JULY 2008
Are You What You Cook?
** SOLD OUT **
We have sold out all 110 seats! If you’d like to add your name to the waitlist, please visit here and enter your name and email. In the event of cancellations, you will be informed of available tickets in the order of waitlist registration. Also, registrations for the Symposium will be opening soon.
Monday, July 21, 2008
6:00 pm Registration & Wine Reception
6:30–8:30 pm Panel Discussion
One Ferry Building, 2nd Floor, San Francisco
$35 general admission
$25 restaurant trade or full-time student (with ID)
Join us for a provocative conversation with celebrated San Francisco chefs. They’ll share how they developed their signature styles and how their personal and professional experiences have shaped their vision of Asian cuisine. We’re honored to have on our panel:
Kelly Degala, executive chef, Pres a Vi and Va de Vi
Eric Gower, author, Breakaway Cook
Michelle Mah, formerly executive chef, Ponzu
Kirti Pant, executive chef, Junnoon
Charles Phan, executive chef, Slanted Door
Linda Carucci (moderator), chef director, International Culinary
School at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco
Slanted Door and Va de Vi will provide a light buffet of savory appetizers. Elaine Villamin, Eden Canyon Vineyards’ owner and winemaker, will be pouring tastes of her family’s fine Cabernet blend.
Cookbooks by our speakers will be available for purchase on-site from Book Passage, and the chefs will be happy to sign copies following the evening’s discussion.
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For details on parking, public transport, and cancellation policy, please visit our registration information page.
Our Panelists
Cookbook Author, Breakaway Cook
A week after graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in modern Japanese literature in 1987, Eric Gower hitchhiked around Japan for one year and then worked for the Prime Minister’s office for fifteen years as an editor and ghostwriter on political economy. Fascinated with Japanese ingredients, he began to cook with them in nontraditional ways, which both surprised and delighted many Japanese, including two editors who asked him to write cookbooks explaining his “breakaway” methods and theory. Eric moved to San Francisco in 2002 and began frequenting the wonderful world of ethnic markets, especially Indian, Asian, and Middle Eastern markets, and combining those ingredients with his weekly trips Bay Area farmers' markets. Eric is currently a writer, cooking instructor, and private chef. He writes a popular blog called “The Breakaway Cook” and is the author of three cookbooks: The Breakaway Cook, The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen, and Eric’s Kitchen.
Executive Chef, Midi
Born in Seoul, Korea, Michelle Mah and her family immigrated to the United States when she was three years old. After graduating with a B.A. in Ethnic Studies, Michelle trained at the College of Food in San Diego and then moved to San Francisco to attend the California Culinary Academy. She became a sous chef at the Grand Café in Union Square under chef Paul Arenstam. While executive chef at Ponzu Restaurant, her first time cooking Asian cuisine in a restaurant, she learned about the distinct flavor profiles from different regions in Asia. While Michelle was at Ponzu, the San Francisco Chronicle named her one of 2006’s Rising Star Chefs. She is currently waiting for her new project to begin with Joie de Vivre Hospitality, as the Executive Chef at the forthcoming Midi, a California Brasserie serving modern American food. She will incorporate Asian elements into her cooking, where it makes sense, but for the most part, it will remain on the back burner.
Executive Chef, Junnoon
Born in northern India, Kirti Pant grew up on air force bases all over India, where he was exposed to the dramatic diversity of cuisines in each region. After training at the Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi, Kirti began working at properties in the Taj Group of Hotels, renowned for its distinctive service and outstanding cuisine. He went on to become opening sous chef at the award-winning Cinnamon Club in London and then executive chef of Tamarind in New York City. In opening Junnoon on the West Coast, Kirti worked closely with celebrated chef Floyd Cardoz. In 2006, Esquire magazine named Junnoon one of the 20 best new restaurants in the United States, and the San Jose Mercury News called it one of the top 10 restaurants of the year. The San Francisco Chronicle gave Junnoon three stars and included it on its list of top 100 restaurants in 2007.
Executive Chef, Slanted Door
Born in Da Lat, Vietnam in 1962, Charles Phan and his family left after the war and moved to San Francisco in 1977. Once in the United States each of Phan's parents held two jobs, so it became Charles' role to cook for the family. Phan studied architecture at University of California, Berkeley, and tapped into this design background when opening the original Slanted Door restaurant with his family, creating a stylish ambiance for traditional Vietnamese cooking with an ingredient-driven menu that changes often and relies heavily on California savvy. Eight years later, showcasing farm fresh, local products, preparing everything from scratch and keeping a limited menu has put the Slanted Door on the cutting edge of Vietnamese cuisine in San Francisco and far beyond.
LINDA CARUCCI (moderator)
Chef Director, International Culinary School
Linda Carucci is an award-winning culinary instructor and cookbook author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2002, her peers in the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) voted her Cooking Teacher of the Year. She is the author of Cooking School Secrets for Real World Cooks (Chronicle Books, 2005), which was honored as a finalist for the IACP Julia Child First Book Award and for a James Beard Cookbook Award. Linda has recently assumed responsibilities as the Chef Director of the culinary arts programs launching in 2008 at The International Culinary School at Art Institute of California-San Francisco.
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