Sister Cities offers 5-day 'excursion' to France
Autumn in Hoffman Estates promises five days with five events and five menus to pinpoint food, not just any food but the culinary creations of a French chef.
Chef Patrick Guat of Angouleme, France, the sister city of Hoffman Estates, and two of his L-Amandier culinary students Benjamin Breyton and Pierre Buxeraud will turn the town on its culinary axis when the trio stars in a five-day experience that touts a five-course dinner, a chef's table demonstration and dinner, a children's cooking class, a French hors d'oeuvres delight and a cooking experience only for the hospitality students of Harper College. The Hoffman Estates Sister Cities Commission sponsors the community event.
Opening night features "An Evening with the Chef" at a chef's table demonstration and five-course French dinner at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28 in The Stonegate Conference and Banquet Centre, 2500 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates. The demonstration will be in a separate hall, according to commission chair Lillian Mosier who credits the event's expected success to the planning efforts of Stonegate's Executive Chef Charles Baptist.
Guat's demonstration of the main course Chicken Sauté Basquaise will kick start the evening's dinner that will feature wine. Guests will start with spooning what could become a regular seasonal favorite: Cappuccino of Pumpkin Soup and then move to the fish course Trout with Red Seaweed and Zucchini Cream. Parisienne potatoes and cauliflower custard will accompany the starring chicken course. The event allows just 100 guests who will pay $65.
Forty guests will partake in "Soiree Culinaire: Discovering French Delicacies," a chef's table demonstration and dinner at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 in Pina's Culinary Experience, 632 E. Irving Park Road, Roselle. The ticket tag is $50.
Twenty children from 12 to 15 will follow a theme of "Sweet and Savory Crepes" from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2 when they gather in the Hoffman Estates Park District Community Center and Ice Arena, 1685 W. Higgins Road. For $20 the youngsters will don a chef's hat and apron as they prepare and eat crepes.
Adults will take their turns wearing the toque during a cooking class called "French Hors d'oeuvres for the Holidays" at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3 in Pina's Culinary Experience. The hors d'oeuvres experience costs $40.
Mosier, who coordinates the event with Terry Riesterer and Jill Wood-Naatz, says the event marks the first time the commission chose a five-pronged event. Copies of recipes are included. The deadline is Monday, Oct. 20. Call Suzanne Lessen, (847) 781-2606.
"I believe this is an exciting opportunity for community members to experience a wide variety of French food items at the events, each devoted to a different theme," Mosier said.