Paul Young
Educator, Designer, Culinary Explorer
@cooking.with.paul
@cooking.with.paul.young
cooking-with-paul.blogspot.com
info@cooking-with-paul.com
Chef's Table: Día de los Muertos Banquet
An international feast of scary foods strictly for die-hard foodies
Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, is an ancestral celebration with deep roots in ancient civilizations like the Aztecs. Perhaps the best place to celebrate this holiday is in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca where the parades and festival rituals are the most colorful and most authentic.
Here in Champaign-Urbana, we're going to celebrate this spooky season by hosting an international banquet of unusual dishes and scary foods for adventurous diners. We've scoured the world and curated some of the tastiest but challenging delights from China, Japan, Greece, Russia, France, and of course Mexico. This meze-style small plates dinner will be tied together with special cocktails made with imported Oaxacan Mezcal. We dare you to join us.
About our "Chef's Table" pop-up experiences: Ten lucky guests will be invited to sit right at the kitchen island in "The Nook" at Harvest Market. Every diner will have a front row seat to where the action is and you can watch your dinner being prepared right in front of your eyes. Each dish will be presented by the chef with notes on ingredients, preparation, flavor profiles, and background information about its cultural history. Cooking techniques and modern shortcuts will be also discussed and all your questions will be answered. Seating is strictly limited.
Each course will also be paired with a Mezcal cocktail specially designed by our resident mixologist to enhance your dining experience. Here's what's on tonight's small-plates tasting menu:
Note: All of our pop-up events are all-inclusive prix fixe dinners. This means you get a multi-course dinner complete with wine or other beverage pairings all evening long for one fixed price. Unlike at restaurants, all taxes and tip are included as well.
