It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Not sure how many of you are familiar with Saveur, but it is a beautiful food and travel magazine that I’ve been drooling over for years. Perhaps for a more eclectic and refined palate, the editorial and the photography are outstanding; it’s worth picking up if you enjoy reading about the finer things in food porn.
To that end, they are throwing their annual Holiday Social on December 13th at the Astor Center, and I am trying to snag a ticket to one of the workshop sessions. There are Highland Park cocktail lessons from Dev Johnson of Employees Only, wine lessons from the husband and wife sommelier-duo behind The NoMad and The Breslin, and my personal favorite, Chef Florian Werhli of Triomphe will be demonstrating his reinvention of the classic beef wellington. That’s really all I want in life around the holidays: tender beef wrapped in flaky puff pastry. It’s like a present wrapped up in an even greater present.
Big brunch fan? Maybe you snag a ticket to the 11 AM session hosted by Black Seed Bagels and Mile End Deli creators, Noah Bermanoff and Eli Sussman. Bonus points if you’re Jewish – it’s a Hannukah brunch. You’ll help them prepare a feast of latkes and smoked whitefish, and then get to eat it. Would it be weird if I brought my own bagel from Black Seed?
The tickets are a bit pricey ($110 each), but you get a lot of goodies! AND I am a big fan of promoting charitable food events, especially around the holidays, so half the proceeds of the Holiday Social will be going to City-Meals-on-Wheels. And for ticket holders, here is what you will be getting with your ticket purchase:
Your workshop class (view the options and descriptions here)
Access to Shop + Taste (which can be bought solo for $45!), a 2-hour tasting of holiday bites and cocktails brought to you by notable purveyors like Liddabit Sweets, Eataly, Brooklyn Slate, Salt of the Earth Bakery, Shearwater Coffee, and more.
A copy of Saveur’s New Classics cookbook (a $40 value). My mom bought me Saveur’s The New Comfort Food cookbook a while back and it’s one of my favorites, so I can stand behind this reco pretty hard.
A Saveur canvas tote
Complimentary gift wrapping
Access to newly released and signed cookbooks
So for that foodie friend who likes to indulge, or a family member who wants to expand on their wine knowledge, this might be the perfect thing for you to do together. Isn’t that what the holidays are all about anyway? Food and togetherness? I say YES.
See ya there!
