Gourmet Grilling and Beer Tasting Class at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company – Traveling4Food
Recently, I had the great pleasure to tour the Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company's olive grove and processing facilities. You can read all about that here: Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company – Traveling4Food
The major upside of this tour was finishing the day with a Gourmet Grilling and Beer tasting class presented in the beautiful Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company “Kitchen in the Grove Culinary Center” with it's demonstration kitchen, attached outdoor kitchen and patio.
Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company offers a number of cooking classes through out the year at their facility, all featuring the amazing hospitality of Ann and Mark Sievers, along with the culinary talents of their executive chef Marvin Martin.
From Gourmet Grilling and Beer tasting to Pickling classes at their culinary center, you can find something to inspire your creative culinary talents whether you are a seasoned kitchen master or a complete novice, Ann and Chef Marvin will gently guide you with the utmost patience. You can find complete information on their classes here: Il Fiorello Olive Oil Culinary Classes
Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company “Kitchen in the Grove Culinary Center” is equipped with modern culinary facilities that allow for easy viewing of the demonstrations along with plenty of seating to accommodate their guests.
Executive Chef Marvin Martin is very patient and receptive to answering any questions you may have as he prepares food for the class.
Chef Marvin shared many of his personal recipes developed by him over the years for the Grilling class.
Note: All of the recipes that were prepared in the class were presented in printed form for the guest to take home and practice – nice touch!
Ann Sievers, our gracious host, pitches in to help Chef Marvin as his prep cook. Ann is certainly no novice in the kitchen!
During all of the food preparations, we were offered opportunities to taste and smell the various rubs, sauces and marinades used for the recipes.
The Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company “Kitchen in the Grove Culinary Center” outdoor kitchen area where all of the grilling and beer tasting was presented. This is a beautiful outdoor space with views of the rolling foothills and the famous Il Fiorello Olive Groves in the background.
Put to good use this day was the Smoke Hollow Gas/Charcoal grill combo unit they have set up and off to the side out of the photo is a beautiful outdoor pizza oven.
Chef Marvin demonstrated his grilling skills while cooking up his Chili, Cocoa, and Espresso Rubbed Rib Eye Steaks for us to sample. He recommends that you refrigerate the rubbed steaks overnight to blend in the flavors and cook to medium rare for the best results.
Grilling up his Miso Marinated Scallops & Shrimp Skewers was quick and easy, the Mae Ploy Glaze Chef Marvin basted them with was just heavenly!
Chef Marvin presents all of our grilled delicacies, including a fabulous Watermelon, Jicama, and Avocado Salad!
Absolutely amazing Skirt Steak with Caramelized Onions, Mustard, and San Andreas Cheese!
Chef Martin's Chile, Cocoa, and Espresso Rubbed Rib Eye Steak was melt in your mouth delicious!
While Chef Marvin was busy preparing all of our delicious gourmet foods, we were introduced, educated and privileged to sample several amazing craft beers from: North Coast Brewing Co., Ninkasi, Laguinitis, Firestone Walker, and Grupo Modelo.
Our presenter was none other than Sue Langstaff of Applied Sensory, LLC a renowned “Sensory Scientist” and beer judge, an expert in all things beer and wine.
Sue was an dynamic presenter, walking us through the various steps required to properly sample craft beers.
Did you know that you should use a wine glass to sample beer?
This allows the vapors to congregate together – which allows you to properly smell the beer!
Sue explained the various styles of beer (over 90!), how to properly taste beers, how to cook with beer and pair beers with food.
To coin the phrase “A Walking Encyclopedia of Knowledge” barely scratches the surface of Sue Langstaff's experience in the craft beer field.
One recommendation Sue left us with, is the book: “1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die” by Adrian Tierney-Jones.
Which is now properly gracing my bookshelf at home!
With such excellent food, beer, hosts and culinary talent, I found myself thoroughly entertained and deeply appreciative of this wonderful experience. I enjoyed several new culinary experiences, learned to appreciate, sample, pair and enjoy craft beers from an entirely new perspective, and share this experience with a group of like-minded students.
To find out more information and register for variety of culinary classes visit the Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company in Fairfield, Ca and explore the variety of options available.
I would like to personally thank Ann and Mark Sievers, Executive Chef Marvin Martin, Sue Langstaff, and the supporting staff of Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company for this amazing experience.
