 |
Excursions
 Let In the Kitchen with Lisa know the type of culinary experience you're hungry for so we can customize one for you, your group or your corporate team building activity. Below are our current product offerings plus a few different ideas to get your creative juices flowing. In the Kitchen with Lisa will take you straight to the heart of the San Francisco local food scene; whether it's at the farmer's market tasting fresh ingredients, in a renowned local restaurant tasting world-class cuisine and wine, in a private-home's luxurious kitchen cooking along side a regional chef or some other foodie fantasy itinerary. San Francisco and the greater Bay Area is your oyster and Lisa is excited to plan the details.
Cooking classes are customized upon request. Feel free to call Lisa directly with any questions at 415.806.5970, or email her at
.
You can also reserve your space by clicking on reservations.
Market to Restaurant
 Lisa meets guests at a predetermined location then heads to the Ferry Building. Wear comfortable shoes. One of the many reasons why it's important to shop at a Farmer's Market is that food hasn't traveled long distances to be there so we, too, will do our little part in trying to reduce air pollution by walking to the market rather than driving.
Within the Marketplace, you will:
 - Sample olive oil varieties at McEvoy Ranch
- Indulge your sweet tooth for chocolate at Recchiuti Confections, makers of sublime, artisanal sweets.
- Discover the creamiest, most delicious cheeses you've ever tasted at CowgirlCreamery
- Food Retail Therapy! Fill your home with cooking, dining and gardening treasures from The Gardener.
Outside at the Farmer's Market, Lisa will direct you through aisles of fantastic bounty, introducing you to the specialty farmers and their most luscious seasonal wares - fruits, flowers, vegetables, herbs, preserves and chutneys.
After the excursion, guests will head to one of San Francisco's preeminent dining establishments for a sumptuous lunch. The restaurant is chosen for its high quality food and use of local and seasonal ingredients. Each course will be accompanied by unique wines specially selected for you by a wine expert and discussed in a fun and informal fashion. Possible restaurants include Kokkari, Ame, Perbacco and Boulevard.
Shop + Cook + Eat & Drink
 For those who prefer an intimate cooking experience with a notable regional chef we offer an unprecedented opportunity. Your group will first tour the Ferry Building with Lisa (as explained above) then shop the Farmer's Market with a local chef who will provide tips on how to pick perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables and offer ways to prepare seasonal ingredients. The class will be followed by a luxurious lunch featuring dishes prepared by the group. A wine expert will be on hand to pair wines, and to help expand guests' knowledge and enjoyment of unique wines.
Grab your friends, go to market then get cooking in the kitchen! (10 person minimum)
Tasting Chocolate With Lisa
  The world of chocolate is experiencing a renaissance. One fourth of the country's finest chocolate is made in the Bay Area. Indulge in the renaissance!
Epicurean Concierge Lisa Rogovin will lead a group through a specialized tasting of exquisite melt-in-your-mouth morsels from local artisan chocolate makers and confectioners while exploring how these world-class chocolates are created. For palate enlightenment, we also could pair chocolate with ports or dessert wines and guests will take home the sweetest memories.
This food experience can be executed in a private home or in a conference hall or ballroom.
 If the objective of the gathering is to provide the group with a break-out between all day meetings or simply to enjoy, socialize and have fun before or following a dinner reception why not add an element of sweet surprise to your event with a chocolate tasting? One way to ensure guests feel recharged and have a good time is to hire Lisa Rogovin to execute an informal chocolate tasting and engage guests to taste and learn about local Bay Area chocolate makers, confectioners and (if desired for a little more substance) local cheeses expertly paired with chocolate. The guests will come away with an understanding about the difference between a chocolate maker (i.e. E. Guittard, Scharffen Berger) and chocolatier (ie. Michael Recchiuti, Charles Chocolates), where chocolate comes from and how it is turned into bars or edible works of art.
The format of a chocolate tasting can be executed in two ways; small groups under 25 people and large groups up to 300.
  Small group format - The chocolate tasting can be conducted right in the hotel conference room, restaurant table or even in a hotel suite setting. Each participant will receive their own tasting placemat upon which various local Bay Area chocolate makers and chocolatiers products will be featured. A few local chocolate makers and chocolatiers include Recchiuti Confections, Scharffen Berger, Alegio, Charles Chocolates, E. Guittard, Richard Donnelly Fine Chocolates, Coco-luxe, and more! Participants will taste at least 8 different chocolate examples. And, I almost forgot to mention the Hot Chocolate chaser to wash all that chocolate down. How sweet it is!
 Large group format - In a larger group setting the chocolate tasting will be organized on long tables tastefully adorned with chocolates, confections and various cacao props such as pods, beans, nibs, and chocolate making images. Lisa Rogovin will be on hand to engage the guests in the wonderful nuances about the different chocolates and confections on hand. In an informal manner as guests approach the table Lisa will help them to understand how the local chocolates and confections are created, what the difference between a 42%, 60% and 82% chocolate bar means, how to taste chocolate and detect various flavor profiles similar to a wine tasting.
Lisa Light – Ferry Building Tour and Tastes
The Ferry Building Marketplace is a stunning example of San Francisco's exciting local food culture. Lisa offers a two-hour guided tour of the Ferry Building with private tastes and talks. Your group will hear from shop owners and artisan food makers what makes food grown and produced in San Francisco unique and special.
Ferry Building Marketplace Tour & Cooking Party with Parties That Cook
In the Kitchen with Lisa has partnered with Parties That Cook, the premier cooking party company in the Bay Area, Chicago and Los Angeles, to offer a unique culinary experience for private parties and team building events. This unique Ferry Building Marketplace tour and fun hands-on cooking party is perfect for all occasions. Group size from 14 to 50 people.
Contact me directly for customized proposals.
Food & Wine Field Trip to West Marin County
 Off the beaten track is where you'll go on this food adventure.
Less than one hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge an artisanal food & wine community is waiting to be explored. You'll find cheese makers, wineries and oyster farms for the tasting, but locating these epicurean delights isn't so easy. That's where an Epicurean Concierge comes in handy! You'll need In the Kitchen with Lisa to take you around because the businesses are either not open to the public or kept on the down low with very little signage and you won't find a Starbucks to stop into for directions. In the Kitchen with Lisa will take you straight to the heart of some of these businesses to learn where our food is coming from and savor the results! Tastes and talks along the way may include:
 Cowgirl Creamery - We'll see organic cheese making in action as the creamery makes over 3,000 pounds of organic cheese each week and taste what all the fuss is about
Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company - You'll taste for yourself their out-of-sight artisan blue cheese at this multigenerational family-run dairy and farmstead blue cheese making operation
 Point Reyes Vineyard - The late disgorged sparkling wine or one of their award winning still wines perfectly pair with Point Reyes Blue Cheese
Hog Island Oyster Company - More than three million oysters are grown and sold at Hog Island each year. We'll visit this farm and try their juicy sweet oysters
Nick's Cove Restaurant - After a morning of grazing through the tranquil and majestic region of West Marin, the recently opened historic Nick's Cove will deeply satisfy your hunger
Final itinerary is based on artisan availability. The field trip will include 4 artisans including lunch.
Gourmet Golf Getaway
Epicurean Concierge, Lisa Rogovin and Josh Zander, PGA Teaching Professional
August 10-14, 2008
 Josh Zander, voted one of the "Top Teaching Professionals under 40" by Golf Digest magazine, and Lisa Rogovin, the Bay Area's Epicurean Concierge, combine their talents for four days of great golf and great food and wine. This experience includes skills training, two 9-hole playing lessons at the Arnold Palmer Presidio Golf Course and 18 holes at the world-renowned Stanford University's Golf Course with Josh.  Another day Lisa takes you on an insider's tour of the Bay Area's best artisan food makers at San Francisco's famed Ferry Building Marketplace. This getaway culminates with a reception and grand finale dinner in Cavallo Point's elegant Vintner Board Room.
Cavallo Point - the Lodge at the Golden Gate is a dynamic blend of natural and urban, old and new, sophisticated and casual, lively and relaxed. Set inside the Golden Gate National Parks with stunning views of San Francisco just across the Bay, the Lodge is an active, yet luxurious getaway. Stroll along scenic footpaths to your choice of lodging - either a historic landmark or contemporary room - filled with a wealth of comfort and convenience. Relax and be nurtured with herbal treatments in the Healing Arts Center & Spa. Savor delectable seasonal fare at Murray Circle, our signature restaurant, or Farley, the casual bar next door.
For pricing, more information about Cavallo Point and to register for the excursion, visit the Cavallo Point - Gourmet Golf Getaway page.
Special offers: Register with a friend and stay free at Cavallo Point!
Photos of Cavallo Point by Michal Venera.
Napa Valley Food & Wine Excursion
There's a new food destination in town and it's called the Oxbow Public Market in Napa.
  Our day gets started with a sparkling wine tasting at Domaine Carneros where Winemaker Eileen Crane will take us through her exquisite portfolio of wines (pending availability). Next we'll stop off at Michael Mondavi's (son of you know who) Folio Winemaker's Studio where we'll taste several individual winemakers' wines for a unique and fun wine tasting experience. Finally, we will head to Oxbow Public Market.
Like the wildly popular Ferry Building in San Francisco, Oxbow Market is filled with local artisan foods; Fatted Calf Charcuterie, Model Bakery, Oxbow Cheese Merchant, Pica Pica's Venezuelan Arepas,  Hog Island Oysters, The Olive Press, Three Twins Organic Ice Cream, and more. 18 stalls inside the building and 10 farm stands along the exterior of the building, seven days a week.
Lunch will be at someplace wonderful such as Folio Enoteca & Micro-Winery inside the Oxbow Market where Chef Sarah Scott prepares seasonal dishes inspired by local produce that are sourced from professional farmers and locals growing fruits and vegetables in their garden. Another divine dining option is Ubuntu in downtown Napa where it's all about the seasonal, local and biodynamically grown vegetables. Oxbow Public Market is a culinary excursion you must experience if food and wine are a passion!
Gourmet Ghetto Culinary Tour
  Epicurean Concierge Lisa Rogovin is bringing her passion for Bay Area artisan food and wine to North Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. Tour participants will be introduced to the area's history as the birthplace of California Cuisine spearheaded by Alice Waters' Chez Panisse. The weekly tours will feature conversations with the area's chefs and food purveyors, as well as a mouth-watering assortment of tastings and samples. Stops on the tour through the historic culinary mecca will include the original Peet's Coffee & Tea in Walnut Square, the eclectic food shops at Epicurious Garden, the Vintage Berkeley Wine Shop, and the area's weekly all-organic Farmers Market. Along the way, participants will get to taste some of the following local artisan edibles:
 - Cupcakes made from scratch at Love at First Bite Cupcakery & Bakery
- Raw food goodies at Cafe Gratitude
- Parisian-style Macarons from Masse's Pastries
- Salts and Culinary Spices at Elephant Pharmacy
- Crispy Potato Puffs at Gregoire's
- Organic specialties from the Juice Bar Collective
 - Coffee at the Original Peet's Coffee & Tea
- NYC deli pastrami at Saul's Delicatessen
- Tea History & Tasting at Imperial Tea Court
- Chocolate works of art at Alegio Chocolates
- Housemade Soups from SOOP in Epicurious Garden
- Local, seasonal and organic produce at the North Berkeley Farmers Market
Selections and stops on the tour will be changed seasonally.
Tour Schedule - Every Thursday from 2 - 5pm, year-round, rain or shine.
Reservations can be made by calling 415-806-5970 or by email at lisa@inthekitchenwithlisa.com
Reservations must be made 48 hours in advance.
All ideas are based on schedule availability so call now, 415.806.5970, to plan your San Francisco culinary adventure.
|
