Donald Wressell
May 22, 2006
-In the world of the pastry arts in the United States is an outstanding pastry chef and chocolatier by the name of Donald Wressell. You’ve probably never heard of him because he’s truly a modest man. If you’ve ever enjoyed one of the incredible desserts served at The Four Seasons locally then you know his talent.
-Donald recently retired from The Four Seasons Los Angles at Beverly Years after 19 years. He built the pastry shop there from scratch. It was the envy of his colleagues. Supervising a talented staff of eight highly skilled artisans he created all the breakfast pastries, ice creams, chocolates, cookies, desserts, and even some of the breads served at this very posh property.
-Donald is an artisan with wedding cakes. His visually stunning creations taste even better than they look. It’s confidential but his wedding cake business at The Four Seasons was a $150,000 a year business by itself!
-Chef Wressell’s next chapter is as Pastry Chef for Guittard Chocolate Company located in the Bay Area. This is a proudly American company currently overseen by the fifth generation of the Guittard Family.
-Consumers know them for their quality baking chips but it’s a much larger enterprise. The biggest part of their business is selling to food service firms. For more than 50 years they have created the proprietary milk and dark chocolate base used by See’s Candies.
-Donald, a 21 whisk salute to you !
Relish Culinay School
May 24, 2006
-A few months ago I had the delight of working with Donna del Rey of Relish Culinary School located in the Sonoma County Wine Country.
-Relish’s recipe is to combine talented chefs, fabulous cuisine, and incredible Sonoma County locations to create dazzling, one-of-a-kind cooking classes and other culinary experiences for foodies.
-Relish’s cooking equipment travels in a restored 1952 Chevy Panel Truck.
-On the new Summer schedule is the Healdsburg Artisan Food Tour which is offered on three Friday dates in June, July and August.
-Participants start at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen for a tour and tasting. From there it’s on to Plaza Farms for a comparative olive oil tasting with the owner of DaVero Olive Oil.
-The highlight is a family style lunch at Plaza Farm’s Bovolo owned by acclaimed chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart. On the menu are hand-cured meats and antipasti, hearty salads and rustic pizza.
-The expedition will end with a tour and hands-on galette workshop at The Downtown Bakery and Creamery.
-Details at www.relishculinary.com
Relish Culinary School
P.O. Box 933
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(877) 759-1004
Pasadena Summer Fest at The Rose Bowl
May 25, 2006
-Over the last 16 years the Pasadena Summer Fest has grown into the largest pre-Event for the Playboy Jazz Festival. It takes place Memorial Day Weekend.
-This is a no admission charge event that moved to the grounds of The Rose Bowl a couple of years ago. It takes place on the field, in the concourse of The Rose Bowl, and also in the adjacent parking lots.
-Under the umbrella of The Pasadena Summer Fest are : Playboy Jazz at The Rose Bowl, Family Fun Fest, Taste of Summer, The Summer Art Fest and The Sports Zone.
-There is lots of great fun for the entire Family including a performance by the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band and plenty of tasty Summer foods and beverages.
-The proceeds benefit local schools and non-profit groups.
-I’m going to be out there on Sunday afternoon, May 28th at 1:30 p.m. performing an entertaining, interactive cooking demonstration on the South end of the Rose Bowl’s field.
-I’ll be preparing a refreshing summer salad : Fresh
Fennel & Hearts of Palm Salads with Sunkist Toasted Almond Accents. I’ll also show you how to make Curry Almond Shrimp.
-The Pasadena Summer Fest at The Rose Bowl is Saturday, May 27th, Sunday, May 28th, and Monday, May 29th from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. each day.
Details at www.pasadenasummerfest.com
Masa of Echo Park
May 26, 2006
-Recently one of the marketing coordinators at KFWB, a young expatriate Chicagoan, raved to me about Masa of Echo Park on W. Sunset Blvd.
-A visit verified that this is a promising neighborhood find with a friendly staff.
-The surprise here is deep dish, thick crust Chicago-style pizza. The pizza chef is from Chicago and the pizza dough is light like brioche. It’s not like having bread with your pizza.
-The secret is the ancient revolving deck oven they use to bake the pizzas in. This is a remnant from when the location was a Van de Kamp’s bakery outlet.
-Other menu items are perfectly prepared crepes and quiche, paninis, burgers, and sandwiches, and appealing home cooking like a rich meatloaf.
-Every guest gets a round of house-baked olive rosemary bread.
-This is a real find for Dodger fans. It’s perfect for a pre-stadium dinner at reasonable prices and you’re only a long fly ball from Dodger Stadium.
-Don’t forget the rich, Warm Croissant Bread Pudding or the Lemon Butter Crepe for a sweet ending.
-There is also a bakery counter where you can pick-up all the incredible pastries and breads to take home.
Masa of Echo Park
1800 W. Sunset Blvd. (between Alvarado and Echo Park)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
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