We had 12 people registered for the November Culinary Arts Luncheon and a waiting list of 5, so “Thanksgiving” was obviously a popular theme. Vicki Wittenbrock hosted this event at her home and with her co-hosts Sharyn Close and Gerene Leffingwell, selected recipes from various Taste of Home cookbooks. Vicki’s son, Chris, is a professional chef who now lives in the area after a career working in fine dining restaurants in Aspen, Colorado, London, England and other cities. Chris prepared stuffed turkey drumsticks and a brined turkey breast that provided the entree for the luncheon. All of the guests brought the remaining elements of the meal from appetizers to desserts and a few of the dishes we enjoyed were pomegranate splash salad, cranberry walnut brussels sprouts, butternute squash salad and pumpkin creme brulee. While the guests enjoyed the food, Chris provided an informative demonstration of how to prepare the stuffed drumstick and answered lots of questions from the inquisitive audience. Vicki’s husband, Steve, along with Sharyn and Gerene did lots of work serving and cleaning up, leaving all of us feeling pampered. A huge thank you to Vicki, Chris, Sharyn, Gerene and Steve and to all of the guest cooks. It was a wonderful lunch. We also managed to schedule hosts for 5 of the 6 months for Culinary Arts for 2026. I am grateful to all in this amazing group.
Leave a Reply