Paula Deen – best known for her traditional southern cooking on the Food Network – is coming to Sacramento for a live show on Feb. 3. While Deen will cook at the Community Center Theater that evening, she’ll focus on what she said she cherishes most about fame – meeting people she never would have met in her life as a bank teller. “I’ll just visit with people,” Deen said. “It’s kinda like coming into my living room, us getting to know each other. People come in and forget everything that irks them.” Deen will appear on stage with her husband, Michael Groover, whom she describes as shy, funny and a great cook. “He has got the keenest sense of humor,” Deen said. “He’s one of the funnies

With the start of the New Year, it's likely you're trying to find ways to keep that resolution to eat better and lose weight, right? Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa can help you pave the way to a delicious and nutritious approach to cooking during the next "Live With the Chef" cooking class on Wednesday evening, January 18, at 6 p.m. The talented chef will demonstrate special cooking techniques and share secrets to low calorie but high impact recipes that maximize the flavor and nutrition of every meal. This special monthly cooking class is focused on incorporating fresh ingredients designed to maximize the nutrients for a healthy and well balanced diet. You're invited to join this ongoing

The new vegetarian food blog, “Eat Well, Live Free,” launched earlier this month in Sacramento. Since it went online, the site has garnered more than 400 unique visitors, said co-creator Marcos Hernández. Jillena and Marcos Hernández, the married duo that created the blog, said the idea behind the blog is to provide local vegetarians with information about recipes and restaurants that cater to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. “We’re just trying to spread awareness and make it easier for vegetarians,” Marcos Hernández said. Jillena Hernández is a vegetarian, while Marcos Hernández is a meat-eater. While the two differ in that respect, they work well together in combining their skills for

Join us for an afternoon with Placer County Real Food Cookbook authors Joanne Neft and Laura Kenny August 13, 2001 from 10:00 am – 12 Noon at Bushnell Gardens Nursery in Granite Bay. Come fall madly in love with the exquisite richness of eating fresh local in-season food and the rich local farms producing in Placer County.   Learn from Laura and Joanne how to shop local farmers markets and purchase all the meat, fruit, vegetables and nuts necessary to prepare meals from scratch. A number of their dishes from the cookbook will be offered for tasting Saturday, Aug 13, 2011. Cookbooks will also be available to purchase so you can have Joanne & Laura sign them.   We’re paring Hawks Restauran

Sunday afternoon, a small group of local foodies gathered at Tap and Table headquarters to enjoy a four course meal, each course paired with an American craft beer. As Tap and Table's motto hails, it was a culinary event for "beer bellies with a cooking problem." Darin Michaels and Emily Baime, who run Community Tap and Table out of their home, offer four to eight cooking classes a month, and are even available for private parties. July's gourmet food and beer pairing focused on "Makin' Bacon and summer flavors." Michaels and Baime started these classes due to their mutual passion for good food and great beer. Michaels has a background in brewing and works in beer and wine distribution.

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, the Celebrity Chef Challenge will be rolling into Sacramento for its 9th annual edition in April of next year. The culinary event that pits local professional chefs in a whisk to whisk battle to determine “whose cuisine reigns supreme” will be held on Friday, April 29, 2011 at the California Automobile Museum from 5:30pm-9:30pm and you won’t want to miss a minute of the action! Six challengers will have 45 minutes to turn five secret ingredients into three power-packed dishes, all under the watchful eye of one live audience! Guests will have a front row seat for the culinary extravaganza, but that’s not all; ticket prices include a tour of the 72,000 sq

One big fat Greek festival offers all you need for Hellenistic acculturation. Fortunately for Sacramentans, the Sacramento Convention Center will host the 47th annual Sacramento Greek Festival this weekend to make this possible. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church’s Mike Dariotis has been involved in the event for 15 years and said his favorite part of the weekend is, first, the food; second, the folk dancing and then of course working together with the church community and fellow parishioners. In recent years, the event has served around 10,000 people over the course of the three-day festival. So what is it about this event that brings both Greek and non-Greeks out? The answer is simple

Chef Ryan Rose, the 28-year-old chef at the Zócalo restaurant in Sacramento, is one of the top 15 finalists in the “Next Food Network Star YouTube Challenge.” His in-it-to-win-it dish: paella. Originally on a search to apply for the Food Network’s casting call for the “Next Food Network Star,” Rose came across the YouTube challenge. Viewers can vote daily on their favorite video of national chefs demonstrating their favorite dishes in three minutes or less. The winner will fly out to New York for an audition with executive producers of the show. But Rose didn’t always want to be a chef. It wasn’t till a two-year visit to Spain where he watched his Italian roommate cook every day, that he

 “Whose cuisine reigned supreme?” All of the contenders in the 8th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge brought their ‘A’ game and amazed the judges and crowd with their culinary talent. Judges , 2009 challenge winner, Adam Pehal, Regional Vice President Wells Fargo Foundation, Chevo Ramierez, Sacdine.com food and wine blogger, Charlotte King, and News 10’s Bryan May, sat with satisfaction on their faces as they were served succulent dish after dish. “The judges reactions are like little kids at Christmas,” said Sacramento and Company’s Melissa Crowley, emcee for the night. “Oh my gosh, it’s amazing. I love watching the chefs brainstorm.” Hundreds of people came out to the California Auto M

Things are heating up. The 8th annual Celebrity Chef Challenge, taking place on April 30 at the California Auto Museum, is equipped with six new contenders that will have 45 minutes to create three culinary masterpieces out of five secret ingredients. Guests will have front row seats to the competition and free range to all of the goodies including free samples from 100 food and wine vendors, a tour of the hot rod car show and a cake creation demo provided by Crazy Cake Company. One hundred percent of the proceeds will go to InAlliance, a nonprofit foundation providing employment placement and life and work skills training to people with disabilities. According to Jessica Bean, public

Ginger Hahn of Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates may be best known as the area's chocolate connoisseur but if her cupcake classes are any indication, she may need to add a wing to her popular Midtown shop. I stumbled upon Hahn's class thanks to an article in a (not to be named) Sacramento paper several weeks ago. My mom was planning a visit to Sacramento, and as anyone with family outside the area can attest, Old Sacramento loses its luster after multiple visits. I wanted to show my mom the Midtown I'm proud of. A cupcake making class in the L Street Lofts Penthouse seemed like the best way to show off our city's great views and culinary treats. After a sold out chocolate making class several

Being a mother means that you have a ton of things to juggle on an everyday basis. However, being a mother does not mean that you have to suffer or feel overwhelmed about your daily activities. One activity that many moms might view as a chore is cooking. Women across the country are constantly looking for ways to provide nutritious meals for their families while making sure that they do not spend too much time in the kitchen. “Cooking All Together” is an online show designed to motivate families to get in the kitchen and cook with their children. Our hosts are a 31year old working mother (Ciara) and her 7 year old daughter (whose nick name is Nani). "Cooking All Together" provides its vie

Sacramento's Solar Cookers International (SCI), a group that helps communities harness the power of the sun to cook food and pasteurize water, will be holding their annual "Shine On" event Wednesday evening. The event will educate SCI's supporters on their successes of the last year and highlight future projects, said the event's coordinator Rene Hamlin. About 250 people are expected to fill the Sierra 2 Center from 5 to 9 p.m. to listen to speeches by SCI co-founder Dr. Bob Metcalf and Capitol Public Radio food reporter and solar cook Sherry Cole. Those who attend will be able to view cooking demonstrations, eat solar-cooked food and even participate in a silent auction featuring art by

Summertime is here and Sacramento is stepping up to the plate! Sounds like it's going to be a scorching weekend at upwards of 100 degrees but the music and entertainment events are equally as sizzling! With a nice mix of free and low cost things to do as well as a few splurges, June is going out with a jam packed weekend! Browse this list to find plenty of opportunities to laugh, feast & learn along with local talent & tons of live music. It's sure to keep you and yours entertained all weekend long... Thursday 6.25 Theatre: Hedwig and the Angry Inch -- $25 Where: Artisan Theatre (1901 Del Paso Blvd) When: 8pm (also showing Fri & Sat nights this week) Why: This is the last weekend to see

There were so many events going on this week in Sacramento that I had to break them up into two articles (and still there are so many more!). This is a diverse compilation of things to do under $20 this week. From lectures, concerts & festivals, to health classes and job fairs, you are bound to find something you'll like! Keep an eye out for my next article in which I will feature all of the fundraisers and benefits this week...  Monday 4.20 Lecture: Andrew Sean Greer - Free When: 1pm Where: CSUS- Union Ballroom (Free parking on Lot 10) Why: Andrew Sean Greer is the bestselling author of The Story of a Marriage, a lyrical novel about love and longing, and the political, sexual, and racia