Buick Discovery Tour

          I recently had the opportunity to attend the Buick Discovery Tour at the Waltham Westin. It was a great event themed around discovering new food, wine, and the new 2014 Buick line up!

          I went with my friend Michelle, and when we arrived we were greeted and given more information about the event. We'd start with some hors d'ouvres and then break out into smaller groups where we would get to test drive the cars, attend cooking demos, and taste wine!

          We started with the test drive, and both Michelle and I decided to try the Turbo Verano, Buick's fastest and most sporty model.

          It was a lot of fun, and having never driven a Buick before we were both impressed by the smooth ride, luxurious leather seats, and touch screen navigation system. The model we drove including sun roof, leather, and navigation was surprisingly affordable in the low 30Ks. I would definitely consider it next time I'm shopping for a car!

          The rest of the day was centered around food and wine, and we started with dessert first at a cooking demo by Pastry Chef Hedy Goldsmith. Chef Goldsmith works at the award winning restaurant Michael's Geunine in Miami, and recently published her first book Baking Out Loud.

 

          She demonstrated a delicious panna cotta with fresh basil and berries, which we were able to try afterward. The flavors were incredibly rich, but the dish was still relatively light for a dessert. After watching the demo, I felt like this was simple enough to make I could even try it at home!

 

          Our second demonstration was by a local Boston Chef, Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother. I tried Hungry Mother once several years ago when it first opened, and was impressed by the creative Southern Style cooking. 

 

          Chef Maiden demonstrated a corn meal crusted catfish, fried and topped with a made from scratch crawfish remoulade. It was delicious, and made me want to try Hungry Mother again soon!

          After the mini sessions, the entire group came together for a wine tasting with Michael Green. He taught us some basics about pairing food with wine, and how the right dish can completely change the flavors of the wine (making it even better). I enjoyed the wine, but it was his personality that really made this one of the most memorable and entertaining demonstrations of the evening!

          The last session was with Chef Michael Psilakis, the first chef to win a Michelin star for a Greek restaurant. He gave a truly inspiring talk on Greek cooking and what motivates him, and prepared a delicious Gryo inspired beef slider for us to try.

          The slider was delicious, and I especially loved the flavors of the yogurt sauce and cornichon on top.

          Chef Psilakis was generous enough to give away signed copies of his cookbook to all attendees, the perfect ending to a fantastic evening!


*Food / Chef photos courtesy of Intersport, Vehicle photos courtesy of General Motors