We are fans of big flavor here at HK, and spice blends are a great way to bring that extra-something-special into your kitchen. Lior Lev Sercarz’s spice blend company La Boîte à Epice is based out of Hell’s Kitchen and we are thrilled to carry five of his masterfully created blends on our retail shelves – Kibbeh is Ali’s personal favorite.

Our teaching kitchen spice rack is the pride and joy of our chefs, thanks to Lior’s wholesale spices. The thick and sticky vanilla beans we get from La Boîte shock every chef and guest, and our jars of spices inspire constant curiosity in our students. 

 Whether you’re looking for a curry blend to finish off your Indian rajma, a sweet addition to kick your hot chocolate up a notch, or a Middle Eastern blend to bring your backyard barbeques to the next level, Lior is the spice master defer to! 

Lior’s class at Haven’s Kitchen on April 30 received rave reviews and he will be back at the end of June to teach again. 

COOKING WITH… SPICES

JUNE 29 . 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Join us for a global culinary adventure as we turn simple dishes into exotic and delicious meals, with Lior Lev Sercarz, owner and master spice blender of La Boîte à Epice. Lior understands the endless dimension that spices bring to foods, savory and sweet, and invites you to explore the flavors, colors, textures, and smells of dried spices with him. Along with learning how to buy, grind, and store spices, we will prepare a memorable meal and a spiced cocktail to boot!

To sign up for a please email us at classes@havenskitchen.com or call us at (212) 929-7900.

Have any idea what the shop at Haven’s Kitchen sells the most of every week? 

It’s granola.

Yup, the snack often reserved for hikers has been one of our best sellers since we opened our doors at HK.  One taste of this sweet and salty treat and you will be hooked. And you don’t have to take just our word for it.

“This granola is absolutely amazing and I would LOVE to buy some more” –Matt V.

“I just got home and tried the granola-it is delicious!”  -Loryn K.

“You have to stop by and pick up a bag of the best granola ever!” –Billy A.

It is still a mix of nuts, oats, and fruit, but it can be oh so much more than that.  Mixed with milk, layered it to a whipped cream parfait, or snacked on by the handful; this versatile mix perfectly balances sweet and salty with chewy and crunchy.  The snack is sold in one and two pound bags, and Chef Julia even whips up special HK granola cookies that we sell in our retail shop. 

Delicious, good for you, and made right in the HK kitchen!

Our favorite dish, appearing on private event menus this month, is Grilled Long Island Striped Bass with Garbanzo Bean ‘Tapenade’ served over a bread salad, rich with olive oil and balanced with herbs, dandelion greens, and lemon juice. Striped bass is one of our favorites – and a sustainable and local choice, to boot!  

It’s spring time at Haven’s Kitchen and lots of exciting things have been happening, including our first supper club with the team from Little Wisco.  But, you can’t throw a great spring dinner party without libations to match. So I put together a couple of spring time cocktails especially for the occasion, where I highlighted ingredients specific to this end of winter/beginning of spring time. 

Ah, the power of pasta. 

Can anyone deny its uncanny ability to delight the palate and the mind after just one bite? And when it comes to fresh pasta, I think we can agree that by simply combining it with a few carefully chosen ingredients, we can produce a remarkable meal.

In our most recent Fresh Pasta class, students were able to make two types of fresh pasta dough under the direction of our very own Executive Chef Julia Sullivan. Julia created her pasta recipes based on the seasonal produce already in stock at Haven’s Kitchen, and students successfully washed, cut, and cooked everything in order to produce a 4-dish dinner, which they enjoyed with a glass of wine around our communal table at the end of class.

Before getting to work, Julia provided students with a spring-inspired toast, consisting of fresh garbanzo beans, mascarpone cheese, and a hearty drizzle of olive oil, served on bread from Grandaisy Bakery. That’s certainly not a bad way to start any type of class.

After a brief demonstration from the chef, students got busy preparing their fresh pasta dough, of which they made two variations:  fresh egg pasta dough, which is most commonly used throughout France and northern Italy, and pici pasta dough, a thick, hand-rolled pasta originating from Tuscany.

Once students formed their pasta dough, the class watched as Julia demonstrated how to properly and most efficiently use a pasta machine (Julia demonstrated on both electric and hand crank machines).

Students then worked in groups to prepare three different cuts of pasta: farfalle, tagliatelle, and pici, which is similar to a thick, rustically formed spaghetti.

Of course pasta only becomes a meal when it is mixed with a hearty serving of sauce, and that is how students finished up the class before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of their labor with a glass of white wine.  Everyone gathered around the main island as all six burners were going at once, sautéing asparagus, mushrooms, ramps, sausage, and broccoli raab.  

Once everything was plated, the moment everyone was waiting for arrived: sitting down together to enjoy fresh pasta and a Tuscan kale salad.  On the menu for the evening was, from left to right, pici pasta with sausage, broccoli raab, & red chili flakes,  Tuscan kale salad with grapefruit supremes, parmesan & an anchovy-garlic dressing, farfalle with ramps & pecorino, as well as tagliatelle with mushrooms, asparagus, preserved meyer lemon, & roasted walnuts. 

Whether students arrived in class with absolutely no pasta-making experience or with the desire to improve upon their current skills, everyone left that night with more pasta knowledge than they had upon arrival.  Julia was always available to answer any type of question, from required moisture level in pasta dough to proper placement of the dough into the machine.  Hopefully the students will repeat these recipes or similar versions of them at home to great success- and we of course would love to hear how they turned out!  Thanks to everyone who came, it was a delight to spend a few hours with you.

It’s been almost three months since the official opening of Haven’s Kitchen and classes are in full swing.  So much has taken place and I’m not sure what’s more enthralling: the undeniable talent and passion of the chefs who teach, or the awe and admiration of students as they view the space, enjoy hands-on classes, and revel in a sit-down meal with carefully selected wine at the end of each class.  It has been an eye-opening experience for everyone and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

While most classes encourage hands-on work, Haven’s Kitchen happily hosted a demonstration class on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, featuring pastry how-tos and lots of sweet treats, led by the talented and gregarious Gesine Bullock-Prado.  Gesine, who exudes a warm personality and an energy level rivaling that of a small army, arrived in New York from her hometown in Vermont to promote the release of her latest cookbook, Pie It Forward.

Immediately upon entering our kitchen on Tuesday morning, about one hour before the arrival of her students, she set to work completing all mise en place and getting all of her equipment in place.  Luckily for the students, Gesine also brought some pie pops (yes, the very same ones that are featured on her cookbook cover) and mini pecan pies for guests to enjoy during the demonstration (both recipes are available in her new cookbook).  On our part, we offered Haven’s Kitchen’s freshly made apricot scones to ensure happy customers and full stomachs. 

Gesine immediately got to work demonstrating how to make puff pastry from scratch.  Several times during the class, she emphasized the importance of resisting the urge to purchase frozen puff pastry.  Her face may have scrunched into one of anger and frustration while making said claim.  She also strove to exhibit exactly how easy making homemade puff pastry can be.  I imagine that if all of our puff pastry could come out as soft and pillowy as yours, Gesine, we would certainly feel the same way.

While lunch was being prepared by our supremely talented Executive Chef Katie Carey, Gesine threw together a quick version of her Strawberry Love Cake (the recipe for which is also available in Pie It Forward).

Needless to say, students were sufficiently stuffed and satisfied after morning pastries and scones, an afternoon springtime lunch, and a large, layered, enticing slice of Strawberry Love. 

Gesine’s class further demonstrated to me the remarkable ability food has to bring strangers together for a few hours of conversation, learning, and gustatory pleasure.  Haven’s Kitchen has established an enclave for the enjoyment of good food and good conversation, and I am delighted to see what the next few months have in store – especially with all of the spring and summer produce that’s about to come our way!

Back to Basics – Soup & Salad 

April 25, 2012 at 9:30 am

A few months ago, while Haven’s Kitchen was still under construction, we began to think up the types of classes we wanted to offer as part of our cooking school. Our mission inspired a number of Back to Basics classes – classes intended to bring students back to the fundamentals of cooking at home and to remind them that the kitchen can be a source of joy, health, and enjoyment. Soup & Salad is the perfect class for a reintroduction into the kitchen, as the topic covers a wide range of skills and can incorporate a wide diversity of seasonal vegetables.  

Chef Becker is a New York native, and is the corporate executive chef of EMM Group, overseeing menus for Meatpacking hot spots Abe & Arthurs, which specializes in steak and chops; multi-level seasonal seafood concept CATCH, with Top Chef season three winner, Hung Huynh; and Lexington Brass, a Midtown American bistro. 

At the age of 27, Becker was diagnosed with type II diabetes. Rather than despair, he transformed his cooking style and became a master using simple ingredients to create dazzling dishes that are equal parts healthy and flavorful. We cannot wait for him to share his story and his cooking style with our guests as he teaches this hands-on cooking class, followed by a beautiful meal, good wine, and great conversation. 

To sign up for class, please email us at classes@havenskitchen.com or call us at 212.929.7900.

Forego the pencil and mark your calendar. Farm Aid and Haven’s Kitchen invite you to a special celebration of our region’s family farmers. 

In 1985, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and John Mellencamp organized the first Farm Aid concert to raise awareness about the loss of family farms and to raise funds to keep family farms on their land. Twenty-six years later, Farm Aid continues to support family farms by growing the Good Food Movement, connecting farmers through the Farmer Resource Network, and organizing action to bring about fair farm policy change.

Now you can take action for the cause… Join us for craft cocktails, tasty desserts, and live music!

 Wednesday, April 18, 2012

9:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Haven’s Kitchen

109 W. 17th St. (between 6th and 7th Ave)

Tickets are $100 each and may be purchased online, or by contacting Kari Williams at Farm Aid at (617) 354-2922.

We’ve certainly had our fair share of firsts here at Haven’s Kitchen – first customer, first cup of coffee, first sold out cooking class, first private party. And although firsts have become familiar, by no means have they become commonplace. Every first has been an experience, anticipated, appreciated, and celebrated equally.  And our first Supper Club was no exception!

Many, many thanks to our amazing inaugural Supper Club team: Chef Eric Milley of Jeffrey’s Grocery, Chef Peter Eco, and Chef James McDuffee of Joseph Leonard!

Upon arrival, guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails (including specialty drinks mixed up by our very own Sous Chef Katie Carey!) while watching Chefs Milley and McDuffee put finishing touches on their dishes.

 Inspiration behind the food: What the chefs wanted to eat the day they sat down to create the menu.

 The dining room was soon filled with chatter, laughter, cheers – not to mention a lively rendition of Happy Birthday!

Riding on the success of our first Supper Club, we are getting excited for our April Supper Club with CHEFS ANDREW LENTZ & SHAUNNA SARGENT. It’s not every night this husband-wife duo is cooking in the same kitchen. He is the Executive Sous Chef at Lincoln and she masters menus as Chef at Betto and Indie Food & Wine. But on April 24, we invite you into our kitchen as the team collaborates on a sit-down dinner and beverage pairings for our guests. It already sounds like wedded bliss. 

APRIL SUPPER CLUB

WTH CHEFS ANDREW LENTZ & SHAUNNA SARGENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2012 

7 PM-ON

TICKET PRICE $185 (PLUS TAX)

haven’s kitchen
109 west 17th street (between 6th & 7th avenues)

To make a reservation, please call 212.929.7900 or email rachel@havenskitchen.com with your contact information and the number of seats you would like to reserve. Seats will be sold first come first serve and must be paid for in advance by credit card.

We look forward to eating with you!

Ashton is the owner of Ashton Keefe LLC, Culinary Lifestyle Services, which specializes in boutique catering, food styling, and culinary instruction. After graduating from Wake Forest, Ashton pursued additional education in Classic Pastry Arts at The French Culinary Institute in New York City. 

Ashton writes and develops recipes for O Magazine, Whole Foods Market Cooking, and Everyday with Rachael Ray. Her work has been featured on Style Me Pretty in conjunction with Sarah Pease, a.k.a. “The Proposal Planner” of Brilliant Event Planning. She was the back-up chef for the Food Network’s “Sweet Genius” and appeared on Food Network’s “Guy vs. Rachael’s Celebrity Smackdown.”

Ashton’s also has her own personal blog, Diary of a Sweet Tooth…feel free to email her too! 

Q&A WITH ASHTON:

What classes have you taught at Haven’s Kitchen?

I’ve taught Winter Produce, Vegetarian Soups, Hearty Winter Foods, Cooking with Legumes, and Tarts!

Favorite NYC restaurant?

Casual elegant food is my favorite and I love Locanda Verde, The Little Owl, and Joseph Leonard. Sitting at the bar is a bonus.

Favorite Ingredient?

Salt! And chocolate! Even better when they’re together. 

All-time favorite meal?

My mom’s meatballs. I bet everyone has an answer like that.

Favorite HK memory so far?

It’s actually a pretty recent one. This week, Haven’s Kitchen hosted a birthday party for about 30 guests. I got to work both at the front and back of the house. Very fun!

What do you like most about Haven’s Kitchen?

The people. It’s impossible to be unhappy working in such a beautiful space with a wonderful staff and students who want to learn.

UPCOMING HAVEN’S KITCHEN CLASSES WITH ASHTON: 

4.9.12 @ 9:30 am       spring into spring vegetables

4.23.12 @ 9:30 am     Eggs, Ouefs, & Huevos 

4.24.12 @ 9:30 am     Risotto

To sign up for a class with Ashton, please email us at classes@havenskitchen.com or call us at 212.929.7900.