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SANTA CRUZ STYLE
Someone’s in the kitchen with MimiThat old adage about the best parties taking place in someone’s kitchen holds true when it comes to Mimi Snowden and her cooking classes. Each get-together is like a party. Food-loving people gather around Snowden’s stove to learn the tricks she has perfected. No experience is necessary. But a sense of humor adds spice to the evening. Snowden, who is Cordon-Bleu trained, is the former owner of the Bleu Spoon restaurant in Aptos and Cafe Sparrow in Aptos Village. Now, the "retired" chef is running a cooking school in her hilltop home in Aptos. Not an official school, but cooking classes a few evenings a month. And the word has gotten out: Cooking with Snowden is fun. The class size is limited to nine. Each class fills quickly. Walking up to her front door, past the garden filled with blooms, a visitor could hear music playing in the living room. It is background to the laughter already beginning to fill the kitchen. The group had begun to gather, eager to begin chopping, pitting, stirring and eating. "I teach one or two classes a week," said Snowden as students began to look over the evening’s recipes. She wore a crisp, white chef’s jacket and a pair of purple pants. They blended beautifully with her fuzzy, lavender slippers. Flat circles of dough brushed with olive oil and waiting to go on the grill outside rested on the island in the center of the kitchen. Her assistant, Toni Hopping, began to pour wine or sparkling water for those who wished. The laughter continued. It seemed as if the women there that evening had known each other forever. It turns out some of them did. Several, like Catherine Cury, have taken more than one class from Snowden. This was Catherine’s fifth. For Andrea Rich, it was her first time playing with food in Snowden’s kitchen. She looked as relaxed as the more experienced students. While everyone chattered away, Snowden began to work and explain just what she was doing. "We’re going to make our own ricotta cheese," she said as she took milk out of the refrigerator. We all must have had the same expression on our faces: Make our own cheese? "It’s easy," she said. And, it turned out, it was. "I like to talk about the mistakes people make," said Snowden. "Like trying to do too much. Making things too difficult. It should be fun." One thing Snowden teaches is shortcuts in cooking: like buying pizza dough to use as a base for the appetizer we were about to create. "I thought this up in the middle of the night," said Snowden, laughing. "I woke up my husband and told him about it. Doesn’t it sound good?" she had asked him as the moon rose and most of Aptos slept. Her enthusiasm bubbles over like berry pie filling from beneath a homemade crust. And her husband has learned how to drop back to sleep. In what seemed like no time, fresh ricotta cheese was draining in the sink. Now, said the chef, it was time for the green olive pesto and the grilled flat-iron steak. Outside, the fog had blown in and it was beginning to drizzle. But all were gathered around the barbecue watching as the rounds of dough began to crisp and the steak began to sizzle. Back in the kitchen, the class learned the proper way to roast a red pepper and examined bursting tomatoes as Snowden slid a tray of them in the oven where they would cook at a high temperature until it was time to use them as a base for the seafood stew. From there, the class would be wandering down paths of almond paste and fresh-picked cherries. Instructions and tips kept coming. "Almond paste is so expensive," said Snowden. "I just buy almond meal and use the food processor," she said and pushed the button on the machine. Voila! Paste. As it was passed around for each to taste one student claimed she would rather have it than sex. But another chimed in quickly. "We don’t have to choose!" she said and laughed. "We can have both!" Once our tart was in the oven, the class began to assemble a Caesar salad with a classic dressing. And once that was under control, Snowden began to teach students how to make fish stew filled with mussels, shrimp, halibut, scallops and fresh crab. The recipes were useful, said student who reported they used the recipes in their own homes. "For my husband’s birthday everything came from Mimi’s classes. The only problem was I was so excited I made three or four times more than I needed," said student Cury, laughing. Some students have been known to pick up the phone and give Snowden a call in the middle of their cooking to ask her a quick question. But their teacher doesn’t mind. She’s happy to tell them that yes, now is the time to do the tortillas. And yes, take the chicken out of the fridge now. All around Snowden’s home are reminders of just how creative she is. The walls of her kitchen are painted the same color as a sun-dried tomato. Oversized paintings bring even more excitement to the room. In the dining room is a long, rustic wood table. A runner of fresh sunflowers is laid down the center. Nasturtiums rest on each napkin. When the cooking is over, the students will gather here to feast on the evening’s meal. In the living room, a huge mirror reflects the beauty of the space. Its frame is pounded tin, a Snowden creation. In addition to different cooking classes, Snowden also is planning to teach students how to liven up their living spaces. A talented artist, she wants to share her passion for applying creativity to people’s lives. And to have fun doing it. "It is putting you in your environment," says Snowden. Upcoming classes are: Dinner in Spain, June 16 and 17. Summer Barbecue Dinner, June 23 and 24 Thai, June 30 Classes are $75 per person For more information about Snowden’s cooking and life style classes visit wwwmimslifespice.com or call 662-0347
Mimi’s Life Spice Fresh Cherry Crostada Crust
3 cups flour
2 cups almond meal or blanched almonds
1 cup each of brown and white sugar, 2 cups flour, and enough melted butter to form a crumble. 207 Church Street, Santa Cruz CA 95060 USA (831) 423-4242 |
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