Elite Event: Buddy Cooking Class

What amazing experiences to be had in one afternoon! From meeting new Elites, teaming up to create a 3 course tasting and dining in a beautiful setting (Savory Kitchen), it made for an amazing event!
Loved the buddy system event to introduce Elite Newbies to Elite Veterans, shout out to my fellow lemon juicer and new buddy, Julie G and to meeting Mikey U, in person-​finally!
Such a beautiful atmosphere with white table settings, floral arrangements and communal tables. Even the kitchen area looked clean and modern, is it weird that it’s kind of like my dream dining room?
With our fancy aprons on we split into 3 teams, we cooked the night’s meal consisting of: Fingerling Potato Skewers, Spring Pea Soup and Lavender Lemon Pudding. The smell of deliciousness wafted into the air and all the courses were timed in a way that they made way to the table in a timely manner. Most of the dishes were pre-​prepared, so it was more of an assembling of the plates than actually cooking using cooking skills.
Prior to the tasting the SK staff was sure to walk us through and explain why we made the dishes in certain ways, plus each dish and pairing was explained as to why certain wines were paired. Perfect explanations, easy to understand and tasted great-​great choices!
Let’s just say that the tasting was simple and phenomenal, also the pairings were great. My favorites were the potatoes paired with Lincourt Chardonnay and the lemon pudding with the Late Harvest Gewurtraminer.
Thanks to SK’s staff and Abby S. for putting together an event for us to meet our fellow Unilocalers through team building and delicious wine pairings. I’m still dreaming about that Lemon Aioli they put on top of the fingerling potatoes covered in prosciutto … /​droolsound ! Thanks everyone for the team effort as well!

This is such a fun place, esp for all you foodies out there! I came for a Unilocal elite event and didn’t know anyone there… but ended up meeting some really cool folks! Who knew cooking could do that?!
Anyway, we had about 30 of us in the class (although, this is larger than the usual group sizes). We broke up into 3 groups and each group prepared part of the meal — including appetizers, main entrée, and dessert. In addition, each dish is paired with a hand-​selected wine!
All of the chefs are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about cooking and the wine! They made the experience entertaining and enjoyable!
I certainly hope to come back/​celebrate a birthday here!

Such an awesome new and intimate event put together by our ever so creative CM Abby S. What a great newbie and veteran event to partake in. I personally love the events where we get to do hands-​on things like cook one of our delicious three courses for dinner. The dining space and kitchen space is new and beautiful as you will see in the pictures taken by Adam D. Our overall table was plagued with a lot more veteran Unilocalers than newbies but I luckily snatched up a newbie buddy to work with Elizabeth H. who just became elite in 2014 and has traveled to 12 different countries in 1 year to volunteer. Incredible, you meet some amazing new Unilocalers at events sometimes.
After familiarizing ourselves with one another, the chefs let us dive right into stations to prepare the courses after washing our hands. My buddy choose to do the dessert course. I didn’t have much idea of the details of each course, but once we chose one to work on we say all the details that went into each one. The lemon lavender pudding had by far the most prep work to be done, as we had a sizable group and were the last ones to finish cooking. My buddy’s and I got to coat some of the serving dishes with butter, squeeze lemons, and pour some of the final pudding into the serving dishes. Everyone else was taking care of all the other prep. work.
After we we’re done, we we’re welcome to enjoy our beers or the first wine pairing. The wine pairings were truly amazing. You can see exactly what we had from the pictures of the wine place mats. My favorite pairing might have been with the pea soup (middle course). It made the pea soup so much better; I can’t describe it with words. Everyone’s favorite course seemed to be the dessert made by Moi and lots of other newbie Unilocalers who teamed up.
The lemon lavender pudding was absolutely delicious, it was likely the single best thing I will eat all month. I’m not even a huge lover of sweets but I literally said «Kill Me Now» out loud after eating half of it. LOL. Montes Late Harvest Gewurtraminer was the wine that was paired with it. For all you lovers of sweet dessert wines; you’ll need to check this out one. What a perfect sweet ending to a great event. We’ll all be looking forward to the future Unilocal Buddy /​Newbie + Veteran events to come this year!

Checked my email that morning and I was off the wait list and onto the guest list for this super cool event!
I was a tad late (ok, a lot — but I blame the distance, traffic, gps and my horrible driving skills). I pretty much just caught the end of the cooking part, but what I was a part of was cool.
And onto the meal — Fingerling Potatoes, English Pea Soup, Lavender Lemon pudding and wine, wine, wine! — all were AMAZING! All you Unilocalers can cook!
Fingerling Potatoes: Yum! Potatoes were cooked perfectly, the lemon sauce was DECLICIOUS and the prosciutto wrapped around it was nice and crispy! Delicious way to start off the meal.
English Pea Soup: I’m usually creeped out by peas (don’t ask), and would never choose a pea soup for myself to eat, but I was pleasantly surprised by this dish. It was light and the tiny basil mixture on top gave it a great herb-​y flavor!
Lavender Lemon Pudding — I can never say no to dessert and this was definitely no exception. I love the textures of this pudding and it had a perfect balance of sweet and tart!
Wine: I’m not usually a huge fan, but these were all good! Especially the dessert wine!
Overall, I met some great new Unilocalers, ate delicious food, and had a great time!
If Unilocalers opened a restaurant, I would be so there!
Thanks Abby and Savory Kitchen for ANOTHER fun and delicious event!

Well gee, that was super enjoyable! Nice welcoming and intimate setting. Definitely a superb experience for a first-​timer at an elite event. I liked that we were able to sit at a dinner table and converse. It felt like I already knew everyone at my table halfway through my dinner – you see, Unilocal is a friendly crowd =]
Started out with some small talk at the table with them Double Take beers. Moved on to separate stations where we sliced squeezed mixed rolled grated as a group. Well I was part of the Fingerling Potatoes wrapped with prosciutto plus delicious aioli-​but-​not sauce. I learned how to use a lemon squeezer… unfortunately I didn’t know that the lemon goes inside down. Jaja. Also learned a few tips on kitchen tools.
Preparing/​cooking was followed by a lovely sit down three course meal paired with white wines. Not a fan of whites, but the pairings were definitely on par… especially the lavender pudding dessert and the super sweet (balanced by the dessert) dessert wine.
If you’re pro at cooking, this would be fun to enjoy with your friends because you can watch and laugh at the newbies – half-​joke.
Props to Abby and the Savory Kitchen crew for giving me such a pleasant evening… it was worth the drive in the pouring rain. Gloomy day turned lovely! MORE BUDDY EVENTS, MORE BUDDY EVENTS i throw my hands up in the air sometimes saying AYYY YOOO MORE BUDDDAYYYO =]]]]

Came here for a Unilocal Elite event. I had a ton of fun getting to interact with people! Cooking classes are a great event to get strangers mingling because it’s interactive and its food and its drinking, so nothing is awkward. There wasn’t a ton of hands on work to be done. I suppose that’s kind of difficult to do with a 30+ group.
We made prosciutto fingerling potatoes, which I wished were a bit more cooked, but were a delicious idea for an appetizer or pick up food. Second course was a split pea soup with a a touch of mint. I generally do not like peas or split pea soup but this was awesome! And pretty healthy! the base was mostly a vegetable broth and then just a touch of cream. They said you could eat it chilled or warm and I definitely prefer warm. Soup to me is just meant to be warm. Lastly, we had a lemon lavender pudding cake, which was amazingggg. I noticed some people didn’t finish their’s– I think they thought it was too sweet. But I LOVED it.
They weren’t particularly stingy on the wine tasting, either. The wines worked brilliantly with each course.

Had a great time eating! And oh yeah, meeting fellow Elites!
My kudos to Abby for organizing a non-​intimidating introduction to the Elite world and to Colleen and her staff for being informative, helpful, and funny in their instruction. And to whomever brought the beer.
This is a safe environment, right? We’re all friends here? Good, because I have a confession: I only started Unilocaling because my friend in another city told me she was Elite and got free cupcakes. So as you can imagine, dessert and I are like Daym Drops and Five Guys. Out of the three courses, I was expecting the Lavendar Lemon pudding to be my favorite, but I can’t really make up my mind. The potatoes and pea soup made me feel like the sophisticated lady that I am not (as witnessed by my, quite literally, mad lemon squeezing skillz at the potato station.) These recipes are the sort of thing I read and picture myself preparing to impress my guests for a casual get together to watch some football. In reality, they end up being made on a Sunday night and eaten on the couch pantsless.
Regardless, I’m happy to add some new recipes to my kitchen fantasies (in which I envision myself to be a totally competent, high-​heeled, lipstick’d, pearl-​wearing chef. And I’m allowed to, because it’s my fantasy.)
Also happy to add some wearable Unilocal advertising to my wardrobe and meet some interesting folks.
Unilocal on.

This was a really fun Elite event! I’m glad that this event allowed us to be hands on and help prepare some of the delicious food we ate. We helped out with the pea soup and Colleen was super nice and knowledgeable. The menu consisted of fingerling potatoes wrapped in prosciutto, spring pea soup, and lavender lemon pudding. It was all very tasty! There was even a wine pairing for each dish. All the staff at Savory Kitchen was so nice and we all felt right at home. It was also cool that it was a smaller event (30 people) and we got the chance to meet fellow Unilocalers.
Thanks to Abby and Savory Kitchen for hosting such an awesome event!

My first Unilocal Elite event and I loved it!
Thank you Savory Kitchen angels for guiding us through the dinner and I truly loved the wine pairings. Like Adam D. reviewed, it was like going to my best friend’s house for dinner, except even my best friend might not open three wines to pair with each course. heh.
Thank you Abby you are cooler in person than I ever thought a community manager would be: P Thanks Stephanie B. for being my buddy! and girls at the table, thanks for being so friendly, I can’t wait to see familiar faces around the bay!
Also, shoutout to Team Lavender Lemon Pudding!

So much fun! I’m so grateful to Colleen and her crew for putting on such a great event for a small group of Unilocal Elites, newbies and veterans. I really enjoyed the hands on aspect of the cooking, even though the experts did all the heavy lifting in terms of prep and presentation. My favorite dish was definitely the roasted fingerling potatoes wrapped in prosciutto… mmm salty and garlicky and lemony all in one dish. The wine pairings were also really interesting.
And the best part of all this was that I got to meet a bunch of my Unilocal friends, veterans (Mikey U, Janet O) and newbies (Connie, Kelly G, Karen G)!
Thank you to Abby for another great Unilocal Elite event!

Sorry I don’t have many pictures! It kind of seemed weird handling my dirty phone + food afterwards and I didn’t want to wash my hands over and over and over.
But onto the event: definitely a contrast to the Unilocal Prom, this was more of a small, intimate event where I got the chance to meet a few more Unilocalers, including some of the veteran Elite (shout out to Mikey U!), and generally had a good time talking about places to eat, drink, and be merry.
I wouldn’t really put TOO much emphasis on the actual cooking, since most of it was pretty simplistic, but it was definitely a neat activity to do while socializing. Plus there was beer available even before we started cooking, and that always makes social interaction a little smoother: D.
I really enjoyed meeting everyone, and the finished food was actually surprisingly filling considering it was comprised of 3 potatoes, a bowl of soup, and chiffon pudding. It was probably because I took my time between bites to socialize haha. In any case, I’m really glad I was able to be a part of it, and would be happy to show another newbie Unilocaler in a couple years time haha

I can’t think of more fitting way to make new friends and greet the newest Unilocal Elites than breaking bread (lemon lavender pudding is like bread, right?) and sharing drink!
Many thanks to the staff and chefs of Savory Kitchen for the intimate and engaging atmosphere! The hands-​on, personable, and charismatic, cooking instruction; the elegant dining setting; the simple and comforting 3-​course ensemble of dishes and paired wines — this was such a unique and personal experience to share with people. I’m looking forward to doing this again.
And congratulations to Abby, as always, for putting together another fantastic event and launching the ‘buddy” dynamic. I think it’s a terrific new facet & addition to this community and I’m glad to be part of it.
Happy First Elite Event to some and Welcome to the Unilocal Elite, new folks — have fun, be merry, get matching tattoos (what’s up, Mike P!), sneak slices of prosciutto from the cutting board (y’all know who you are!), photobomb all the pictures you can, laugh lots. And don’t be afraid of we long-​time Unilocalers, they’re not all as weird as me. I promise. Maybe. Sometimes.
Looking forward to seeing you all again!
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I didn’t cut myself or burn anything!
That’s a good day in the kitchen in my book.
Kudos on not being a klutz today, me.
Kudos.

Wow! So this is Savory Kitchen. Reading the positive reviews on this place and confirming that most Unilocalers are right made the event amazing.
No better way to hang out with newly crowned elites than cooking up a storm with them! It’s pretty intimate. About 20 – 25 of us got together to prepare a wonderful meal paired with wines. Courtesy of Colleen and staff at the Savory Kitchen,
Three communal tables set up elegantly with white linen and fresh flowers by SK. Sweet!
My buddy for the cooking portion Mark F was a trooper. He can clean up (the leftover prosciutto) like no other. I admit I did too. Who can resist a prosciutto wrapped around a potato? or not!
Everybody in their apron looked very professional. But Abby’s apron took the prize! Naughty! It’s a one of a kind apron.
Amazing SK staff. They love what they do and was very instructionally astute. I love how they involve you partly so that you understand what you’re doing and is able to retain what they’re explaining. This is not you cooking 100%. Some items are already cooked to save some time. Makes a lot of sense. This would be perfect for team building or simply just to hangout with people you enjoy.
Abby thanks for allowing us to meet many wonderful new elites! I am now friends with about ten new awesome Unilocalers!

This was my first official Unilocal elite event and I had a blast! Fun hanging out with Unilocalers I already know like my buddy Janet and her husband Adam, and even more fun meeting new friends. What a great idea savory kitchen has to bring people together to cook and to bond in this magical way. I can’t wait to tell all my friends about this place!

I loved this small (30ppl) and intimate event where you can really get to know your fellow Elite buddies. Having it be a hands-​on event helps people socialize and breaks the ice… the beer and wine helped, too. ;)
Made a three course meal with wine pairings. Yum!
Honored to be a part of this tonight! Thanks, Abby, for setting it up!

Being a newbie is always a little scary. So this is great idea, Abby, to org a size controlled Buddy event where we can work shoulder to shoulder with old timer Elites and chat about Unilocal,food, and wine.
It was fun to cook together in the kitchen. I learned how to coarsely cut garlic with a rocking motion instead of a sawing motion. And I never knew you can use an immersion blender for vegetable soup. What, no pouring batches into the blender? I’m digging my hand-​held out from the back of the cupboard for good use!
My favorite dish was the English Spring Pea Soup. I love the texture and the dab of purée mint with oil enhanced it to the next level. I could have a bowl of this everyday for the next 3 months.
My favorite wine was the dessert, Montes Late Harvest Gewürztraminer. Very light and not too sweet, pairs well with the Lavender Lemon Pudding.

Unilocal and Savory Kitchen equals the bomb for an event! After all Unilocal is what great food is about and how to discover great cuisines! Savory Kitchen Unilocal event was like going to your best friend’s house for dinner, super super fun with a happy ending! An educational event and not as boring as chemistry class! The concept of veteran Elites and incoming ones is genius, I wonder who came up with that one?!? Let me guess, Abby the sensational!
The place is like a cooking TV show, very clean and lavish. The staff here was outstanding, patient and very informative in so many ways! I really enjoyed the event even though I didn’t contribute in the cooking process, too busy taking photos tonight.
The meal was very delicious with fingerling potatoes with prosciutto as appetizer, pea soup as nice warm entrée and lavender lemon pudding. Let’s not forget the wine pairing with each course!
Of course thanks to the Savory Kitchen staff and Abby for an amazing event and great tasting dishes!
By the way, for those that attended, Abby has posted the photos I took as the unofficial Unilocal photographer on Flicker:
Enjoy!

What a fun night! Well organized by Abby, long-​term and Newbie Elite Unilocalers came together for a fun cooking class on a Monday night at Savory Kitchen in San Jose.
Broken into groups we prepared 3 courses, had beer and wine, and socialized while having dinner. Thanks to the great staff at Savory this wasn’t only fun but also educating!
Great meeting everyone!