Western Reserve School of Cooking and Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen

Cooking and Touring with Catherine & Carl St. John
(Western Reserve School of Cooking and Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen)

By Maria Isabella
Photos by Beth Segal

A group of 11 animated Dames and three guests showed up Monday evening, March 9, 2015, to see what the buzz was all about. You see, a second location of the venerable Western Reserve School of Cooking (WRSOC) from Hudson, Ohio, had recently opened up in Downtown Cleveland, literally across the hall from another brand new and novel venture: the Cleveland Culinary Kitchen & Launch. It was the first time these women were going to see firsthand what was so special—and they certainly were not disappointed.

The part owners and husband-and-wife team of Carl and Catherine St. John were our gracious hosts. They provided a generous spread of cheeses, crackers, fruit, nuts, hummus, and more, which awaited everyone upon arrival. After our kick-off chapter meeting concluded, Carl took the rein and led our group on a private tour through the Cleveland Culinary Kitchen & Launch.

This shared commercial kitchen is handsomely equipped and fully licensed for multiple purposes (canning, catering, bottling, baking, frozen foods, etc.). It offers chefs and food enthusiasts alike the opportunity to rent any one of its seven work stations, two walk-in coolers, or one walk-in freezer on an as-needed basis. It’s open 24/7 and currently boasts about 60 members, including Saucisson, Great Lakes Cookies & Cakes, Philomena Bake Shop, Gingerbread Homes, Red Lotus Foods, Randy’s Pickles, Kickin’ Kat 5 Hot Sauce, Comrade’s BBQ Sauces and Dry Rubs, and Montana Girl Hot Mustard.

While touring, we serendipitously bumped into a team from 46 and 2 Brewing Company. They were testing out a new flavor for their line of cold-brewed coffees. Be on the look-out for it soon!

After the tour, Catherine took over and demonstrated several delectable dishes, which she served piping hot. All Dames were visibly impressed. Her feast included Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup with Basil Oil and Parmesan Garlic Herb Croutons, Beer-Brined Pork Tenderloin Sliders with Apple Ginger Slaw, and Chicken Skewers with Spicy Apricot Glaze.

Catherine accompanied her demonstration with a colorful story about her childhood and rise to success as a chef, caterer, consultant, teacher, and cooking school owner. (She grew up in California and graduated from the highly respected Tante Marie’s School of Cooking in San Francisco, where Alice Waters was one of her instructors.) 

Catherine concluded the lovely evening by sharing recipe cards…but to everyone’s shock, she actually saved the best last. Knowing how much our group would appreciate it, Catherine gingerly pulled out her own personal copy of A Guide to Modern Cookery, published in 1903 and personally autographed by Auguste Escoffier himself! What a surprise and great delight! The evening couldn’t have ended any better.

Dame du Jour: Marty Nagele

By Maria Isabella, Interview by Shara (Foldi) Bohach

We all have our own earliest childhood memory of food. For Marty, it was when she was still a very young girl. “I was always a huge eater,” she recalls. “So when I was only nine years old, my parents’ friends took me to a smorgasbord because they thought they would really get their money’s worth with me. And they sure did!”

Truth be told, food has always been Marty’s focus, whether for pleasure or as a future career. In fact, ever since high school, Marty has either been working in restaurants, catering, or teaching the culinary arts.  (She earned her degree in Family and Consumer Science from Bowling Green University.)

“I taught the culinary arts for 18 years and now work for the Ohio Restaurant Association Education Foundation,” says Marty with pride. “I am an education coordinator for Ohio ProStart, a program taught at most Ohio high school culinary programs.”

But you’ll never hear the least bit of boasting on her part, which she could so easily do. That’s because, five years ago, she was awarded the prestigious “Culinary Teacher of the Year” award.
“It was a wonderful surprise to just be nominated. But then they showed up at my work and surprised me with the actual award!” says Marty with great modesty.

As for who actually influenced her love of food the most, she admits it had to be the Gallucci family. “They shared their interest in the Cleveland restaurant scene with me, and we ate at every great restaurant in the city during that time.” One of her personal favorites was the Wagon Wheel, a true French restaurant located on Shaker Square.

But Shaker Square is a far cry from Belgium, where Marty says she had the absolute best food in her life. “I spent a great deal of time researching where and what to eat for this trip, and it really paid off,” she admits.

As for her current favorite restaurant in the States, it has to be Alinea in Chicago. “But you have to get reservations a year in advance!” Marty laments.

So how did she hear of LDEI? “From Michelle Gaw and Jan DeLucia,” Marty says. “I was immediately impressed and liked the organization right away. I’ve been a member for five years now.”

What does she enjoy most about being a member? “The people and the programs,” she responds without the slightest hesitation.

Learn more about Marty as she shares some fun and interesting insights about herself.

Describe your perfect meal. A really well-prepared fish. Plus I love Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. I can immediately taste that a wine is from this region, and I love it. That would be the perfect wine.

How do you like to entertain? I love Thanksgiving because it is all about eating. I try to sneak in one new dish each year, although I’m locked into making all of the usual recipes, too, because they remind me of home. I do have one vegetarian daughter [out of three], so I have to tweak the menu a bit for her.

Do you have a signature dish? Eggplant Parmesan. My secret is a very thin coating of mayonnaise on the eggplant before breading it. I find it imparts more flavor than an egg wash.

What’s your go-to, quick-and-easy dinner? Fajitas.

What’s your favorite comfort food? Parmesan Goldfish!

What is your favorite cookbook? The Barefoot Contessa. I love the way Ina Garten entertains.

What’s your favorite dessert to prepare? Tarte tatin. It’s so pretty with its concentric circles of apples.

What’s one ingredient you can’t live without? Cheese. It goes on pretty much everything I make. My favorite is smoked Gouda.

Name 3 kitchen gadgets you can’t live without. My microplane, handheld juicer, and chef’s knife.

What is the one thing you like best about your kitchen? It’s brand new! We gutted it two years ago, redid everything, and got all new appliances, including a wine fridge. I especially love my giant sink, which doubles as a baby bathtub for my granddaughter!

Pasta Making Class with Stefanie Paganini & Chapter Meeting

By Elaine Cicora

Thirteen lean and hungry members of the Cleveland Chapter of LDEI made their way to Chesterland on March 7. Their destination: the International Culinary Arts and Sciences Institute. There we were greeted by Dame Stefanie Paganini, who provided a brief tour of the lovely facility that her mother, Loretta Paganini, founded in 2005 as the professional arm to her popular cooking school.

Dame Candice Berthold lead us in a brief business meeting (is 20 minutes a new record?), during which we enjoyed wine and some delicious avocado hummus made by the ICASI prep kitchen. Then it was time to roll up our sleeves, tie on our aprons, and head into the pastry kitchen where we were soon up to our elbows in fresh pasta dough.

Stefanie revealed to us the secrets of striped tri-color pasta –  white (plain), green (spinach), and red (red pepper) – and set us free in teams of two to craft bowties and pansotti, a stuffed tortellini-like pasta whose name, significantly enough, means "pot belly!" The interactive task not only elicited our creativity (pasta dough patterns ranged from tidy stripes, to argyles, to wavy psychedelic stripes), but also plenty of laughter and good-natured chatter.

(Of course, what happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen. But it really is amazing what you can learn about someone when you're cooking together!)

Stefanie topped the bowties with a chunky salsa al pomodoro. The ricotta-and-prosciutto-stuffed pansotti were finished in a delightful almond pesto.

Back in the dining room, we feasted family-style on overflowing bowls of both types of pastas – it all tasted wonderful! – and then finished our meal with homemade apricot almond biscotti and coffee.

Before we knew it, it was 9 p.m. and time to adjourn. We headed out into the springlike evening with well-earned big bellies of our own, along with recipes for future use and warmest thanks to Stephanie Paganini for one of the best-tasting programs in memory.

Cleveland Dames Making News!

Bev Shaffer makes the cover of Ohio Magazine!
Check out the JUST DESSERTS cover story in the February 2012 issue of Ohio Magazine. Chef Bev Shaffer shares her passion for all things chocolate. Find additional content online.

Candice Berthold supports Go Red for Women in February
Most of us associate February and the color red with Valentine's Day. However February has another important distinction: February is American Heart Month.

"Being a heart attack survivor, I am a big supporter of heart health education, and especially awareness of heart health and heart issues regarding women. To help promote more awareness, I wear red every day in the month of February. I also support the Go Red for Women program and their local events." To learn more visit, www.goredforwomen.org.  "I was very proud to be able to donate packets of seasonings (with recipe) and olive oil for the women who attend the Go Red event in Cleveland, February 17 and in Lake County, February 24."

Gloria Cipri Kemer in Cleveland Business Connects magazine
Gloria, Owner of Emerald Necklace Inn, now in it's 12th year, was named a Leading Female Entrepreneur in Cleveland Business Connects Nov/Dec 2011 issue. The article spotlighted 10 local ladies Leading the Way and setting a positive example for business owners across Northeast Ohio.