Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel & Cantinetta Luca Restaurants introduce 2012 Culinary Classes and Signature Dinner Series

Chefs Share Secrets from Cooking with Monterey Bay Abalone to Rainforest Themed Feasts to Homemade Pizzas and Pastas

Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (February 8, 2012) – Mirabel Hotel & Restaurant Group’s Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel/ Relais & Chateaux and Cantinetta Luca are proud to announce an array of innovative new culinary programs, held throughout 2012, designed to appeal to food lovers’ every taste and skill level.

Guests can tie on an apron, sharpen their knives, and set their mise en place in the kitchen of the hotel’s renowned Aubergine or Cantinetta Luca restaurants, or just sit back and enjoy for such one-of-a-kind experiences as:

• Sweet & Savory Cooking Classes: Join Aubergine chefs for sumptuous immersion into the culinary world with intimate cooking classes covering a bounty of savory and sweet selections

• Food For Thought dinner series of monthly themed seasonal ingredient dinners

• Terroir dinner series showcasing innovative culinary inspirations from the land, the sea, and specific regions of the world

• Cantinetta Luca’s Secrets of Pizza and Pasta: intimate cooking classes designed to teach the home chef the fundamental principles of making great pizza and pasta

Executive Chef Justin Cogley and Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza teach Aubergine’s Sweet & Savory classes. In these classes, held once a month throughout the year, students learn delicious recipes for such challenging topics as “Working with Raw Fish and Sake,” mastering Monterey Bay abalone, “Confections, Marshmallow, Fudge and Jellies,” and much more. The chefs will also share secrets such as plating like a professional, “Pies…Like Mom Never Made,” and “Curds and Creams.” The two-hour classes are $100 per person and include recipes and tastings. For a list of classes: http://www.laubergecarmel.com/culinaryclasses.html.

Aubergine’s “Food for Thought” monthly dinner series feature a lavish four-course meal focusing on one key seasonal ingredient. The $75 per person dinners include wine pairings, and feature

seasonal themes as winter/spring alliums (onions, leeks, ramps, garlic), spring peas (favas, sugar snaps, pea shoots), summer stone fruits, and fall’s finest wild mushrooms. Food for Thought themes and dates: http://www.laubergecarmel.com/foodforthought.html

“We created this series with the idea of offering diners a truly unique menu experience for one-night only,” said chef Cogley. “Almost like ‘pop-up’ dining, these nights are to be enjoyed and then there gone. It’ll be challenging and fun for all of us in the kitchen to develop four dishes that focus on one key ingredient. It gives diners the chance to taste the very best of the season.”

At the monthly “Terroir” dinners, also at Aubergine, the chefs zero in on a specific geography, like “Grasslands” for North Dakota bison and quail; “Tropical Rain Forest” for hearts of palm and acai berry; and “Streams” (Idaho Rainbow trout and crayfish). The four-course meals are $75 per person, including wine pairings. Terroir dinner dates: http://www.laubergecarmel.com/terroir.html

Cantinetta Luca’s Executive Chef Jason Balestrieri offers his yearlong “Secrets of Pizza and Pasta” class series. In these hands-on pasta classes, students learn about different types of pastas and pasta machines, making fresh pastas, cooking times and procedures, as well as recipes for dressing the perfect pasta. In his pizza classes, Chef Balestrieri instructs about proper heat, making great dough, shaping the pizza, different styles to consider, and everything else there is to know about the world’s favorite food. Classes are a maximum 10 people per class, and $50 per person. Cooking class dates: http://www.cantinettaluca.com/classes.html

Reservations are required for all classes and special dinners, and can be made at 831-622-5909.
Terroir and Food for Thought dinners can be booked though OpenTable.com

About Mirabel Hotel & Restaurant Group: founded by David Fink in 2004, the portfolio contains numerous award-wining properties such as L’Auberge Carmel/Relais & Chateaux, Aubergine, Cantinetta Luca, Salumeria Luca, all in Carmel, and Hotel Les Mars/Relais & Chateaux located in Healdsburg, CA. The group is distinguished by its properties’ European style, gracious hospitality, contemporary ambiance, and culinary experiences in chef-driven restaurants.

L’Auberge Carmel/ Relais & Chateaux is an award-winning full-service inn located in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The twenty guest rooms are luxuriously appointed with an elegant décor. Aubergine, the highly acclaimed on-site restaurant, showcases Chef de Cuisine Justin Cogley and Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza’s locally sourced and highly seasonal contemporary cuisine. Aubergine also features an underground, carefully procured wine cellar to house the restaurant’s 4,500-bottle collection. Zagat 2012 recently rated Aubergine 5th Best in the entire Bay Area. http://www.laubergecarmel.com

http://www.auberginecarmel.com

Cantinetta Luca, a casual trattoria located within walking distance, offers delicious wood-fired pizza, house-made salume and pastas, whole roasted fish and grilled meats served family style. Presentations are pure and rustic and prepared with fresh seasonal ingredients. Executive Chef/Partner Jason Balestrieri also oversees the recently opened Salumeria Luca, located next door, where he offers a wide selection of predominantly house-made to-go items including cured meats and olives, sauces, fresh-baked breads, pastries, desserts, gelato, Italian cheeses and Italian wines – everything needed for a perfect picnic. http://cantinettaluca.com/ http://salumerialuca.com/