WVNCC Culinary Arts featured in Gourmet Getaway
For the second year in a row,
Chef Gene Evans, CEC, Culinary Arts instructor
at Northern and a resident of
Evans explained he had submitted the recipes he wanted to prepare in advance for the sold-out event. “The weekend full of cooking demonstrations was very interactive,” Evans said, adding there were nearly 300 people in attendance and that audiences were very involved and asked numerous questions during the event.
Northern Chef Chris Kefauver and Evans participated in last year’s Seven Springs getaway, which was the first one, but scheduling conflicts prevented Kefauver from attending this year. Evans said, “This is a very nice event, with a laid-back format giving the chefs great opportunities to interact with attendees the entire weekend. Our Culinary Arts program received a lot of attention.
“Not only was this much fun for me as a chef but it also enabled me to get the word out on our Culinary Arts program,” Evans said. “For example, my wife, Kim, and I would sit for lunch and I would be attired in my chef’s whites, which would draw the attention of the attendees who would join us and ask many questions.”
For his demonstrations, Evans said, “I did a modern take on a French Cassoulet, which is a peasant style French stew with beans, sausage, pork and duck confit, along with the duck prosciutto salad.”
According to Evans, the “biggest deal of the weekend was that one of the chefs, Bryan Voltaggio, who is chef/partner at Volt, a restaurant in Frederick, Md., was a runner-up in the Bravo television network show, Top Chef.” Other participants included Adam Fruehauf, chef de cuisine, Seven Springs Mountain Resort; Matt Hill, executive chef, Charlie Palmer Steak, Washington, D.C.; Cindy Komarinski, associate professor, Westmoreland County Community College Culinary Arts/Hospitality programs, Youngwood, Pa., and Gary Terner, chef/catering director, Big Burrito Restaurant Group, Pittsburgh.
The Jan. 8-10 weekend, along with the daily seminars and cooking classes hosted by local and regional chefs, also featured gourmet food vendors and a welcome reception. Seven Springs officials pointed out the culinary experts demonstrated their recipes “using local produce from the bountiful harvests of nearby farms and markets.”
Duck Prosciutto, Arugula, Dried Cherry, and
Goat Cheese Salad