Also: Executive Chef Justin Cogley & Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza Announce Popular Cooking Class Themes for Fall 2014
Carmel-by-the Sea’s L’Auberge Carmel, Relais & Châteaux has been recognized in the recently released Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2014, receiving honors as one of the top 100 Hotels Overall and one of the Top Resorts in the Continental United States.
Each year, Travel + Leisure readers vote on their favorite hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, and more in the annual World’s Best Awards survey. Defining the very best in world travel, the Travel + Leisure award is a testament to L’Auberge Carmel’s gracious hospitality and exquisite service. L’Auberge Carmel joins a prestigious list of top 100 hotels and top U.S. resorts, including fellow Relais & Châteaux properties Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Montana (ranked #1) and Ocean House in Watch Hill, Rhode Island (ranked #5).
Of the award, L’Auberge Carmel Managing Partner David Fink says, "This is an incredible honor, especially because it's voted on by the readers. I am extremely proud of our team and their dedication to world-class service.”
In an especially exciting year for awards, Aubergine, led by Restaurant Director Nathaniel Muñoz, has recently won Wine Spectator’s 2014 Best of Award of Excellence, an honor bestowed upon restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisines, and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. Aubergine’s particular award gives special recognition to lists that offer 400 or more selections, exhibit superior presentation, and display vintage depth, vertical offerings of top wines and excellent breadth across several wine regions.
Also enjoying substantial acclaim is Aubergine Executive Chef Justin Cogley, nominated for a 2014 James Beard Award for Best Chef: West, following his 2013 prestigious honor as Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux. Chef Cogley, along with Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza, will conclude the year with their wildly popular series of intimate cooking classes hosted in the Aubergine kitchen. Each class begins with a champagne welcome before students take a hands-on approach to learning the subject du jour. Chefs Cogley & Mendoza guide each student through a variety of essential techniques while offering practical recommendations for cooking at home. Each class concludes with a taste of the day’s labor and a head full of ideas.
Classes are held from 11:30am to 1:30pm and $100 (plus tax and service fee) per person includes recipes and instruction. Visit auberginecarmel.com for more information. The remaining 2014 schedule of classes includes:
September 10, 2014: GAME SEASON with Executive Chef Justin Cogley
Support local and sustainable agriculture by cooking local produce and adding wild game. Skills covered include: working with fall ingredients and using game birds such as partridge.
October 8, 2014: CARIBBEAN ADVENTURE with Executive Chef Justin Cogley
Get away to the Caribbean and spice up your dishes with Caribbean ingredients. Skills covered include: cooking with mango, Caribbean rice, pudin de pan and more.
October 15, 2014: TIRAMISU with Executive Chef Ron Mendoza
Learn how to make tiramisu, a classic coffee-flavored Italian dessert. Tiramisu is a layered dessert, consisting of alternating layers of coffee-soaked biscuits and sweet mixture of mascarpone cheese, eggs and sugar.
November 12, 2014: THANKSGIVING & MORE with Executive Chef Justin Cogley
We will be covering timing, tricks, and restaurant recipes that will work at home. The class will feature the process of roasting a whole bird. You will leave this class with tested recipes, shopping lists, and a few surprises.
November 19, 2014: FRENCH MACARONS with Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza
Macarons are a perfect holiday cookie to give as gifts or share with guests. This class will go over the basics of the French sweet meringue-based confectionery commonly filled with ganache or buttercream. This class will review batter, piping, baking and choosing sweet and savory fillings.
December 10, 2014: HOLIDAY CANAPÉS & COCKTAILS (PART 2) with Executive Chef Justin Cogley
Learn how to craft cocktails using fruit purees and emulsions. The class will also learn three “restaurant secret” canapés that will make a statement at your next holiday party.
December 17: SOUFFLÉ with Executive Pastry Chef Ron Mendoza
A soufflé is a lightly baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients. This class will review techniques for perfectly puffed soufflé as well the best bases for either savory or sweet.
