Posts Tagged ‘Grilling’

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Patio Parties

Thursday, April 26th, 2012 by Clair

If you’re a fan of The Chopping Block (and really, who isn’t?),  you know that we are the premier location for hands on and demonstration cooking lessons for the home cook . But did you know that we also have 6 beautiful kitchens to choose from for private events as well? What? You didn’t…. Well, let me fill you in.

The Chopping Block is celebrating its 15 year anniversary this month, and I am proud to say I’ve been a part of the company for six of those years.  In my time here, I have worked every kind of party you could think of: birthdays, bachelorette parties, showers, even a wedding rehearsal dinner. We also have prime space for corporate team building events, company meet and greets, retirement parties, and of course holiday parties.

If you did know all that, what you may not know is that at our Lincoln Square location we have a state of the art outdoor kitchen or as we call it – our patio. The patio is spectacular: a large tent covers two huge Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet grills, pizza oven and two Big Green Egg smokers.

If you’ve never seen it, I personally invite you to stop by for a tour or come in for our Grilling Season Kick Off party at our Lincoln Square location on Saturday May 19th from 11am till 3pm.  Just follow the smoke and if you need any grilling accessories, you’ll  receive a 20% discount that day only.

I’ll be there all day giving tours so I hope you can all stop by and say hi!

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Clair Smith is a Lead Chef's Assistant at The Chopping Block's Merchandise Mart and Lincoln Square locations. After being a long time student, Clair joined the TCB team in 2006. When she's not helping people learn how to cook, she enjoys traveling, camping, and entertaining family and friends. Clair lives in Hyde Park with her husband Ken and her cat named 'Kitty'. She loves Mexican cuisine and her "go to" dish of the moment is Pozole.

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The Thrill of the Grill

Monday, April 9th, 2012 by Sara

It’s official. The patio at the Lincoln Square location opens in May, which means you can now register for grilling classes! The tent will be up, the grills will be rearing to go and the cold beverages will be flowing. I know, it’s pretty hard to resist.

We have quite the offering as you’ll see on the just -released May calendar. If you prefer to get your hands in on the action then look for the multitude of hands-on classes. If you would rather sit back and relax, then check out the demo classes. Either way, you can’t go wrong.

If you are one of the lucky individuals that own a Big Green Egg, you’ll be very interested in our new class called “Big Green Egg Basics”. This demo class is a tutorial that explains all of the nuances of grilling on the Egg. It is designed to teach you all about charcoal basics, heat management and smoking tips.  The menu in May includes Brined and Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Smoked Tomato Sauce, Grilled Red Potato Salad with Herb Mayonnaise and a Wood-Fired Fruit Cobbler. The awesome part is each month the menu will change so you can keep coming back for grilling goodness and become the master of your Egg.

If you have a deep love for pork like I do, I would suggest attending our “Pork on the Grill” class. In this hands-on class we’ll cover essential basics to make your pork juicy, tender and delicious. You’ll learn how and why brining is such an important (and easy) technique that takes your meat from good to great.

It’s hard to limit this blog to just a couple of the grilling classes so you’ll have check out our website  and view the slew of classes for yourself.  Join us this spring, summer or fall for some al fresco fun!

 

 

 

 

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Sara Salzinski has been a chef instructor at the Chopping Block since 2002 and loves sharing her knowledge of all things food-related with her students. She loves interacting with her students, making them feel right at home and at ease. Sara is also the Curriculum Coordinator at TCB which means she develops the classes, menus and recipes. A lot of Sara’s inspiration for classes and recipes comes from personal experience. When Sara and her husband, who is also a chef instructor, are at home they join forces and make countless mouth-watering creations that are then taste tested by their 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son.

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Members Only: Charcoal Club

Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 by Michele

My esteemed colleague, Jennifer Rozman, has won her way into my heart for many reasons. She is the hardest working sales gal, store manager and team leader that I have the pleasure of working with. There are many hats that Jen rocks and one that she particularly rocks is that of Big Green Egg Enthusiast. Jen has spent countless hours building Big Green Eggs (she holds the record at The Chopping Block), planning parties and events that support our local Egg-Heads and anyone who wants to learn more about them. And now she has struck one last chord on my heartstrings. She has created a frequent buyers club for our grilling community: a Charcoal Club.

How many bags of charcoal do you go through in a season? Or, for those vikings out there, in a year? Then you must start earning your rewards as you go. Buying your natural lump charcoal at our Lincoln Square location will provide you every 8th bag free.

You don’t have to have a Big Green Egg to use natural lump charcoal. I encourage all charcoal fanatics to learn more about the benefits of natural lump charcoal. The basics of natural lump are that it burns hotter and faster. I have my Egg up to cooking temperature in a matter of 10-15 minutes. Natural Lump charcoal is nothing more than wood that has been burned without the presence of oxygen. What does that mean? It is not made from coal (but wood) and it has no fillers (sawdust) or chemicals (lighter fluid) added to it. Your food will thank you. Also, natural lump charcoal does not produce as much ash so there is less to clean up. Triple threat!

When you come in to get your charcoal this summer, make sure to join the club and get your first bag marked off. And make sure you thank Jen for making grilling season a little more affordable. I did.

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Big Green Eggs & Ham

Monday, March 26th, 2012 by Kathryn

That Big Green Egg,

That Big Green Egg.

I do so love that Big Green Egg!

Would you like a Big Green Egg?

I would love Big Green Egg.

I would love it just to grill.

Do more than grilling? That it will!

Like and oven, it will bake.

You could even bake a cake!

You can use it to do some smoking.

It smokes things too? You’re not joking?

Your lamb and poultry will stay so juicy

You won’t believe until you do see

All the things that it can do!

You can own your own Egg too!

The Chopping Block is one of the few

Who has Big Green Eggs for you to view.

You can be an early bird

And save some money, have you heard?

Come this March – buy your Egg!

Do it now! Shake a leg!

I will buy this Egg, Green and Big

I will even do a jig!

Want a different way to pay?

Lay your egg on layaway!

Now, that sounds grand!

I’ve got to say!

And as it were, it’s almost Easter….

I will be a hearty feaster.

A proud Egg owner, that I am!

Now I can smoke my own Easter ham.

 

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Kathryn Premo Mingione, has lived in Chicago for four years and recently joined the team at The Chopping Block as a Class Assistant. Growing up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, Kathryn learned to value and take interest in food at an early age. Her double major at UW-Madison in Elementary Education and Theatre serve her well in her position as a Kids Club Manager for the Chicago Athletic Clubs. Those skills are also great assets at The Chopping Block in helping folks learn to love cooking and in adding some entertainment to it too! When she's not taking care of children, cooking, or baking, she enjoys the other good stuff in life: spending time with friends and family, especially her wonderful and willing-to-taste-any-new-dish-she-makes husband, Louie.

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We Made it through Another Winter

Friday, March 16th, 2012 by David

Now we roll into the other season: grilling. This year, we are getting an early start with the beautiful weather.  Let’s hope it holds on.  I am particularly excited for this year’s grilling season because I’m finally getting the Big Green Egg.  My new addition to my already extensive cookware family should be here next week.  I can’t wait!

Photo Courtesy of Big Green Egg

After playing with them in our outdoor kitchen at our Lincoln Square location for the past two summers, I decided I needed one for my own patio.  Too many days of summer were wasted trying to “grill” indoors, because I didn’t have anything to use outside.  Those days are over.

The reason I’m bringing this up is that the Big Green Egg never goes on sale, ever, except right now.  For all you summer grillers and the die-hard winter grillers who have been looking to upgrade, now is the time.  I’ve been waiting, trying to justify to my wife, why I need a thousand dollar grill, and she finally gave in. Yeah.

Some of the things I’m looking forward to making are Chipotle Skirt Steak with Tomatillo Salsa, fresh veggies from the farmers market, a little queso fresco or Chihuahua and a warm tortilla for some homemade tacos.  Then there are BBQ short ribs, Cast Iron Cornbread, Grilled Potato Salad with Green Beans and for a truly amazing dessert, Peach Cobbler on the grill.

These are some of the dishes we will be making in our grilling classes this spring/summer, along with a whole new set of grilling menus, yet to be released.  So whether you ready to take the plunge and get a Big Green Egg of you own, or are just starting to get interested in some serious grilling, come check out our patio and get geared up for the other season.

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David Indriksons is a Lead Class Assistant at The Chopping Block with a background that goes from small scale bistros to large scale catering and everything in between. In addition to a great love of food, he is a self-admitted travel junkie that enjoys hanging out with locals around the world and trying new cuisine. Outside of TCB, he enjoys skating, snowboarding, and playing with his dog, Caesar.

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