Our First Kitchen Blog

We came to the northwest with the idea of changing our lifestyle.  Coming from Chicago where I worked as a Pediatric Neuropsychologist, I had the opportunity one day to cut back my practice and take several classes from Chef Patrick Chabert who, upon arriving from France, worked at the famed Le Francais restaurant for 17 years before starting a cooking school.  These classes turned into seven years of two day per week of learning, assisting, and later teaching cooking classes.  Also in Chicago is the French Pastry School which brings famous pastry chefs from France to teach.  Several of the classes that I took along the way included those from Chef Christene Ferber (France's premier jam and jelly maker), Chef Albert Adria, and Chef Pascal Caffet.  Topping off my experiences was the opportunity to have several lessons on bread making in our wood-fired pizza oven from Chef Jorie Downer, who along with Chef William Leaman from Seattle's Bakery Nouveau won the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie.  Travels to most of the regions in France have also honed our palettes for fine regional cuisines.

Upon moving, Louise (my trusty Sous Chef) and I have sought out the fine products that the Northwest has to offer.  We now belong to the Helsing Junction Farm CSA from which we get wonderful organic produce, including mushrooms and local fruits.  We also purchase free-range lamb, pork, and beef from Bone Dry Ridge.  With these organic products in hand, along with a fair amount of products from France (e.g., Valrhona chocolates and Patis France almond paste), we set off on a cooking adventure.

Over time we hope to share with you aspects of our kitchen, recipes, and dinners that we share with our friends.

Our first adventure will be the step-by-step process of making a Thanksgiving Turduckhen (a hen inside a duck inside a turkey with three different dressings).

Stay tuned.  Below is our puppy chef, Danechka.