Hi everyone! We’re Ginger and Holly Howell – Welcome to the Seasonal Kitchen Cooking School, now in its 45th year of bringing great food and good times to foodies everywhere. Our menus change constantly, always using seasonal, fresh ingredients, and hopefully making life easy for the cook.
Ginger doesn’t make dishes that take hours to prepare and she doesn’t use ingredients you can’t pronounce or buy at the market. She loves to entertain, but she wants to be with her friends, not working in the kitchen! She hopes that her food is reasonably healthy, but she does admit to a certain predilection for butter, cream and chocolate – hey, it worked for Julia!
Holly is wild about wine and a Certified Sommelier from the Master Court of London. But don’t let that scare you! Her classes are "serious" fun. Spend an hour or two with Holly and her knowledge and enthusiasm will transport to you to places from the Finger Lakes to the Greek Isles!
In between classes by the two of us, some of the best chefs in town do demonstrations here and these classes are really popular – we even have a 4-star chef from a fabulous Vermont restaurant who pops in twice a year – and he has plenty of fans! The Seasonal Kitchen is a fun place to be. You’ll get great instruction, a terrific meal and go home armed with recipes and pairing ideas to do your own party. Come and see us. We’d love to meet you!
$70
Monday, December 9 6:00 PM
Tuesday, December 10 9:30AM
Wednesday, December 11 6:00 PM
Yule Mules – how Christmasy is that? Roasted shrimp cocktail with Bloody Mary sauce for nibbles. Uncork a classic Burgundy to serve with lovely filets of beef napped with wild mushroom sauce and crumbled Gorgonzola, velvety puree of potatoes and parsnips and shredded romaine with parmesan and pine nuts. Bring out an elegant chocolate tart with chambord sauce for dessert and take a well-deserved bow – you’ve just outdone yourself!! Joy to the world!
$75
Monday, January 6 6:00 PM
Tuesday, January 7 9:30AM
Wednesday, January 8 6:00 PM
Let’s start with a hot artichoke dip and the only wine that loves those naughty artichokes, Sauvignon Blanc. A nice salad course showcases California goat cheese with greens and pears and it’s just right with a North Coast Pinot Noir. Margit Mondavi’s elegant Merlot braised pot roast is served with scallion mashed potatoes, haricot verts and what else? – a Mondavi red! Butterscotch pecan pie seals the deal for this seasonal wine dinner.
2017-11-27
Theeeeeyyyyyy'rrre BACK! The most fun you'll have in just one hour. Join us on the third Wednesday of each month (except when noted), for a taste of Art Rogers incredible cuisine paired with wine choices from his award-winning wine list. Holly will walk you through the pairings, and when we're
Hi Wine Lovers!
We're going to AUSTRIA! The AMAWaterways River Cruise I will be hosting next year will be down the romantic Danube river from Germany to Austria to Budapest. Check it out!
Hi Wine Lovers!
We're going back to BORDEAUX! Back for a second tour due to popular demand! Check it out!
Debbie has been one of our most popular guest chefs for years. She is a culinary genius, and one of the best bakers we know. She and Holly love to do food and wine pairing classes and they are always looking for a fun new theme. Downton Abbey? The Titanic? The Great Gatsby? We are always open to ideas! Dressing up for class is HIGHLY encouraged.
The genius behind all that diverse cuisine at St. John Fisher. Tall, handsome and incredibly talented, he should have his own Food Network Show!
We've been fans of Dan since we first met him years ago! He is a Rochester signature, and has cooked in some of the area's best kitchens - the Daily Planet, the Rochester Club, Restaurant 2Vine, Rio Bamba, Tonic, Pearl, Max Rochester and Rooney's. You also might recognize him from "Cooking at Home" with Dan Eaton on Cable News! We are thrilled to have him as a guest chef at the Seasonal Kitchen.
Carrie and Andrew Morabito were the owners of the fabulous "2Foodies" Wine and Spirits Shop on Ridge Road in Greece! They brought a whole new style of wine and food appreciation to the Rochester foodies. Now, Andrew has become a Seasonal Kitchen regular guest chef, and we just love his cooking! His classes feature his own homemade recipes along with a sampling of some of the unique wines that he discovered while in the wine biz. Their motto - "Wine + Food = Fun!". We couldn't agree more...
This cake is a knock-em-dead winter dessert! It serves a crowd and the caramel sauce is outrageous - we could drink it with a straw!
Nothing is more comforting on a frigid wintry night than a bubbling pot of fondue. A hearty appetizer that could easily become a yummy supper with sausages and/or salad. While a Swiss fondue is always appealing, just give this twist on the tradtional a try. You're gonna love it - I guarantee!
Holly's Tip: Whatever wine you use in the fondue, serve that same wine as an accompaniment. For example, if you use Riesling, serve a nice Finger Lake Riesling alongside. If you use Sauvignon Blanc in the recipe, serve a nice bottle of Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc from France). Or if Chardonnay is your thing, put a little in the fondue, and serve the same wine alongside!
This Pot Roast is a tried and true classic! Found years ago in a cute monthly newsletter called "Cook and Tell", it is sweet and spicy and the gravy is a wonder. In a hurry? Skip the marinating - its still a perfect 10!
This insanely easy and delicious winter appetizer will please kids 8 to 80! Serve with Frito Scoops and bet you can't eat just one!
Such an easy pickle to pickle! Ginger has been making these pickles for 40 years. Somewhere in between dill and sweet, they are the sidekick for our Christmas raclette, perfect in potato and ziti salads, and a Howell burger is hardly legal without them. Another great gift for the holidays, and that is how it all began 40 years ago when Ginger received a hostess gift jar with recipe attached!
Your basil is going gangbusters, and you can only eat so much pesto! Basil jelly is beautiful and delicious, and lamb is hardly legal without it! Make the infusion now and freeze it ’til you have time to “jelly.” Recipe is on our website. Seal in pretty jars for unique holiday gifts. Go, green!
This recipe is adapted from a deli in the Hamptons and described by them as "bright yellow and nearly addictive"! We've been told to package it - it is so sensational. We surround the salad with cantaloupe balls and make it for parties numbering four to forty!
What? You haven't been to Laurier? We're almost loathe to brag about this little gem in charming downtown Mendon for fear that we'll never get a seat again!
