Chef Ken Korando's Private Class

Tonight we were fortunate to have Chef Ken Korando and his wife Ann join us for a private class at Quality Street.

This was ladies night out, and on the menu was Tomato & Chévre Salad With Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette & Truffle Infused Oil; Traditional Marsala with Chicken, Veal or Pork; and Tiramisu.




While Chef Ken explains what he is doing with the salad, Ann serves a class of one of the wines brought from their vineyard.


The class is about food preparation but comes with a bonus in that everyone learned about what goes into producing a specific wine, and its unique flavors.


Solomons Island Winery was founded as a micro-winery by Ken & Ann Korando in the fall of the year 2002. They are located on 9.3 acres just north of Solomons Island in southern Calvert County, Maryland along the idyllic shores of Hungerford Creek.



They are growing a small amount of their own grapes, and many of their wines are produced predominantly from fruit produced by other growers. This gives them flexibility to produce a wide variety of wines, while waiting for their varieties of grapes to come into production.

Here is the salad. Yellow tomatoes were used and they are low in acidity.

Onto the Marsala, which can be used with chicken, veal or pork. This gave our students versatility to use this base recipe for three distinct entrees!


A little break while waiting!

...and then it's Tiramisu time!




and relaxation time with friends.


Chef Ken has another great class coming up in August. Don't miss out on Asparagus Soup Hot & Cold; Chilean Sea Bass w/black bean and mango salsa and roasted pepper sauce; and Chocolate Souffle.

Joyce's Birthday Class

What better way to celebrate your birthday than surrounded by friends in a Quality Street cooking class?

Ryan accompanied Bobby to help with the preparation, and to control the crowds if they stormed the stage!


The first dish was a simple and elegant presentation of roasted vegetables served with cheese.



The crew really enjoyed this, as well as having some of Chef Bobby's herb infused dipping oil with French baguette.


Then it was off to the butternut squash. This was sliced, seasoned and also roasted for a very healthy and flavorful dish.

Fresh fruit was also sliced to go into a fruit topping.

Tomatoes were roasted as part of the preparation.

And during one of the lulls, the Birthday Girl mingles with her guests...

...and opens up her survival cane!

The squash is done, and gets plated and served with the fruit salsa over top. This is nicely garnished with a single frond from the pineapple.

The last one served gets a special topper, the crown of the pineapple!

This looks almost too good to actually eat, but eventually Jennifer puts a fork into it.

And then the main course is served, seared rockfish with a honey mustard sauce. This was both flavorful and also a healthy entree.

While waiting for dessert to make it to the table, there is a little bit of fresh fruit provided to cleanse the pallet.

And then the crew joins in with a boisterous round of Happy Birthday!

Joyce slips in a quick wish.

This is a beautiful medley of ice cream topped with cherries, along with heated melon.

What a great evening shared with friends and family. Happy Birthday Joyce, this was a night to remember!