Summer Of Steak: Whole Foods – Palm Beach Gardens

Simply put, this was for me and my +1, singularly the most informative Unilocal event that I have ever attended! The key was the ability to interact with the chefs! I learned more about cooking steak (regardless of where it was purchased) from the whole food chefs then I have ever learned through any other means.
And the wine parings were outstanding as well.
This was my first Unilocal event in southern Florida, and it was a double treat to meet the people behind the reviews that I have been following from afar.
Hats off to the Unilocal team (particularly Blue A!) and the team from Whole Foods. This was a great introduction to life as a Unilocaler in Palm Beach and Martin Counties Florida!

Blue ran a fabulous steak event in Palm Beach Gardens. The staff at Whole Foods were also first-​rate. They presented several delicious courses of tender steak. Not overwhelming for me, it was a fantastic meal. Each course was accompanied by a fantastic wine. I felt like I was in the best restaurant in town, being catered to by a wonderful staff. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

My second Unilocal event proved to be a great time.
Wholefoods market really set up a wonderful tasting menu for the Unilocal event that included four cuts of beef and included sides and wine pairings for each meal. The event was smoothly executed by Blue and his intern (Sara, I believe) and the Wholefoods staff.
I appreciated the packets of information on the meats that Wholefoods purchases and offers for sale. All of the meat we ate at the event was a level 4 product and came from the same farm. I was pleased to know that all Wholefoods farms are inspected by Wholefoods markets so there are no surprises. One of the major reasons I have never visited the store before was because of their prices. Now that I understand how much oversight each farm has I would be happy to walk into the store and purchase some nice cuts of well-​cared for beef. It was truly an educational experience.
In regards to the food, I had a hard time choosing a favorite between the NY Strip, and the Flat Iron steak. Both were delicious. The butcher manager and the ready to eat foods manager did an excellent job of explaining the foods and menu items as well as cooking procedures. It might have been nice if there was some sort of small microphone system in the tasting kitchen so that we could hear a bit better but I caught most of it.
What an awesome way to spend a Thursday night, food, friendly people, and a little bit of education besides. Well done!

I’m a fan of Whole Foods, but this was my first time at their store in Palm Beach Gardens. I got there a little early and had a chance to look around the beautiful store. The Unilocal event was in a separate classroom by the side of the building. When we walked in we were handed a glass of chardonnay and told to take a seat at one of the three long tables. In the front of the room was the kitchen where the marketing coordinator, and two chefs were already starting to prepare the food. There was literature on the tables in front of each chair. It contained information about Whole Foods policy of only using animals that were humanely farmed. That’s great news. There was also a paper about wine and a coupon book.
I learned so much. The Whole Foods chefs told us all about steaks while we watched them cook. They cooked four different types of steak. Each steak was paired with different sides and a red wine. Just sitting there and smelling the aroma of the food cooking made me so hungry. Each little plate we were served was beautifully presented and so delicious.
We started with the New York Strip steak. It was so tender. It was served with vegetables and kimchi. Sometimes kimchi overpowers the other foods it’s served with. I’m happy to say this was perfect. It gave the dish a distinctly Asian flavor, with a little bit of heat.
Next we were served a ribeye with carrots, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes is one of my favorite foods and I had to ask the chef how she got the mashed potatoes to be so creamy and delicious. She told me she used lots of butter. It’s no wonder the potatoes were so good. The steak was served rare. I usually have my steaks cooked medium, but I liked the flavor of the rare steak. It was nice to try something different for a change.
Steak number three was a chili flap steak over cold Asian noodles. The steak was delicious and the noodles were perfectly cooked. The meat had been marinated, which made it very tender and full of flavor.
Steak number four was a flat iron steak served with multicolored cauliflower and asparagus. The asparagus was topped with really good blue cheese. As if that wasn’t tasty enough the chef came around and added a little sweet glaze to our steak.
After we ate the last piece of steak we were treated to a delicious taste of chocolate gelato.
After the food was finished the chefs gave us a quiz. A few lucky Unilocalers won beautiful red Unilocal bottles. No, I didn’t win. Maybe next time.
Thank you to everyone at Whole Foods who made this a great event. Thank you to the chefs for the lesson on steaks and for cooking the delicious food. Thank you so much Blue and Sara for making Summer Of Steak so much fun.

I had a lot of fun at this whole foods Unilocal event! I didn’t read the event fully and walked into whole foods looking for it but whole foods directed me to the event center on the side of the building. We walked in and were given a glass of chardonnay to start the night off and handed fliers about the meats at whole foods. The marketing coordinator, Sydney I think was her name, and chefs, Rob and Athena, were super knowledgable about their steaks and side dishes they were serving us and gave a lot of good cooking techniques that I will definitely be using in the future like cooking the steaks on high heat and cooking the edges (fat part first) to make the steak juicier. We had four different dishes served to us. The first one was a NY Strip steak with kimchi and Zuchinni, squash, carrot and radishes served with a sample of merlot. It was a bit spicy but it was mild. I don’t like spicy food very much but I thought it tasted good. The next sample dish brought out was the cracked pepper Ribeye with mash potatoes served with a sample of cabernet. I really liked this one because it was the most tender and juicy. It was cooked perfectly rare. A lot of people were complaining it was too rare but I think rare steaks are more juicy. The next steak brought out was thai chiki flap steak over Asian noodles served with another sample of cabernet. They said this steak is really good to use for fajitas. And the last steak sample was flat iron steak with caramelized blue cheese and butter and garlic with a balsamic glaze with multicolored cauliflower and roasted asparagus served with a sample of merlot. It was super delicious. Except for the blue cheese but I just don’t likw the flavor of blue cheese. Everything else tasted superb. They brought out a chocolate gelato dessert which was a perfect ending to a delightful event and good cooking lesson as well. Always nice meeting new people at these events too! Thank you to Blue and the staff at whole foods that made the event happen!:)

’15 Summer of Steak is almost to the end and it made its way to Palm Beach Gardens last night. It was a family style event with an open kitchen demonstration pulled off by two amazing chefs. Their love for food really showed when they were cooking and explaining to us what was in each dish. The white and red wines that were offered for us to try fit together for each dish.
The Asian strip steak with the combination of vegetables was a great starter for our event. The kimchi made everything had a little kick to it and the combination of the items for this course was awesome. The second course was the ribeye with mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. This was another favorite of mine. The ribeye was moist and tender and the veggies were full of flavor. Next up was the Thai Chile flap steak on top of Asian noodles. I don’t think I ever have had noodles with any kind of steak before and I was surprised that it knocked it out of the park. The noodles were lightly sauced and the meat was marinated with a lime juice. The final course was the flat iron steak seasoned with garlic and blue cheese with multicolored cauliflower and asparagus. The dish was ridiculously fantastic. It was so colorful and every bite was enjoyed more than the first. There was a sweet sauce that was topped on the dish after it came out. You can never go wrong with a sweet ending. We were provided with a scoop of chocolate gelato to end the event on. Most of us didn’t have a problem with finishing that one off.
Whole Foods nailed it with educating us with the different types of meats and sides that went with each course last night. The staff and chefs did an outstanding job with the food and the wines that we got to enjoy. The water bottles came in handy when it got a little spicy and needed a break from the beverages. The insulated cups were a real treat for those who won off of the «test» that was given to us. It was nice to make it up north and meet some new faces of the BPB community. Thanks to Blue and Sara for making it an educational and fun event filled with food and love.

This was my very first Unilocal event and I was not disappointed. Hosted by the friendly, funny and welcoming Blue (or perhaps that should be Mr. Blue) it was an opportunity to meet some internet friends that I’ve only seen in thumbnails. They’re much larger in person and friendly too.
This evening was steak four ways prepared by the staff of Whole Foods at Palm Beach Gardens. Each course was paired with an explanation of the cut, it’s prep and a serving of an appropriate wine, all finished with smooth and satisfying gelato. Truly the food could not have been better and thanks to Whole Foods and their crew as the sponsor.
Having written Unilocal reviews since 2009 and maintaining a false identity (fearing retribution from other review site’s roving gangs) I was encouraged to come out of the shadows and go to this event by Ann M. who was unfortunately out of town. Hope to meet you and Paul soon.
What’s more fun than eating good food, anticipating the next course and discussing food with new friends? See you at the next nearby event.

This event was satisfying in so many ways. The food and wine was excellent and creative. But what makes it stand out above others in my mind was the meals were prepared for the most part in my presence. The cooking tips alone earn a five star rating. Add in charismatic chefs, staff, and Blue S and it’s a must do event for all foodies. Icing on the cake was great table mates to share stories and talk FOOD.

I had a great time with good food and good people. Great chefs and great steaks. These chefs showed how to make a steak with flavor.

I had a wonderful time at this event learned so much. Met a table full of great people

If there is such a thing as a beef coma… I am now pleasantly in the midst of one, and loving every moment of it. Tonight’s event was a welcome tutorial on the world of beef, compliments of Unilocal and Whole Foods of Palm Beach Gardens. I’ve spent many hours in the teaching kitchen at this particular location, and I’m never disappointed in the presentations or the food. The chefs are spot on in their cooking demonstrations, and as always… the food was delicious. The wine pairings were complimentary to each beef tasting dish. I personally am not a fan of cooking beef at home, and after my second Summer of Beef event, I’m even more sure that the local chefs in the area, far exceed my kitchen skills. Thanks again Unilocal… and the icing on the cake is my new favorite insulated cup that I won for answering the quiz correctly.

This was such a fun event! I initially got lost trying to find my way here because I didn’t read the tip about it being held somewhere else on the other side of the building (duh) but once I arrived, I was pretty happy!
The staff of Whole Foods was so gracious and kind to provide us with so many different samples of steak and in such unique culinary creations. There were four courses and each became increasingly more delicious as the night went on!
The first course was a strip steak with some mixed vegetables. It was topped with kimchi. I was intrigued by this combination of ingredients because I’ve never had steak with kimchi on it, but I was pleasantly surprised! This dish was really light. The vegetables were fresh and had a little kick to them, probably because some of the kimchi rubbed off on them!
The next course was the cracked pepper ribeye with carrots and mashed potatoes. It was probably my favorite meat out of the bunch because it was super tender and full of flavor. The carrots were great.
The third course was a chili flap steak over noodles. Apparently this steak is pretty good for fajitas and after the first bite, I could see why. It was marinated in some sort of lime juice which gave it epic flavor. It wasn’t very tender, but the perfect temperature.
The fourth and final course was my favorite. We had a flat iron steak with multicolored cauliflower and asparagus. The steak was topped with my favorite cheese — blue cheese! Then one of the chefs came around and put a sweet sauce on top of it which really mixed well with the strong flavor of the blue cheese.
Then for dessert there was gelato! It was so rich it was hard to eat a lot of it, but definitely a good way to end the night.
This was my first BPB event and it was really a good time. I thought this event was a little more upscale in terms of food than a lot of other events I’ve been to. I’m glad I RSVP’ed! I learned a lot about steak and how cows are raised from WF and the staff was so kind in having us.
Thanks Blue and Whole Foods!