The Cazenovia Forum, a free public affairs lecture series, presents its first fundraiser, Cooking with Chef Anne Burrell, on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at Dave’s Diner, 35 Albany Street, Cazenovia. Food Network star and Cazenovia native Anne Burrell will present two, two-hour culinary demonstrations and tastings at 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
For the first hour of each presentation, Burrell will prepare one of her signature entr (c)es and answer questions from the audience. Chef Alicyn Hart, owner of Circa restaurant in Cazenovia, will serve as Burrell’s sous-chef.
The second hour will feature a tasting of Burrell’s entr (c)e and samplings of specially-selected appetizers that she calls piccolini, meaning “little ones” in Italian. The piccolini will be prepared by several sponsoring Cazenovia restaurants including Brae Loch Inn, Golden Pheasant, Lincklaen House, and Cazenovia College catering.
Proceeds from the event will benefit The Cazenovia Forum. The Cazenovia Forum was founded by Cazenovia residents in 2006 and offers lectures by nationally and internationally known experts on a variety of key issues facing our nation and the world. “We are thrilled that Chef Burrell is coming home to Cazenovia for this demonstration and tasting,” said Cindy Sutton, event chair and Cazenovia Forum board member. “She is a local treasure and a wonderfully creative chef.”
Burrell first appeared on the televised stage as the assistant to Mario Batali, the world-famous chef and personality behind the Iron Chef America series. The success of her appearance on Iron Chef propelled Burrell to her own television series, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which premiered on the Food Network in June 2008. Burrell recently taped the show’s third season which will air in the spring. Burrell brings her passion for authentic Italian cuisine to each episode as well as her experience working in some of New York’s premiere restaurants including Savoy, Felidia, and most recently Centro Vinoteca, in New York’s West Village.
Her series, food, and style have all met with critical acclaim. Her dishes have been described by restaurant critic and writer Moira Hodgson as “simple and gutsy, the kind of food you dream of finding at small country trattorias as you travel through Italy.” “Like Batali,” wrote Adam Platt in New York Magazine, “Burrell has a knack for taking big, potentially overwhelming flavors and imbuing them with sweetness and light.”
Burrell is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She studied at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners and in various restaurants in Italy. Burrell graduated from Canisius College, in Buffalo, with a degree in English and Communications. She grew up in Cazenovia and graduated from Cazenovia High School. She lives in New York City.
Ticket prices for the fundraising event are $50 for supporters and $75 for patrons. For reservations, mail a check made out to the Cazenovia Forum to PO Box 613, Cazenovia, New York, 13035. See cazenoviaforum.com for more details. For questions, contact Cindy Sutton, 655-9374 or e-mail [email protected].
