Coverings etc host Wok Star!

Lots of laughs, fun, prizes and Wok Stars cooking including HGTV's Design Star Mark Diaz, Marti TV reporter, journalist, architect, models, attorney...

Wow, what an amazing event space! Coverings etc. is located at Miami Iron Side Campus, Miami. THANKS for hosting me! 

I'll be writing a full post later but couldn't wait for you to see these shots last night.

Thanks to sponsors Fiji Water and OWS (Gancia Prosecco), San-J Intl. tamari, Koon Chun hoisin & brown bean sauce, Earthy Delights gourmet mushrooms, MySpiceSage spices, enjoyed by all.

Sent from my iPhone
www.wokstar.us

Wok Star class at Jungle Walls Miami

Thanks Peter, Jungle Walls Miami for hosting another enjoyable cooking class.

Thanks everyone for coming to my Wok Star cooking class today! Thanks to new Wok Star Maggie who came to pick up her Wok Star Kit and took this group shot for us. Most other shots taken by Carl Hildebrand on my iPhone.

A delicious Rainbow Lettuce Wrap appetizer and Gancia Prosecco greet guests when they arrive.

Jenna looks so proud of the sauce for the Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy & carrot stir fry. She was surprised how high the heat was and thought her shrimp was burning but turned out crunchy on the outside and juicy inside.

Howard is going to be very popular with his dates, showing off his new Stir fry technique! I think he liked the food, he went for thirds he told me.

Jenna got this class for Howard's birthday prez, what a sweet sister. Notice the mint 'stick' behind them? We plucked some off to sprinkle into the Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer.

The AMAZING Jungle Walls Miami lookin' good. Peter can custom make any hydroponic plant wall!

Jonathan is already a Wok Star but brought his daughter, Ivy Marie cause she wants to be a professional chef!

Peter Kastan and Barney enjoying a cold, refreshing Fiji Water, it was a scorcher today.

Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy and carrot stir fry in cast iron wok and gas stove setup. A typical one-dish dinner for busy weeknights.

Sexy Dejha enjoying her shrimp stir fry.

Ivy Marie showing off her stir fry skills. She stir fried zucchini, yellow squash and red bell peppers for the Tilapia in spicy brown bean sauce. It was a hit! The Tilapia is melt-in-your-mouth tender and absorbs all the flavors from the sauce.

Sent from my iPhone
www.wokstar.us

Mother's Day, Asian Pacific Heritage Month, Miami River Wall

Miami River Wall, newest venue to

host Wok Star cooking classes

I'm very excited to announce Miami River Wall is my newest venue to host my Wok Star cooking classes and just in time to celebrate Mother's Day and Asian Pacific Heritage month which is in May. I want to dedicate this month to my mom who is responsible for teaching me wok cooking and introducing me to using a lightweight, cast iron wok!

So, what is Miami River Wall? Peter Kastan and Bob Pelligrini started their first vertical plant wall based on Frenchman, Patrick Blanc's concept. Here's a small segment of Peter last weekend at Fairchild Tropical Food and Garden Festival during his Pecha Kucha talk.

Lovely to see Peter Kastan with wife Mei and son.

But they took it one step further and recently added a new wall with herbs, chilies and edible flowers - all grown hydroponically i.e. no soil, just water and nutrients. How perfect for my cooking classes because I like to use fresh ingredients.

Peter switch on the lights for the herb wall

I like this living wall better than having a piece of art because it's constantly changing instead of being 2D static. It's also a very refreshing and cool idea and at the same time eco-friendly and green!

Mei is responsible for planting the walls!

Even though I put my cilantro in a jug of water and put a bag over it to keep it longer, I still can't use it fast enough. How I would love to have a fresh herb, chili wall. Well, at least on days I'm giving my class, I'll get to spend time with it.

Come join me for a Wok Star cooking class where I show you my simple, NO-RECIPE technique using my Wok Star Kit. And with only a few fresh ingredients and seasonings, dinners are easy and quick with very little cleanup! There'll be 4 stir fry combinations savored with Gancia Prosecco and Fiji Water.

If you love to express yourself, show off to your date, or learn a new approach to making weeknight dinners, this class is for you! Cooking is more than just about food, it's about creating experiences and memories with family and friends...

Anyone can be a Wok Star!

Click to book your class, buy a Mother's Day gift certificate, view menu and more class details

Celebrate Mother's Day on Miami River

Wok Star Class

$55 per person

Saturday, May 8: 12pm-3pm

Miami River Wall

129 NW South River Drive, Miami

Celebrate Asian Heritage Month at the following venues:

Saturday, May 15: 12pm-3pm

Whole Foods Market, Pinecrest

FREE DEMO

Wok Star class

$55 per person

Saturday, May 22: 12pm-3pm

Mia Cucina, Aventura

Wok Star class

Miami River Wall

Sunday, May 30: 12pm-3pm

Look forward to meeting you at a class soon...

Happy Mother's Day and Asian Pacific Heritage Month...

Eleanor

Celebrate Year of Tiger with the Wok Star! (Updated)

Red signifies good luck and prosperity and I just like red, so lots of it!
That's a lovely, round lacquer box for crystallized snacks.

Dragon dance

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY!

Year of the Tiger falls on the same day as Valentine's Day this year! So, there are many, many events around Miami. I have 4 events scheduled (see below), so I won't have time to cook for my friends or organize a gathering this year. But here are some dishes I made from previous Chinese New Year celebrations. I actually did manage to cook a cozy, simple dinner for my sister and husband and will post in a separate blog: Chinese New Year - simple home dinner is best!

Visit your Asian market and get red packets and decorative stuff to put all around your house.

Sesame Noodles served room temperature
and Roast Chicken from the Asian market (easy).

Cucumber Pickle and Char Siu,
best savored with ice cold Tiger Beer and Fiji Water

Chinese desserts: coconut tarts, melon pastries,
almond cookies, crystallized snacks, tangerines

Well, I already broke my no.2 resolution which was to call 3 Wok Stars a week! No. 1 resolution was to "open my umbrella" and be more "open" to new ways of doing the same thing. So, now I'm going to add no.3 resolution which is to CHANGE the way I do things. I read this quote on Twitter and it was an "AHA" moment. It was something like: To succeed, focus on CHANGE not RESULTS. CHANGE is good. I love to stir things up, so this year I'm going to be full of CHANGES.

For Tiger folks, here's one to help Tigers get together and stay together. I can't vouch for the accuracy or anything but fun to scan through.

So many wonderful Asian food bloggers have produced some amazing posts for Chinese New Year, do visit them:

Bee of Rasa Malaysia is one of my favorites, it is beautiful and has a Chinese New Year series from a variety of guests.

Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen does an incredible job with step by step photos. If you've still not bought her book, there's a 40% discount on her Steamy Kitchen Cookbook if you hurry. She gave me a nice mention in her book, thanks Jaden!

Andrea Nguyen, recently had her book published, Asian Dumplings. Her Viet Kitchen blog is full of Vietnamese foods and stories. Here's her Year of Tiger traits, horoscope etc.

Diane Kuan, an accomplished writer and cooking teacher listed the Chinese New Year Foods - Top 10 picks.

Jen Lee was a research lab scientist so she loves to experiment. Here are her Chinese New Year Recipes.

Paula Nino of Mango and Lime listed a number of Chinese New Year events around Miami.

2 Wok Star Classes - Healthy and absolutely yummy
A perfect combination of socializing, entertaining and learning

Ready for CHANGE? Try my NO-RECIPE approach for weeknight dinners. Using a few fresh ingredients and seasonings is all you need for weeknight dinners, all cooked in a cast iron wok.

$55 per person

4 dishes savored with Gancia Prosecco and Fiji Water

door prizes from sponsors

handouts with Asian markets and brands of ingredients

2 woks and gas stoves going

reservations and prepayment required

click for menu, more details and gift certificates

1. Saturday, February 13: 12pm-3pm

upscale Italian kitchen design by Antonio Citterio

3140 Ponce de Leon Blvd., Coral Gables FL 33134

Scenes from last Saturday's class. Chinese New Year setup at Arclinea.
Thanks to Arclinea for hosting me, always fun there!

photo credit: Christine Najac

SouthFloridaFoodandWineBlog.com

Vegetable platter ready for stir fry, eaten with

Soy sauce chicken and Char Siu from the Asian market.

Thanks Christine for sharing your wonderful photos and making it a "live" twitter event.

photo credit: Christine Najac

I demonstrate how to "cut" vegetables Asian style.

photo credit: Christine Najac

A selection of Chinese cakes: coconut tart, bite size almond cookies and melon pastry.

"Graduation" photo by Christine Najac

Here are my photos from the class at Arclinea, enjoy!

2. Wednesday, February 24: 7-10pm

custom Italian kitchens and baths

Brickell Financial District

53 SW11th Street, Miami, FL 33130

Tall orchid arrangement made a dramatic presence in the beautiful Italian kitchen showroom, so welcoming and cheerful. Thanks to Pedini Miami for hosting me and all the work you put in to make this happen. I was also honored that David, the GM came fro Sarasota to experience this event. Plenty of drinks especially Gancia Prosecco and Fiji Water to go with my Rainbow Lettuce Wrap appetizer while everyone got to know each other.

Two cast iron woks and 2 portable gas stoves setup ready for Wok Stars and the big sizzle!

Soy chicken and Char Siu are usually warmed in the microwave but I was so excited about scoring this new venue, I forgot to ask if they had a microwave oven! I solved this quickly by having Hayli (my assistant who keeps me sane and a Johnson & Wales culinary graduate, see her in Wok Star tee below.) to warm chicken in the rice cooker and I warmed up the Char Siu in the 2 woks, worked out perfectly! It's actually how I like to warm up roast meats from the Asian market at home, so much tastier. Another great use of my cast iron wok.

"Graduation" photo by Angie Chen, see more photos.

Angie is studying to be an art director at The Miami Ad School and kindly took photos at the class.

Here are my photos on Flickr. Lots of you enjoying Rainbow Lettuce Wrap Appetizer, thanks for coming.

Thanks to Plum TV, Megan Harris for promoting this class on 5 best things to do this week!

If you're interested to take my Wok Star cooking class with me, all the photos will give you a good idea of how I run my class.

2 WOK STAR APPEARANCES:

I'll choose from a selection of fresh veggies and protein to show quick, easy, one-dish dinners cooked in my cast iron wok.

1. Sunday, Feb.14: 2pm

FREE with festival admission ($10)

Coconut Grove Art Festival

Culinary Pavilion

South Bayshore Drive, Coconut Grove, FL 33133

The Culinary Presentations get better every year, this year, they even had cameras to shoot closeups projected on big monitors! Thanks to Coconut Grove Art Festival for inviting me back the 3rd year! Thanks to many who signed up for my newsletter/cooking classes (hope to see you soon.)

Check out other demonstrations! Chef Douglas Rodriguez is right after me. My buddy, Chef Hugh Sinclair is on at 4pm with his delicious Caribbean dishes. Thank heavens my sister came to help me out, I used my oil to fry an egg for breakfast and didn't put it back in my caddy! I got my sis to run to the Creperie booth to get some oil. BTW, next time you go to this festival, get the Skirt steak with spinach, mushrooms and cheese, it was very good, tender big chunks of beef. I was recommending to everyone.

2. Saturday, Feb.20: 1-4pm

FREE DEMO in Produce Dept.

Whole Foods Market - Pinecrest

11701 S. Dixie Hwy, S.Miami, FL 33156

Join me in the Produce Department where I'll be showing how to make healthy, easy, one-dish, weeknight dinners. Using my NO-RECIPE technique and Wok Star Kit to "mix and match" a variety of fresh veggies with grass fed beef and shrimp. My Squirt, Squeeze, Shake of a few seasonings is all you need for a simple and yummy, sizzling stir fry meal that even picky kids will eat! I'll post about what I learned from this demo soon! That's why interacting with a live audience is so important, I learn what problems people are having with their wok cooking or "what's for dinner?" syndrome.

P.S. Just got a nice email to say they "loved having" me there and invited me back in May, yay, will keep you posted.

You might also enjoy more Chinese New Year Celebrations:

Chinese New Year - simple home dinner is best

Year of Ox - 2009:

Year of Rat - 2008:

Akzent host Wok Star cooking class (Updated)

Architect/owner, Cristina Raidt and Wok Star Eleanor at AKZENT showroom

AKZENT exclusively showcases Zeyko's beautifully, handcrafted kitchens made in the Blackforest of Germany. Even though the showroom closed soon after this class (very sad), AKZENT is still operating! You can contact Cristina through her website and tell her Wok Star sent you. Cristina is a true Super Woman, she has 4 kids and still manage a Zeyko showroom in Costa Rica as well as helping her husband's business. She is from Costa Rico and studied architecture in Germany in German (not her mother tongue!) Amazing, as an entrepreneur, I really appreciate what she's accomplished.

Akzent, Coral Gables

Akzent
Handcrafted German kitchens, eco-friendly

Akzent - Country Pannacotta

Cristina Raidt, architect/owner
host
Wok Star Cooking Class with Eleanor Hoh
A perfect combination of socializing, entertaining, learning
a beautiful setting and lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon...
Cristina and Peter Raidt checking me out!

Saturday, October 24 12pm-3pm
Akzent
40 Miracle Mile
Coral Gables, FL 33134

Akzent - Eiche

You'll learn how to make quick, easy, weeknight,
one-dish meals with little cleanup!

This class is targeted towards:
- architects and designers (many who have attended are Wok Stars!)
- people who are into cooking and kitchens and
- busy professionals!

Enjoy Rainbow Lettuce Wrap Appetizer with Gancia Prosecco
Using fresh ingredients, a few seasonings and a sizzling, cast iron wok.
Wok Star's failproof, NO-recipe technique that's fun and creative.

A Wok Star Kit will get you started so you can Be A Wok Star!

4 dishes paired with
Gancia Prosecco (sponsored by The Other Wine and spirits)
and Fiji Water
Wok Star Eleanor laughs it up
Wok Star Eva wokin' veggies for tilapia dish
(photo by Cristina)

Wok Star Eva got her Wok Star Kit and here are her comments:

I have been quite busy with the wok...My husband loves it. He even told me that he had been waiting for this kind of cooking for years!

Tonight was another great meal, salmon with eggplant, bok choy and cherry tomatoes in the sweet Currysimple sauce. Dinner was done in 10 minutes. It was delicious!

I made for them beef stir fry Sunday for lunch and my oldest even ate the asparragus and carrots. I couldn't believe it!

Wok Star Eva and hot, flyin' wok action!

Wok Star Eleanor cooking tilapia fish in brown bean sauce.
(photo by Cristina)

Visit class for details, menu and payment options.
Reservations and prepayment required
Plse commit NOW so you're not disappointed
Class is filling up fast.

If you're thinking of coming to a Wok Star Class or want to give a gift certificate(great for any occasion), these
photos from that class will give you an idea of what to expect. Angie Chen, studying to be an art director at The Miami Ad School kindly took them to share with us.

"This is my flickr link to Album "Wok Star Oct. 24".
I really love to take pictures in your class and feel the energy from those people who love to cook!
Thank you for inviting me! Wish to join another amazing class as soon as possible :)"

Eleanor has appeared on CBS, NBC, Fox & Friends, Plum TV.
Radio interviews incl. Martha Stewart Living and WLRN.
Demonstrations incl. Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Epicure Market,
Coconut Grove Art Festival, Las Olas Wine and Food Festival.
Video review by Eating Well.
Class review by Jackie Sayet for New Times Short Order Blog
as well as numerous Miami food bloggers:
The Amateur Gastronomer
Mango and Lime
Miami Dish - view slide show and audio bite interview
The Mighty Blonde

Hope to see you there...
Wok Star Eleanor