cooking class miami

NOVEMBER EVENTS

November 4, 2014 By Eleanor Hoh 1 Comment

Wednesday, November 5, 9pm
ZONIN’S TV DEBUT ON COOKING CHANNEL!
My wine sponsor, Casa Vinicola Zonin’s TV debut “From Italy with Love” airs on Cooking Channel, TOMORROW, Wed. Nov 5, 9:30PM ET/8:30pm Central! 3 Miami Watching Parties with complimentary Aperitivo, bubbly Zonin Prosecco and velvety Castello d’Albola Chianti Classico will be served! The very good looking Francesco Zonin makes it easy to watch, ha!

Show Description:
“From Italy with Love” is a lifestyle contest show where three Americans are immersed in the Italian culture… After spending a week learning how to communicate, dress, live, cook and enjoy wine like an Italian, they must demonstrate that real Italian cuisine is truly simple, authentic, cost effective and most importantly nutritional.

Three judges: Francesco Zonin, a Cooking Channel celebrity – Kelsey Nixon, and Italian TV chef celebrity Fabrizio Nonis, judge the contestants on specific guidelines and categories. The three contestants are Lynn Borges, Katie Meyers, and Lesroy Louard. At the end of the show, the judges choose the true Italian!
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Connect with “From Italy with Love” on all social media outlets and invite your friends, family, and colleagues!
HASHTAG— #FIWL

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View on YouTube
View on Vimeo

Saturday, November 8, 12-3pm
COOK LIKE A WOK STAR CLASS
ALNO
3650 North Miami Avenue, Design District, FL 33127
$85 pp with 3 dishes paired with wines and Fiji Water
What if you can become a Wok Star in 3 hours? You can and hundreds have! Easy, Healthy and Fast one-dish dinners made in a wok, perfect for busy lifestyles and adaptable to any diet! No-recipes or measuring needed, it’s liberating and oh so simple!
Sign up and be an instant Wok Star NOW!

Sunday, November 9
BOOK GIVEAWAYS FOR MIAMI BOOK FAIR
Don’t miss my blog post for these 3 book Giveaways! Fabio Viviani’s, Fabio’s American Home Kitchen and Linda Gassenheimer’s 2 books: No-Fuss Diabetes Desserts and Simply Smoothies. And 2 more Sunday, November 16, see below. Both Giveaways will last for duration of the Book Fair and winners will be announced Monday, November 24.

Thursday, November 13, 6-8pm
KREATING KOMBUCHA, FERMENTATION WORKSHOP with Tom Wilfong
Miami Beach Botanical Garden
$10 members, $15 non members
Yup, I ‘met’ Tom on Instagram and found out he’s teaching a basic fermentation workshop! So mad I’ll be on a cruise and will miss this! I freakin’ LOVE pickles especially kimchi and got my first taste of Kombucha on my recent visit with my sister in Asheville.
Get the details and sign up NOW!

Saturday, November 15, 10am-1pm
FOOD NETWORK STAR CASTING

Do you have a captivating personality and believe you’re at the top of the culinary game? They are searching for those with a creative and unique food perspective. Do you have what it takes to host your own show on Food Network, here’s your chance!
Apply online here.

Friday, November 21
BOOK GIVEAWAYS FOR MIAMI BOOK FAIR

Watch out for my blog for these two fabulous book giveaways: Lee Schrager with Adeena Sussman’s Fried and True and Mango by Jen Karetnick. Winners of both book giveaways will be announced Monday, November 24.

Friday, November 21
12:45-3pm
Beauty Foods Luncheon and Ayurvedic Skin Care Workshop
Palms Hotel & Spa
Finally, I get to attend a Conscious Bite Out event, I can’t wait to learn how to make healthy skin care products cause I have such sensitive skin and I can’t stand all that unnecessary stuff in products. And I love Chef Julie Frans cooking, so beautiful, refreshing and balanced flavors, hope to see you there!
Sign up here.

Sunday, November 16-23
MIAMI BOOK FAIR INTERNATIONAL
Click here for complete details.
Friday, November 21-23
STREET FAIR
Delightful to browse through the Fair, I always find something unique and interesting.
Click here for complete Schedule of Events!

Highlights include…
Sat. Nov.22, 12pm Talk:
Fabio Viviani, famous Top Chef contestant who will be talking with his cute Italian accent and Ana Sofia Pelaez on The Cuban Table: A Celebration of Food, Flavors, and History.

Sun. Nov.23,
1:00 p.m. Talk:
Dana Cowin on Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen: Learning to Cook with 65 Great Chefs and Over 100 Delicious Recipes, Gabrielle Hamilton on Prune, and Lee Schrager on Fried & True: More than 50 Recipes for America’s Best Fried Chicken and Sides
1:30 p.m. Talk:
Heather McPherson on Good Catch: Recipes and Stories Celebrating the Best of Florida’s Waters, Jen Karetnick on Mango, and Mark DeNote on The Great Florida Craft Beer Guide
2pm Cooking Demo
Fabio Viviani at Miami Culinary Institute, good luck getting in here.
2:30pm Talk:
Linda Gassenheimer on No-Fuss Diabetes Desserts and Simply Smoothies and Ellen Jaffe Jones on Paleo Vegan

Sunday, November 23, 11am-4pm
Botanical Bazaar
Miami Beach Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Bazaar is a once-a-year artisan fair held at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to celebrate our beautiful southern autumn right before Thanksgiving. The Bazaar features local vendors selling labors of love perfect for early holiday shopping, including jewelry, plants, hand designed clothing, art, natural makeup and beauty products, candles, cards and much more. This year there are some new and funky booths including the Garden’s “Gems and Junque” rummage tent and a make-your-own kokedama moss garden activity. Music will be provided by carolers, with a special performance by the Florida Grand Opera! At 1pm join “The Beauty of Food” workshop.
Click here more details!

Thursday, November 27, 10-4pm (Thanksgiving day)
FREE & open to the public
Loy Krathong / Thai Food Festival
Wat Buddharangsri (Buddhist Temple)
The highlight of this year’s festival beside the Loy Krathong ceremony, live Thai and American music, mini Thai concert show, Thai folk & classical dances and also authentic Thai cuisine & desserts sponsored by members of the temple and local Thai restaurants in the area.
Click here for schedule!

Make Dad a Wok Star for Father's Day!

June 6, 2014 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Want to make Dad a Wok Star? If you live in Miami, now’s your chance because next Thursday, June 12 from 6:30-9:30pm, even inexperienced dads will have a chance to wok up 3 scrumptious dishes paired with wines from different regions in Italy. This class will be a very intimate and unique event with only 12 guests.

Casa Vinicola Zonin USA is thrilled to host Wok Star Eleanor Hoh at their swanky penthouse loft to celebrate a special Father’s Day event. The collaboration between Casa Vinicola Zonin USA and Wok Star Cooking Classes is to demonstrate how well Italian wines transcend into any cuisine.

Picture dad when he realizes Wok Star’s easy no recipe approach keep things simple and makes cooking creative and fun. He’ll explore new flavors and learn Asian cutting techniques, how to mix and match vegetables and proteins for quick one-dish dinners with only four seasonings and very little cleanup. Perfect for busy dads and adaptable to any diet.
The menu includes an all time favorite, Rainbow Lettuce Wrap appetizers, which is paired with Zonin Prosecco and wow guests in a meet and mingle! Next, a delicate Shrimp with Baby Bok Choy and Oyster Mushrooms pairs nicely with Rocca di Montemassi Astraio. Lastly and most popular is the Tilapia in a Spicy Brown Bean Sauce in an unusual pairing with Castello d’Albola Chianti Classico, which complements the fish beautifully.
Best part of this class is the Wok Star Kit Bundle which includes everything dad needs to go home with to become a Wok Star right away! The most rewarding part for Hoh as a cooking teacher is hearing success stories from Wok Stars who love to show off their slicing, dicing and stir fry technique to family and friends! That’s what being a Wok Star is all about.
Here’s a post about how eccentric my Dad was, Remembering Dad on Father’s Day! So glad he knew about metals because he helped me avoid an expensive mistake with my cast iron wok when I first started out.
Sign dad up for this special Father’s Day event here.
Thanks to Miami.com, Miami Culinary Tours and Simply Q for including me in your Father’s Day Roundup!

7 Reasons for using a Cast Iron Wok!

May 1, 2014 By Eleanor Hoh 1 Comment

The most rewarding part of giving cooking classes and marketing my Wok Star Kit is hearing success stories. And every time this happens, I’m thankful to my mother who introduced me to using a cast iron wok.

When I started teaching, I bought every ‘wok’ I could find to make sure I knew what was out there and what problems people were having and there were many. It took years for me to narrow down the reasons why the lightweight, thin walled cast iron wok my mom introduced to me was the best choice for wok cooking!

The best success stories are those who’ve been converted from using a frying pan with a handle and high sides they called a ‘wok’ on a flat glass electric stove, to using my cast iron wok with a portable gas stove setup. It gives me so much pleasure to hear people’s feedback when they realize it’s not just the right wok but the right technique, right heat and good ingredients.

Bill having fun cooking in his "Eleanor Hoh Wok Star System" (love this) on their kitchen island! — Bill having fun cooking in his “Eleanor Hoh Wok Star System” (loved that he renamed it) on their kitchen island!

This feedback from new Wok Star Bill gave me such a tingle,”We are going to bring our Wok System to Wisconsin when we return to our Northern Home in June. In the summer we have awesome farmers markets with wonderfully fresh vegetables. We will make your Wok System the center of many dinner parties as we catch up with our old friends.
Every time we cook “The Eleanor Hoh Wok Star System” ( I just named it ) we are at awe with how well it works. It is not just the Cast Iron Wok or Butane Stove, it is the entire System that you have so thoughtfully put together. The tips on prep and clean-up, the laminated guide sheet, the first “recipes” and Cooking Class CDs, the basket with each specialized container for oil, sherry, corn starch, etc., the wok pot holders, the spatula, and of course the awesome cast iron Wok and specialized stove. All work perfectly but much more as a System. We see your years of training and experience in each thoughtful element. Thank you again for your care in putting this together. You have added a wonderful new element to our routine cooking and dining as well as a bump to our many dinner parties.”

Judy says, "We are wok stars!!! We used the wok the very next day. We made lettuce wraps with vegetables. Came out great. Your class was excellent. We would drive to the Miami area anytime you have an Asian restaurant night." — Judy says, “We are wok stars!!! We used the wok the very next day. We made lettuce wraps with vegetables. Came out great. Your class was excellent. We would drive to the Miami area anytime you have an Asian restaurant night.”

Here’s feedback after Judy and Bill had their wok party with neighbor, “Our dinner in Fort Myers with our neighbor was a huge success and even more fun. We will certainly do this again. These simple to prepare dishes are perfect for an informal dinner party. We did all the prep as a group with probably a little too much wine. Our neighbor Marla is a very accomplished cook and loved the entire event and mostly the food.”

When they see me in action during a cooking class or stumble onto my website, it’s like an ‘Aha‘ moment. The latest of these converts are Judy and Bill whose son and daughter-in-law gave them a Christmas cooking class gift certificate even though they live in Fort Myers, a two and half hour drive!

They finally came last Saturday and it was a blast to watch Bill (the cook) nod when I pointed out the following:

1) electric stoves take a long time to heat up and cool down so you need to manually lift your pan off and on the stove to control your heat.
2) materials ranging from carbon steel, nonstick, nonstick with enamel exterior so it looks pretty but not functional, stainless steel, heavy cast iron with/without enamel exterior, the list is endless don’t heat as evenly as a lightweight, thin walled cast iron wok!

Cast iron woks give you the texture/sear, flavor and bright colors! It’s not fun cooking if it looks beautiful or it’s a weight lifting exercise because it’s so sturdy or you’ve paid a fortune for it but it doesn’t function well?

Bill realized why he hadn’t had success, “Finally, we have two Emeril Stainless Steel Wok/Frying Pans, one in Wisconsin and one in Florida. They work on an electric stove for a simple pea pod stir-fry. They work better on our zillion BTU gas burner in Wisconsin. They are essentially heavy frying pans with deep sides. We have used each one once in the last 10 years. We used our new cast iron wok twice last week. These usage patterns will likely continue. The SS pans cook slowly and heat up at the end of the cooking cycle. The Wok Star System will get this done right in seconds.”
3) when I switched off my gas stove mid stream while I was stir frying the vegetables, there was no liquid at the bottom of my wok. For Bill, there was always a puddle so his vegetables were never crispy, crunchy.
4) it’s not a ‘wok’ if it has a flat bottom with high sides, it doesn’t function the same as a wok! An authentic wok is round bottom because it’s a natural stir fry motion and the wide opening prevents food from falling out of the pan.
5) a wood or silicon spatula and in Bill’s case, a wooden spoon is not an efficient tool to scoop under the food because it’s too thick! So, basically you’re pushing your food around the pan, not stir frying!
6) Judy and Bill couldn’t stop saying how delicious every dish was!
7) I’ve already ‘seasoned’ the wok so it’s ready to start using right away and everything they need to be successful is in the Wok Star Kit Bundle!

Best part was showing them my easy-to-follow visual roadmap so they never need to use a recipe for weeknight cooking. They loved the idea of using only 4 basic seasonings to marinade their protein and for making sauces.

If you have any of the woks listed above and not had much luck with wok cooking, take a look at the full explanation of why you need ALL 4 elements to be successful.

Feel free to ask any questions in comment below with problems you’re having in wok cooking, I’m happy to help.

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