I know it’s early but be sure to mark your calendars for Saturday, December 14th for the Food Studios Holiday Extravaganza – the holidays will be here in no time! Now back to the summer…
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My Tasty Summer Adventures and Travels
The summer was wildly busy – from international travels to new concept openings to some great conferences! Read on to find out what the crew and I have been up to since my last recap!
In May, I had a whirlwind trip to New York, where I celebrated my birthday at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic where Small Screen and William Grant hosted a cool fundraiser on the spectacular deck of the Manhattan Andaz Hotel for Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign which I helped out at.
Next it was all aboard a quick flight to Boston …where Liquid Kitchen associates Danny Ronen, Keith Waldbauer and I went full-tilt to open an exciting bar program at the new Showcase Cinemas Super Lux concept. Cocktails, snazzy menu and plush lay-back leather chairs with your movie experience? Don’t mind if I do!
Sexy Cocktails at the Showcase Super Lux grand opening party!
Then it was back to Seattle to host the Barilla Academy at my Food Studios. For three culinary-packed days, guest Executive Chefs from all over the US participated in Modern Italian Menu seminars, a bar-chef cocktail competition, and to a day of ingredient shopping at Pike Place then finished with a Pacific NW inspired dinner whipped up by the chefs.
The Barilla Academy attendees!
The Chef Teams hard at work at the Food Studios…but is it really work if it’s so much fun?
But to top it all off was the field trip to Taylor Shellfish Farms in Shelton, to learn all about Pacific Northwest shellfish; with lots of oyster slurping and hands on beach cooking! So fun ..and sunny beach weather too!
Sampling some super-fresh Taylor Shellfish oysters on the beach with Jon Rowley – and sipping some award winning oyster wines!
Barilla Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni and I and Geoducks!! The Demo! … LOL
The Fabulous Crew of Mine! on the Beautiful Taylor Shellfish Beach
Jonas, Antonette, Erwin, Jason, Heather
Then, it was time to pack my bags and head out the door to Peru! This was my first time there and it was an amazing trip; including a tour of the Pisco Porton distillery, and getting a first-hand taste of Peru’s diverse and unique culture – adventuring through a wildlife sanctuary and learning and tasting all about Peruvian Cuisine as well as watching a traditional Peruvian prancing horse show! What a treat! And of course, learning all about Pisco! The food was really amazing – and the ceviche was so fresh. My favorite ceviche was tossed with Peruvian corn and yams.
Winter-time in Peru
Pisco Porton Master Distiller Johnny, giving us a tour
My Favorite Peruvian Things….Coca Pisco Sours and Super Sooooft Llama Slippers!!
Chicago, Tales of the Cocktail & Flavor: I was barely home from that international adventure when it was time to head to Chicago with Associate Chef Cameon Orel for the International Food Technology Expo. It wasn’t all work, though – we got to stop in at the Aviary to visit beverage director Charles Joly and sample some of the most amazing cocktails I’ve ever tasted – and that’s high praise from me! If you have a trip to Chicago planned, be sure to call and get a reservation at the bar to be wowed!
Crazy Fun Cocktails at Aviary
But before I headed back home, I flew down to New Orleans for the 11th Annual Tales of the Cocktail! Check out my special guest post in Seattle Magazine for my quick round-up!
Guest Mixologists shaking up and showing off their creations at Tale of the Cocktail
And to top the summer off was The Flavor Experience, one of my all-time favorite industry conferences. The Liquid Kitchen team presented cocktails for Monin that were all Tiki-themed. We whipped up South Seas Whiskey Jar Punch and Pineapple Agave Mezcal Coolers made with Monin Organic Agave, garnished with ginger-grilled shrimp – yum!
I also presented on the International Trends Panel, discussing global trends that are prime for US menus –( I predict Filipino adobo, pancit, and calamansi citrus-based drinks as well as Peruvian Ají Amarillo Sauce [I love it on everything] and a renewed interest in Pisco Sours).
After the seminar Heather, Jason and I served up Toasted Peruvian Corn with Chili Lime Salt (yes, I schlepped 20 lbs back from Peru in my backpack!) and Passion Fruit Pisco Sours topped with beautiful little baby orchids.
Monin Passion Fruit Pisco Porton Sours with Edible Baby Orchid and toasted Peruvian Corn
I can’t wait for The Flavor Experience’s 10 year anniversary next summer!
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Serious Sippin’ with the Liquid Kitchen®
Season 4 of Kathy Casey’s Liquid Kitchen has just started airing! You can catch new episodes sponsored by Vitamix every other Tuesday on Small Screen Network. A recent episode of the Berries & Bubbles cocktail shaken up with Double Cross Vodka was also featured on Huffington Post and AOL! Other new episodes include Sparkling Tradewinds Punch with Bitter Ice Balls – perfect for a large party.
Stay tuned for other libations to toast in the fall like my Grand Salted Caramel Old Fashioned and the Harvest Dark and Stormy, shaken up with a housemade Apple Ginger Puree – perfect to use all those fall apples up in.
My Berries and Bubbles Cocktail and Erwin Guarding the Sparkling Tradewinds Punch
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New Items, Chef and Gluten Free Offerings at Dish D’Lish
Traveling a lot? Me too! Whenever I head out of town, I make sure to stop by my Dish D’Lish cafes at Sea-Tac International Airport (both pre- and post- security). Our new Dish D’Lish Chef Amanda Stoddard has just added lots of new exciting new items and we’ve been working on to stock up pre-flight. For AM travelers, we have new in-house baked Whole Grain Muffins in rotating seasonal flavors.
Our New In House Baked Whole Grain Muffins and Cupcakes – Yum!
And we’ve added a whole line up of rotating salad cups like: Broccoli Bacon Slaw, Caprese Salami Salad, Tarragon Chicken Salad Cups, Wasabi Potato Salad and protein packed, vegetarian Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.
And for our gluten free guests, we have a super snack section featuring Bumble Bars, Oregon Fruit Bars and Food Is Good Chips, as well as many of our new salad cups are gluten free too. Oh – and in honor of my new book D’Lish Deviled Eggs we have a rotating weekly flavor of Deviled Eggs, all perfect to carry on your next flight.
Our D’lish Grab-And-Go Salad Cups, Seasonal Savory Roast Beef Sandwich with Bloody Mary Mayo, Roasted Tomatoes and Blue Cheese and, of Course – D’Lish Deviled Eggs!
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I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my summer round up and l look forward to sharing more culinary and cocktail adventures this fall. –Kathy
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