Out and About in Sevierville

With great pleasure we attended a cooking class at KaTom Chef Supplies presented by a chef from the famous Blackberry Farm. I was really looking forward to this event and it did not disappoint!

Chef Jeff Ross and his wife present the cooking demonstration.

The theme of the lesson: using the bounty of summer gardens.

I entered the building and was delighted to sit near my Sevierville friends, Harriet and Sarah Berrier. We had great seats at the first table near the cooking station.

Every seat is a good seat in KaTom due to the overhead TV projecting all the action from the stove and chopping areas. See Chef Ross below talking about summer vegetables. Above, you can see the TV screen projecting all the ingredients for the next dish.

Menu:

Buckwheat Groat Succotash

Tea Smoked Trout

Sauteed Greens with Smoked Onion Jam

Cocoa Bark with Popped Grains

Caramelized Dessert Cheese with Grilled Fruit

Chef Ross has worked at Blackberry Farm for 11 years. He also has roots in Sevier County because his grandmother lived in the North View area. From her, he learned many things in the kitchen and the garden. For example, you don’t need to cook a lot in the summer. “Let the garden tell you what to cook,” advises Chef Ross.

Don’t throw away rosemary stems because there is a lot of flavor there.

Do you have a lot of zucchini in your garden? Then you can appreciate how much chopping it took to fill up that container!

Chef Ross presented many cooking tips and techniques during the demonstration. (Use coconut oil and kosher salt). I also learned tidbits about geography and history in regard to culinary things. (Sunburst trout from North Carolina and sweet potato leaves first used in Africa due to dry conditions and lack of other greens to eat.)

Who knew that Georgia has the best olive oil? Chef Ross prefers cherry tomatoes. The plate of heirloom tomatoes was so appetizing, we all agreed.

Leaves from the sweet potato vine are very good cooked liked ordinary greens. Harriet said that she noted a sweet potato taste in them too. They were good! If you can’t find them from a farmer then go to the Sunrise Asian Market at Walker Springs Rd. in Knoxville because they sell large bags of them. Chef Ross also recommends the asian restaurant next door for a meal. Very authentic!

It was great to see Wendy Atchley at the presentation! She was recently able to enjoy a dinner at Blackberry Farm to celebrate an anniversary. A dream dinner!

Chef Ross smoked the trout in several ways. The Darjeeling tea used to smoke it gave a nice flavor; in addition, it smelled great when he lifted the lid.

Chef Ross and his wife loved using the demonstration kitchen in KaTom—a chef’s dream—and were very happy to answer questions, chat about food, Blackberry Farm, etc. I know that they will come back again and again.

The set up at KaTom is very comfortable. You can move around, shop, chat, eat, meet fellow foodies. Other people there were from Sevier County, Knoxville, and Talbot.

Plating the meal!

They let me take a spoon to try the smoked onion jam that they make themselves. Divine!

Voila!

Patricia Bible, owner and CEO of KaTom, enjoying the evening!

 

We were waiting in great expectation for the piece de resistance—cocoa bark with popped grains. (You can use Rice Krispies.)

A smear of sorghum makes the dessert ‘hyper local.’ My grandparents would have approved!

Incredible!

Sarah Berrier noted that the torched cheese had a flavor of cheesecake. I noted a ‘brûlée’ taste as well. It was unbelievable.

Patricia Bible praises the efforts of the chefs and the meal. Bravo!

Sarah Berrier and Chef Ross trading cooking tips.

Harriet and Sarah Berrier talking to Chef Ross.

Wendy Atchley talking to Patricia Bible after the meal.

I love the nice touches and table settings.

I knew that the evening would exceed my expectations and that was proved true. What a wonderful evening with friends, food, top line culinary tools,  and chefs from a nationally renowned Relais & Châteaux property. Does it get any better?

KaTom is presenting classes that I used to have to drive to Knoxville to attend. What a joy to have these classe so close by now. This is the best kept secret in Sevier County, and in my opinion, one of the best things going here. I already signed up for the next class on Wednesday, August 24th with Jeffrey DeAlejandro, Chef and Owner of OliBea in Knoxville. What a great place to go when you are out and about in Sevierville!

See you at the table!

For more information on events please contact Chef Supplies by KaTom at 865-225-1559. Or contact them via Facebook.

https://www.facebook.com/KaTomRestaurantSupply/