New York Kitchen in Canandaigua

Shortly after we moved to Rochester, I was searching for something creative to give Charlie for his birthday, and we had recently attended a fundraising event at and for the non-profit New York Wine and Culinary Center. A gift certificate for dinner or a cooking class seemed like a great idea. The gift card sat in Charlie’s desk, and in the meantime, the New York Wine and Culinary Center re-branded as the New York Kitchen. I thought we’d never find an opportunity to redeem it, but we finally did – we scheduled to attend a class with some friends, to celebrate Lynn’s retirement from one of her jobs.

It was for the Chef’s Table, and the menu involved: crab cakes with spicy remoulade and spicy corn, tomato and cucumber salad; grilled Delmonico with grilled watermelon salad; sautéed pork tenderloin with ancho chili sauce with pepper jack polenta; and oven baked BBQ chicken with leek and fingerling potato salad. My group was three of the four stations at our island, and I selfishly sought out the one that did not involve polenta (one of my food aversions…). So Charlie and I (mostly Charlie – he’s generally the cook and I’m the cleanup in our couple) took on the chicken. A nice young couple from Irondequoit made the steak.

Chef Emily began the class with a brief overview of the organization, whose mission includes supporting New York agriculture and craft beverages, and an orientation of our instructions and utensils. She gave us some great tips, one of which she joked would be “life-changing,” but it actually kind of was! She showed us how to slice bell peppers to get perfectly even strips. She also explained that proteins cook better from room temperature, and that the biggest mistake people make in searing is not getting the pan hot enough.

As she gave us cutting demonstrations and guided us through each recipe, I wondered, “Whose idea was this? Why hadn’t we signed up for the kind of class where you just sit and watch a chef prepare a meal, and then you eat it?” But it turned out to be great fun. 

All of the ingredients were pre-measured and arranged by the section of recipe they belonged to. The proteins had been pre-cut and were delivered when we needed them. Our crab cake making couple deviated from their recipe (Lynn chose not to use much of the breadcrumbs at all, so the result was mostly crab with little filler), and Kathy threw out some perfectly good garlic cloves that she deemed three too many for the pork sauce. Other than that, we stuck pretty close to the scripts! And one of the great things about the evening is that we’d be cooking, but not having to clean any dishes. 

The goal was to have every dish ready and plated by 8:00-8:15, so we could sit in our groups and enjoy the fruits of our labor. Incredibly, everything came together, and the eight of us gathered around one side of the island to savor, sip (a glass of wine was included), and congratulate ourselves. It was too much food, of course, but one simply had to try a bit of everything… My favorite main was the crab cake, followed by the pork. Surprisingly, my favorite side was the polenta (although Kathy teased that it was mostly cheese and cream).

Kim, Matt, Tim, Charlie, Richard
Kathy, me Lynn, Chef Emily

On the drive home (which was shorter than we’d thought it would be), Charlie and I commented on how enjoyable the evening had been, and that we will have to go back for another class sooner rather than later. What a wonderful resource to have in our “back yard”!

Genesee Country Village & Museum

What comes to mind when you think of Lewis Carroll? For most people it’s probably Alice in Wonderland. But being the nerd I was as a kid, for me it’s his game of symbolic logic. I learned symbolic logic, and the game, for a project in 9th grade geometry. This weekend was “A Novel Weekend: Lewis Carroll” at the Genesee Country Village & Museum, and there were lots of different Alice in Wonderland-themed activities throughout the complex. Some of the visiting children were even in costume to enjoy the event! I had offered to Becky Wehle, the President of GCV&M, that I could create a station to teach the Game of Logic, but I’m glad I didn’t, because I would have been very lonely…

Instead, she hosted a gathering of Middlebury College alumni for a picnic on what turned out to be a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Charlie and I arrived early, so we finally had a chance to visit the John L. Wehle Gallery. I really enjoyed the museum exhibits – the Susan Greene Costume Collection (which was displaying Fashion of the 1850s), Sporting and Wildlife Art, and Working Like a Dog, and I was particularly impressed with all of the interactive offerings. 

a "dog churner" - maybe I should
convert my treadmill to make it
more useful? 

It took quite a bit of restraint to walk away from that puzzle table that I’m sure was meant for kids (ok, I did put a few pieces in…). I could have spent more time in the museum if we weren’t on a schedule; I would have liked to explore each of the drawers in the costume exhibit. The ones I did randomly open made me glad to be in the here and now. Obviously a good deal of care and thoughtfulness has been given to the exhibits - not just to the variety and quality, but also details like the color of the mannequins, which are navy blue. Why? Not just to blend into the background and show off the costumes, but because they don't represent a specific ethnic group. Smart.

Once we reached the Village, we visited some of the buildings we hadn't yet seen on prior trips. Each house’s interpreter was very informative, but also not pushy. The loom in the Humphrey House fascinated me, not in the “oh I wish I could do that” way, but in the “how on earth did anyone ever invent that in the first place?” way. It renewed my awe and thankfulness of specialization of people’s interests and abilities. 

It was fun to meet other Midd grads from the area (one came from Buffalo, but most were from the Rochester area). We even met a young woman who will be matriculating next month (the Midd representative said something like 9000 students applied for 700 or 750 spots – whatever it was, it was much more competitive than in my day!). We had to head home after lunch, so I know I’ll be back at some point, since there are definitely houses there I’ve yet to explore. Perhaps with some of my out-of-town guests this fall!

useful mourning guidelines...