Come out to Babson College Wednesday, April 17th for Small Bytes and Apps: A One-Day Crash Course to Launch Your Own Culinary Business at 1 pm in the Knight Auditorium.
Register here: http://smallbytesbootcamp.eventbrite.com/
Student or food writer? Email wheeler@kitchntable.com for FREE tickets.
Thank you to Slick Rick and all of the guests for an epic ramen battle before a great show!
Friday, March 29th, grammy-nominated British rapper Slick Rick will be battling it out in the kitchen with chef Wheeler del Torro for Paperchase: Yen. The menu theme is ramen noodles to celebrate National Noodle Month and Boston's current culinary obsession.
Paperchase: Yen will take place at 5:30 pm, Friday, March 29th at 3 Scoops Cafe in Brighton.
Tickets are $30, available here.
Food Business Bootcamp
Coming Soon! Wheeler del Torro will host a Food Business Bootcamp covering a variety of topics that face the modern food entrepreneur.
Join us this Thursday to celebrate Black History Month with New Jersey high school students and the New Jersey State Bar Association.
2013 Black History Month Celebration
The Minorities in the Profession Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association is pleased to announce its annual BLACK HISTORY MONTH CONTEST. The purpose of this competition is to showcase and share the knowledge of our youth and encourage excellence in writing by New Jersey high school students.
This year, New Jersey high school students were asked to write a letter to the United States Supreme Court advising the Justices whether or not race should continue to be a factor considered in the admission process of public colleges using 1,000 words or less.
Entries are closed.
280 essays were received.Click here to read the winning essays.
Students who submit an essay will qualify for the opportunity to compete in a Black History Trivia Contest on Thursday, February 21, 2013 at the New Jersey Law Center to compete for the following cash prizes:
First Place $250.00 Visa Gift Card Second Place $150.00 Visa Gift Card Third Place $100.00 Visa Gift Card
Each contestant will also receive a certificate of merit for their participation. All prizes will be presented to the students on February 21, 2013 at the New Jersey Law Center.
Black History Month
2013 Program and Trivia Contest
Thursday, February 21
6 - 9 p.m.
New Jersey Law Center, New Brunswick
Featured Presentation Slavery to Freedom at the Kitchen Table: a Historical Look at Soul Food from 1830-1975
by Chef Wheeler del Torro
Chef del Torro will present a lecture and cooking demonstration. The lecture will encompass a historical and anthropological look into the study of soul food as an American cuisine. Attendees will have the opportunity to sample dishes featuring traditional soul food ingredients and learn the history of each dish – its historical roots, cultural significance and a healthy method of preparation.
Featured Visual Artist
Creative Force Inc.
Trivia Contest Host
Steven G. Hockaday, Esq., president-elect, Garden State Bar Association, housing attorney, Essex-Newark Legal Services
Part 1: Tech to Connect- Using Technology to Take Your Brand to New Levels.
In the first part of our business boot camp, we cover how social media and content marketing can amplify your message and help you engage with your fans. Whether you are just starting out or looking to reach new heights, this seminar will help you strategically develop your brand and cost effectively connect with your target market. You will learn to:
Part 2: Old-School Networking to Build your Biz.
While social media and the like are powerful tools, nothing beats face to face interaction for building the relationships that lead to sustainable success. We focus part two on the art of networking and provide useful techniques to help you work any room like a pro. Topics covered include:
Part 3: Awesome Events to Engage
Create memorable and uniquely targeted events that build enthusiasts and generate lasting connections. In this section, we show you how to produce engaging events that put you at the center of the party by covering:
Part 4: Celebrity Cook- Off!
We close the boot camp with an unforgettable Iron Chef style cook-off that pits Chef Wheeler against Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell to demonstrate the power of food to bring people together and create key relationships for your business.
Tickets:
Part 1: Tech to Connect- Using Technology to Take Your Brand to New Levels- http://bizbootcamp1.eventbrite.com/
Part 2: Old-School Networking to Build your Biz
http://bizbootcamp2.eventbrite.com/
Part 3: Awesome Events to Engage
http://bizbootcamp3.eventbrite.com/
Part 4: Celebrity Cook- Off!
http://unclelukebattle.eventbrite.com/
Full Boot camp Package & Celebrity Cook-Off event (Best value!):
http://bizbootcampfull.eventbrite.com
If you are in Maine tomorrow, come join us for soul food and jazz at the University of Southern Maine. Here's a preview of one of the dishes from Maine 207: collard greens.
Mange à Trois Chef Wheeler del Torro poses the question "Is food art?" in his new series Mange à Trois. In this unconventional event, chef del Torro examines pieces from three artists and shares his interpretations of their works through his chosen medium: food. Accessing art through the palate encourages a fresh perspective and opens it to both new and seasoned audiences.
Series 1: New York
At once buoyant and creative, furious and raw, New York of the 1980s was the artist's canvas. Graffiti artists covered its walls while others incorporated the street's gritty reality into their art. The quest for innovation drew from all traditions, relentlessly questioning, melding and adapting.
The works of Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Francesco Clemente exemplify the spirit of the time. In their collaborative works, Warhol provided the foundation rooted in the collective visual memory while Basquiat added a burst of energy in aggressive forms and overwhelming patterns. Clemente in turn employed bright colors as well as sinister tones, overlapping and merging with the edges of the canvas.
Through the senses of taste, smell, and touch, del Torro interprets and creates art. Like Basquiat, del Torro uses the flavors of the street as modes of expression. This innovative lecture and food experience guides participants through solo and collaborative works of art from Warhol, Basquiat and Clemente while treating them to del Torro's culinary interpretations of their artistic aesthetic.
On March 16th, after a one day business bootcamp, I am looking forward to taking on rapper and record label owner Luther Campbell. Uncle Luke and I will have one hour to create a dish featuring a secret ingredient. Our dishes will be judged by a panel of celebrity and food experts.
The battle will take place at the Shore Club in Miami at 7 pm on Saturday, March 16th.
Tickets are available now through Eventbrite at http://unclelukebattle.eventbrite.com/. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Morehouse College and Women of Tomorrow.
Coming Soon!
Inspired by the film Django Unchained, I am finishing up a ecookbook with 50 new recipes. the unauthorized Underground Django Cookbook will be out on March 16th. The launch of the book will take place in Miami at the Shore Club March 16th with special guest Luther Campbell. Uncle Luke will be joining me for an Iron Chef style battle with celebrity and food expert judges.
If you will be in Miami (or can make it out!) tickets are available here. Check back soon for special deals for members of our mailing list to pre-order the book.
I will be previewing recipes from Django under the recipe tab soon!
Photographer and freelancer Josh Reynolds came out to 3 Scoops this weekend to document the Iron Chef style battle between Biz Markie and I. His slide show on Boston.com has highlights from the night.
"Boston-based chef and cookbook author Wheeler del Torro worked on pot of vegetarian sweet potato and black truffle sloppy joes during a chef battle with hip-hop artist and Yo Gabba Gabba! contributor Biz Markie at 3 Scoops Cafe in Brighton on Jan. 26. The event aimed to raise money for the ice cream shop."
I had a great talk with Jacqueline over at Dig. Check out her article in Dig Boston (and follow her @jacquelinedole for great pictures of her beautiful pastries).
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On Saturday January 26, Boston’s chef Wheeler Del Torro will take on acclaimed rapper and Yo Gabba Gabba! star Biz Markie in a soul food themed cook-off. Yes, that’s right, Biz Markie.
Unbeknownst to us, Markie has developed a knack for nutrition and now has a career teaching healthy cooking classes.
Just in time for Black History month, the event aims to raise funding for the expansion of Brighton’s3 Scoops Ice Cream Parlor, where Del Torro acts as a menu consultant. The cafe is hoping to broaden its offerings and begin serving healthful, savory soul food classics. The cooking competition will be much like its televised inspiration: a secret ingredient, one hour to prepare the dishes, and a panel of expert judges.
I spoke with Chef Wheeler about his vegan tendencies, D’Jango Unchained, and asked whether Biz is a threat in the kitchen or if he really is, “Just a Friend.”
“I want to break the misconceptions about the vegan diet, the vegan attitude. I’m not a little hipster—I’m a bigger guy,” Del Torro says. He explains that especially today, there are numerous cooking techniques that make consuming meat no longer necessary.
“By enhancing the natural flavor of vegetables with spices and ingredients like truffles, you create healthy dishes that give you energy.”
Describing his style as a twist on soul food and American comfort food, he tells me about “veganizing” dishes that appear on other restaurants menus, such as Red Rooster’s fried yard bird chicken. In addition to putting his interpretation on dishes from today, he’s currently writing a D’jango Unchained-influenced e-cookbook.
But what about Biz?
“Biz has always been interested in healthy eating. Being on tour, he learned to make eating healthy a priority, to stay conscious of his eating,” he explains. “But he’s at a severe disadvantage.”
IRON CHEF BRIGHTON SATURDAY 1.26.13 SOLD OUT 3 SCOOPS CAFÉ 403 WASHINGTON ST. BRIGHTON @BIZMARKIE BIZMARKIECHEFBATTLE.EVENTBRITE.COM
Describing his style as a twist on soul food and American comfort food, he tells me about “veganizing” dishes that appear on other restaurants menus, such as Red Rooster’s fried yard bird chicken. In addition to putting his interpretation on dishes from today, he’s currently writing a D’jango Unchained-influenced e-cookbook.
But what about Biz?
“Biz has always been interested in healthy eating. Being on tour, he learned to make eating healthy a priority, to stay conscious of his eating,” he explains. “But he’s at a severe disadvantage.”
IRON CHEF BRIGHTON SATURDAY 1.26.13 SOLD OUT 3 SCOOPS CAFÉ 403 WASHINGTON ST. BRIGHTON @BIZMARKIE BIZMARKIECHEFBATTLE.EVENTBRITE.COM
Baltimore blogger and food aficionado The Minx enjoys our new line of chocolate sauces. Read here review here and check out her twitter @daMinxy1.
When I received an e-mail asking if I'd like to sample some chocolate sauce, I responded with a resounding, "yes!" I loooove hot fudge, and have been searching for the ideal stuff for years. When I was a kid, I adored the hot fudge sundaes at Read's drug store. When I became an adult, I felt that the best hot fudge was served at Marconi's. Unfortunately, neither establishment exists today - huge losses for hot fudge lovers in Baltimore.
Chef Wheeler del Torro's hot fudge, which is sold through his Etsy shop and at 3 Scoops in Boston, hit all of the right notes for me. When cold, the sauce is very thick, with a pleasing grainy texture (like Marconi's), and is lovely when eaten directly from the jar. When heated and spooned over ice cream, the texture is smoother but the flavor is no less intensely chocolate. Adding a maraschino cherry to the top gave me Read's flashbacks.
But wait - there's more. Not only does Chef Del Torro make some lovely plain hot fudge, but he also produces small batch chocolate sauces in flavors like 7 Chocolate, Mayan Mint, Jamaican Hot Chocolate Pepper, Rose, Coconut, Orange, and Salted Chocolate - all of which have got to be scrumptious. I'm especially curious about the Rose and Jamaican Hot Chocolate flavors. If anyone out there gives them a try, I'd love to know what you think about them.
I am looking forward to spending Valentine's Day celebrating Black History Month in Portland, Maine. Thank you for sharing the event Avery!
Vegan soul food served in celebration of Black History Month
Friday January 18, 2013 | 11:56 AM
Posted by
Do your heart some good when Chef Wheeler del Torro comes to Portland on Valentine's Day to dish up vegan eats as part of the free "An Evening Celebration of Soul Food and Jazz Music." The owner of the micro-creamery Wheeler's Frozen Desserts in Boston, a sought-after caterer and the author of "The Vegan Scoop," del Torro is interested in food justice and how food connects us with our heritage. He's also a proponent of obtaining health through food.
On Feb. 14, del Torro will show how to make a soul food inspired vegan menu of bourbon candied yams, black truffle mac and cheese and Southern braised greens, composed of beet, collard and dandelion greens. Audience members will get to sample the dishes.
A musical performance by jazz and blues singers Lorraine Bohland and Olivia Crupi and pianist Terry Foster will follow del Torro's cooking demonstration.
The event is presented by the University of Southern Maine's Office of Multicultural Affairs as part of the school's Black History Month celebrations.
The cooking demonstration and concert takes place at 5:30 p.m., Feb . 14 at the Wishcamper Center on the University of Southern Maine's Portland campus. A reception will take place during intermission. For more information, call 780-5798.
Check out this great article from Boston.com by Patty Katsaros about making connections through food. Look for more of her events at Kitchn Table and 3 Scoops. Pairing food with lasting connections
By Patty Katsaros
While you may appreciate cuisine and even consider yourself a foodie, you may not have contemplated the role food has played in building your relationships. The experiences shared while breaking bread are often the most memorable. Food brings people together in a most meaningful way. In business, however, we often lose sight of this little gem when organizing customer or employee related events. We focus instead on how to bring people in, whom to invite, even what content to provide - but the food is often an afterthought at best!
Boston pop-up restaurant affairs, often held at a secret location with a surprise menu, bring together a diverse group of curious guests. I have seen firsthand how the collective experience serves to open people up. Diners share stories, express opinions and even begin friendships as they relate to the cuisine. Chef Wheeler Del Torro , a Boston based pioneer in creating unique pop-up gatherings, thrives on this interaction: “There is nothing more rewarding than watching food melt away the walls people instinctively put up when in a room with strangers. Great cuisine is a natural conversation starter.”
So why not consider making food the centerpiece of your next event? It may cost you more than those veggie trays or cheese plates, but the benefits that come from creating a memorable experience will be more than worth it! Just as dinner parties break down barriers, an event that revolves around food fosters discussions that extend beyond business. The connections created lay the foundations for the meaningful relationships key to success and sustainable growth. You develop a deeper understanding of your guests as people and not just clients or prospects. Who they are outside of the office invariably shapes and informs how they relate to you and your company’s product. Uncovering this enables you to provide value uniquely suited to your client and to establish trust so important to both parties.
Here are some quick ideas for your next event:
Create your event goals first then consider how food will help you meet your objectives. For example, if you want to increase interaction between your team and clients, have your staff serve creative appetizers that require explanation.
If value is created by guests interacting with each other, facilitate the process with participatory food prep stations or a short pre-meal cooking class.
To remind clients of your expertise and leadership, feature food experts to educate your guest on the origin of the food served. You could assist the lecturer and facilitate the Q&A.
Serve a variety of unique items to accommodate varied tastes and dietary restrictions while encouraging discussion
Patty Katsaros, a Boston World Partnerships (BWP) Connector and founder of P.H. Koules Consulting, helps companies engage their clients and prospects with custom, targeted events. Her Art of Networking series brings together top Boston professionals for fantastic food and meaningful connections.
If you are in Boston this Saturday, January 26th, come check out my chef battle with rapper Biz Markie. Here's how Grub Street explained the event:
Chef Biz.Photo: Facebook/Biz Markie
"Yeah, we were surprised, too. But the man behind such enduring classics as "Just a Friend" has what you need: food! Yes, Markie is also a health food nut; he even teaches healthy cooking classes in Washington, D.C. He'll go up against chef Wheeler del Torro at 3 Scoops Cafe (403 Washington St., Brighton) on Janaury 26 at 7 p.m., whipping up soul food with secret ingredients in honor of Black History Month.
Dishes will be judged by a panel of experts. Singing is optional. No, it's not quite Charlize Theron on Top Chef, but still. Would MC Hammer ever do this?"
Tickets to this incredible event are available through Kickstarter for any pledge over $10. Just make your pledge and email rayna [at] kitchntable.com.
Saturday, February 2Lecture and Tasting with Chef Wheeler Del Torro ~ 1 – 3p
Sit back and relax while food historian, author and lecturer Chef Wheeler del Torro discusses soul food through the lenses of history, culture and gastronomy, then prepares and shares samples with 30 lucky visitors. This presentation discusses the African heritage of this uniquely American cuisine, its generational interpretations and its significance as food that confers centuries of cultural heritage, while also presenting options for creating healthier interpretations of familiar dishes.
Wheeler del Torro divides his time exploring issues of food justice and the historical and cultural links between food and community. He encourages his guests to live healthier, more connected lives through food. His passion for cooking and lifetime of experiences around the world inspired him to host dinner parties, create an innovative gourmet non-dairy ice cream line, open Wheeler’s Café & Dessert Bar in Boston in 2007, and write his first book The Vegan Scoop, currently available in bookstores world-wide.
Free With Museum Admission. Space is Limited and Registration in Required. To Register, Visit: www.aamp.ticketleap.com/chefwheeler
Join us the first Thursday of every month for extended exhibition hours, cocktails, music, art-making activities, a film and more!
Visit us in Rhode Island at the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson and Wales University for a celebration of food and African American culture. The event is free and open to the public.
Lecture by Chef Wheeler del Torro at the Culinary Arts Museum:
“Slavery to Freedom at the Kitchen Table:
a Historical Look at Soul Food from 1830-1975”
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — January 2013 —The Culinary Arts Museum is pleased to announce that Chef Wheeler del Torro will be on campus to deliver a lecture which encompasses a historical and anthropological look into the study of Soul Food.
Wheeler del Torro began his investigation study of food while growing up in Jamaica. Whipping up hot chocolate “tea” and other Jamaican specialties with his father, he observed the associations between food, relationships, and imparting cultural heritage. “I have always been fascinated with the concept of food as a vehicle to prompt connections between people and to communicate history, values, and relationships,” says Wheeler.
Since leaving Jamaica, del Torro has lived in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, London, Paris, and many places in between. His passion for cooking and lifetime of experiences around the world inspired him to host dinner parties, create an innovative gourmet non-dairy ice cream line, open a café and dessert bar, and write his first book The Vegan Scoop, currently available in bookstores world-wide.
In addition to running his businesses, Wheeler del Torro is sought after for motivational and informative lectures, as well as consulting businesses and authors. During his appearances, del Torro shares his inspiring story, unique perspective, wealth of experience, and insight into building innovative green businesses. Del Torro particularly enjoys bringing his message to students and entrepreneurs, encouraging them to create their own paths to success in the ever-changing business world.
This lecture is free and open to the Johnson & Wales community and the public. Due to limited seating, it is a first-come, first-served event. The lecture will be held in the museum theater on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 and will begin at 6:00 pm. Please call the museum at 401-598-2805 with any questions. For more information about Chef Wheeler del Torro, please visit his website, www.wheelerdeltorro.com.
Location & Directions
The Culinary Arts Museum is located at 315 Harborside Boulevard on the Providence and Cranston city line, in Rhode Island. From I-95, take Exit 18 and follow the sign to Allens Avenue. At the traffic light, turn right onto Allens Avenue and go straight for one mile. The street name will change to Narragansett Boulevard; continue straight. Turn left after the Shell gas station at the traffic light onto Harborside Boulevard. The Museum is located in the first building on the left. Parking is available in front of museum.
Johnson & Wales University (JWU), founded in 1914, is a nonprofit, private, accredited institution with campuses in Providence, R.I.; North Miami, Fla.; Denver, Colo.; and Charlotte, N.C. An innovative educational leader, JWU offers a broad range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs that inspire professional success and lifelong personal and intellectual growth by integrating arts & sciences and experiential education with leadership and personal development opportunities. For more information, visit www.jwu.edu.
We are looking forward to joining the Black History Month celebration in Portland, Maine at the University of Southern Maine. The event is free and open to the public - I hope we see you there!