes at Thanksgiving? Wine pairings differ depending on what I’m cooking. You can’t go wrong with either pinot noir or chardonnay. Pinot noir won’t overwhelm the taste of the meal. If you prefer white, a chardonnay can be versatile. With so many chardonnay options, choose a bottle within your price range and enjoy! Do you suggest bringing kids into the kitchen to help with the cooking? Little Victoria Mei, my sweet 6-year-old daughter, has been helping me in the kitchen since she was 2 years old. We laugh and smile and play lots of fun music while we chop, slice and dice. Lucky for me, she will pass on “Dora the Explorer” to spend time cooking with Daddy. What does she help out with in the kitchen? Little Mei has helped out with many fun tasks including peeling shrimp, rolling out pie dough and pulling the leaves from fresh herbs. It can be chaotic in the kitchen during the holidays, what advice can you give to those preparing the Savor Bakersfield meal? If your gravy is lumpy, pass it through a sieve, or give it When: Nov. 13; shopping baa whizzing with an immersion zaar and sampling from 3:30 blender. to 6 p.m.; live cooking show from 6 to 8 p.m. When you decide on Where: Rabobank Theater, the Thanksgiving menu, 1001 Truxtun Ave. what factors do you take into account? How do you Cost: $16 achieve balance? Creating Information: Tickets can be an easy flow in the kitchen is purchased Rabobank Box Office, ticketmaster.com or by always my key objective. I want phone 800-745-3000. Also to try to spend as much time visit savorbakersfield.com. as I can with my company, so I always try to plan a menu that I can execute easily. What is your ideal Thanksgiving menu? Have some nibbles out for guests to munch on while you’re finalizing the extra touches in the kitchen. I like to start with a soup such as my butternut squash, add in a main course and end with a scrumptious dessert. Do you have any advice on how to time the meal prep in the kitchen so that everything is ready at the same time? Let your oven be your best friend. Have the majority of everything ready before your guests arrive and keep dishes warm at 225 degrees Fahrenheit before you sit down for your soup or appetizer. What is your comfort food during the holidays? I cannot help but think how a bowl of chili brings comfort to my belly when there is a nip in the air and frost on the windows. You can also shred some leftover Thanksgiving turkey into your chili for a next day treat.
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How do you handle the Thanksgiving leftovers? Have fun! Think of taking your leftovers to various countries. For instance, add some chipotle chilies to the cranberry sauce, which makes for a delicious side or spread. Don’t forget, you can potion and freeze leftovers. What is the most essential item in your kitchen? I can’t imagine life in the kitchen without my knives. A chef’s knife is as important to him as a magic wand to a magician. On the recipes you provided, what do they mean to you? A recipe is a part of your heart. When I create them, I think about families sitting around the table making memories and sharing joy. Recipe on page 44
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