Some of my best memories revolve around food. Family around the dinner table sharing stories of the day over fragrant dishes. Parties where I reconnected with friends over delicious wine and hand-held hors d’oeuvres. These served as the foundation for my love of cooking, which over the years has turned into my passion. If you ask me what my best day would be, it’s gathering fresh food from my garden to prepare for an outdoor dinner with my family and closest friends. Spending the evening drinking wine, laughing, and reconnecting under the stars on a warm summer night. That is my perfect day.
I would love to travel to Italy to take a cooking class, tour the wineries, and enjoy the delicious cheese and pastas. This, my friends, is one of my bucket list items! So when I heard about an Italian cooking class at a local winery I had to give it a try, and I am so glad that I did.
Hedges Winery in Benton City Washington not only has wine that is well worth the trip to the tasting room, but they also offer cooking class events for their wine club members. I signed up for an Italian cooking lesson provided by Dave Adlard, chef and owner of Candle In the Woods http://candleinthewoods.com/. There is an old Irish proverb that says “Laughter is the brightest in the place where the food is.” There is wisdom in that statement . I believe there is something very powerful, almost magical, in preparing and sharing a good dish and a bottle of wine. A room of complete strangers will quickly becomes friends when they may have never connected in any other type of setting. And having a great chef to lead the way with instruction and a few great jokes added even more to the experience.
I left with some great recipes, a terrific bottle of wine, and excitement about this opportunity to travel abroad in my home town. After all, that is what this whole blog started out as – an idea that I could enjoy the same adventure as a travel and food blogger by starting small.