“Cooking, like Love, should be entered into with abandon, or not at all.”
 --Harriet Van Horn

Two passions in my life are my family and cooking; cooking for my family is (usually) a great joy and a way of showing my Love. Valentine's Day is a perfect time to show your love through food. And  whether you're planning the perfect meal, baking a special dessert, or picking up some great gifts for the foodies in your life, Toque Blanche can help.

Discover the World Through Cooking!
Hot off the press, we have several new cookbooks with recipes from around the world…Japan, Australia, China, India, Germany, and France to name a few. All would be a terrific addition to any cookbook library, or a great springboard for planning a new menu item for Valentine's Day dinner.

To help with all your culinary travels, Toque Blanche will be carrying some freshly-ground spices from an incredible  spice merchant I discovered on a recent trip to Napa. I will be focusing mainly on spice blends -- including a wide variety of curries and a personal favorite from the Middle East called Zata’ar – and  harder to find ingredients, such as Brown Mustard Seeds, Juniper  Berries, Sumac and whole Cardamon Pods. If there is a particular spice  you are looking for, let me know and we'll try to order it. Look for all this and more from Whole Spice later this month.

Continuing with this theme, Richard Poncini will be teaching a paella class when we host “An Evening in Spain” on Friday February 29th to benefit the non-profit GRACE’s work in Africa. Wine will be flowing and Flamenco artists will be dancing…more details will follow in a special email next week!

And coming in March, we are delighted to welcome back to the Coastside Kim and Albert Katz for a tasting of their new crop of Rock Hill Ranch Olive Oil and Meyer Lemon Olive Oil, a Toque Blanche bestseller.

The guys from Perfect Edge will also visit for another knife sharpening clinic in time for your Easter celebrations. For more details on these and other great events, read more below.

We at Toque Blanche wish you all a wonderful Valentine’s Day cooking for the one(s) you love, even if that person is you!

Have Fun Cooking!
Stuart