July Get Your PHX: The Gallantry of the Table

Thanks again to Virginia Senior and her crew at Urban Beans.  There were over 60 people at our June event, all enjoying wines and nibbles in a refined wine pairing experience. Special thanks to Lisa Reinhardt of The Wei of Chocolate who provided her exquisite creations for the tasting. I’m still working my wei through an assortment of chocolates.

Get it, “wei!” You, know, like, wei. Oh, I crack me up! No? Alright, never mind.

Back to the business at hand: more epicurean luxuries in July!

I was so intrigued by the idea of our wine pairing last month, that I decided that it was in order to try something really special: a professional tour through the world of Greco/Italian cuisine, with Andy Pappas, of La Piccola Cucina as your personal guide.

If you’ve never met Andy, you know this guy’s the real deal. Andy is a former New Yorker (he owned another La Piccola Cucina in Manhattan). He and his wife, Debbie, have literally travelled the world picking up recipes for you to try and they deliver the real deal when it comes to southern European cuisine. The only thing that is missing is the haute cuisine snobbery.

I was at LPC a couple months ago with a client, celebrating a home purchase, when Andy and I got in to a conversation about how to eat and the logic behind courses. Why are there a certain number of courses? Why antipasta before the meal? Do you know? Don’t ask me!

Andy, of course, knows.

Enter “The Gallantry of the Table.” That was the name of a book written in the 15th century that laid out in great detail the logic behind eating.

Did you know, for instance, that if you eat meat before your first course, you run the risk of “festering” the meet in your stomach, resulting in certain unmentionable social fax pas? Not a pretty picture, I know. But epicureans 500 years ago laid out in clear detail what you need to do to get the most out of a refined dining experience.

Andy is our guide for one night. You will learn more about food at the next Get Your PHX than you’ve learned in the last 10 years combined.

Andy is going to present a mini, 5-course meal with wine; during which you will come to learn about the theories and practice behind greco/roman cuisine. He will help you experience the why’s and how’s of this ancient cooking tradition.

Now, La Piccola Cucina is not a big place and this is a very exclusive engagement. We are going to have to limit this event to the first 30 participants. (However, who knows, if we get enough interest, we might be able to do this in two engagements. Stay tuned.)

This event is going to cost $15 per person and will include the instructional 5-course meal and Andy’s choice of fine wine. In order to reserve your space, you need to call La Piccola Cucina directly at 602-358-7415 by July 20th. You can pay over the phone or at the door. Please also RSVP to me or on the fan page so I have an accurate count.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.

July Get Your PHX
Thursday, July 21st from 5:30 to 8:30.
2241 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006 Map here