There was lots to learn at Great Taste Food Expo

10/11/2008

Thursday's Great Taste Food Expo presented by The Andersons and The Blade at The Andersons Maumee store, with more than 50 vendors, showcased wine and food. There was something to suit every taste, from cheeses to deli items and meats to baked goods.

Seminars taught by local food experts held throughout the day brought a world of flavor, too, reminding us of all the culinary talent that is in our area.

I sampled naan Indian bread, a variety of olives stuffed with provolone, and assorted pies and cakes. Rebecca Geschwender of Diageo Estate Wine talked about how sulfites in wines protect flavor and quality, especially if you leave wine in the trunk of your car or situations with variations in temperature. Liz Sofo demonstrated stuffed hearts of gold squash.

A wine seminar was also conducted by staff representatives from Heidelberg Distributing. The Andersons staff and The Andersons wine department manager, Nick Kubiak, also have ideas for pairing wine and food. It's a topic that inspires home cooks and diners. Here are several additional books for resources:

• Wine on Tuesdays by Debra & Keith Gordon (Thomas Nelson, $19.99) has an overview of wine varieties and tips for ordering wine in restaurants and for dinner parties.

• The Wine Trials by Robin Goldstein with Alexis Herschkowitsch (Fearless Critic Media, $14.95) features blind tasting.

• Wine Bar Food by Cathy Mantuano and Tony Mantuano (Potter, $27.50) takes readers to Mediterranean Europe to explore the wine bar and small plate recipes.

• He Said Beer She Said Wine by Sam Calagione and Marnie Old (DK Publishing, $25) gives instruction on how to pair beer and wine with a variety of foods.

St. George Orthodox Cathedral, at 938 Glenwood Rd. in Rossford, will hold its Craft and Ethnic Food Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The Ladies Guild of St. George Orthodox Cathedral will sell homemade assorted pastries such as kolachi with apricot, walnut, poppyseed, and cheese fillings. Cherry and apple strudel, cheese banistsas, and mekitzees (also known as elephant ears and a favorite pastry for many years) also will be featured.

The luncheon and take-out menu includes a Slavic Sampler ($8) consisting of chicken, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, rice, and Bulgarian sweet-and-sour cabbage.

The food in the sampler also can be purchased as individual items.

A church tour led by The Rev. Paul Gassios will be at 1 p.m. For information call 734-856-5784.

Tea: The Jewel of India is the theme for the October teas held at Sweet Shalom Tea Room at 8216 Erie St. in Sylvania. Each month the tea house features a different theme for its 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. seatings on Fridays and Saturdays by reservation only.

A program is always included in the complete tea service. 'This month we are featuring Indian foods,' says Chris Kruse, one of the owners. How Indian culture and cuisine were affected by the English practice of afternoon tea and vice versa will be explained.

The menu includes cream scones served with Devonshire cream, homemade lemon curd and jam, curried vegetables with lemon rice, chutney nut tea sandwiches, cucumber tea sandwiches, samosa, masala egg paratha, gulab jamun, chocolate biscuit cake, coconut rice pudding with mango, and banana cashew cheesecake. An assortment of teas will be served. In addition, the preparation of sweet and spicy chai will be demonstrated tableside.

Cost is $19.95. The remaining dates in October are Friday and Saturday and Oct. 24 and 25. Reservations are required. Call 419-297-9919.

Space is still available for two cooking classes at Kitchen Tools & Skills at 26597 North Dixie Highway in Perrysburg.

• The Kitchen Tools & Skills First Cast Iron Chef Competition between Chef Doug Zuelke of The Meadows of Leipsic and Chef Marcel Hesseling of Toledo Yacht Club (formerly of the Toledo Zoo) will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22. Cost is $40 for the dinner and presentation.

• Fall and Holiday Cooking and Baking by Deb Normand of Debhouse Cookies (Perrysburg) will be at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29. Cost is $35.

For reservations call 419-872-9090.

Owens Community College's student-run Terrace View Cafe is open to area residents for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Dec. 4. The dining room is located in College Hall on the Owens Community College Campus in Perrysburg Township.

Fall semester dates and entree listings for the cafe have been announced. Among them are: Tuesday, macadamia-crusted mahi mahi with wasabi cream served atop steamed jasminie rice; Thursday, smothered chicken with red onions and feta cheese; Oct. 21, grilled Apache-style pork cutlets with roasted fingerlings, and Oct. 23, rosemary chicken in mushroom sauce.

Cost is $7.25 per lunch. Reservations are required. For a complete listing of menus and reservations, call 567-661-2493.

The Junior League of Toledo and Owens-Illinois, in conjunction with other businesses and organizations, will present the Junior Leagues' Kids in the Kitchen event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Fifth Third Field. There is no admission fee, but children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Goody bags will be distributed to the first 500 children.

As part of the nutritional education segment, kids will learn from celebrity Chef George Stella how to create healthy snacks. Mr. Stella is a cookbook author and hosted Low Carb and Lovin' It! on the Food Network.

Selected participants will take part in the Iron Kids Chef Challenge. For information, call 419-474-6262 or visit www.juniorleaguetoledo.org.