Written on October 12th, 2009 by no shouts
This year, the Bid 4 Boquete Annual Auction received a donation from the executive chef of Bistro Boquete, Lauretta Bonliglio, to present a live cooking class about “how to create Mexican dishes in Boquete using local ingredients”. I quickly volunteered my “Boquete Gourmet Kitchen” for the event.
Now, I’m busily sorting out my kitchen – can you imagine having a world-class chef cook in your kitchen? The event is coming up quickly. I only have a few days to “get my act together”.
I’d include a photo of my pantry, but I know you wouldn’t want to see how it looks now. It’s the sort of place where I know where everything is, but no one else could find anything in there. First, I’ll get rid of all those leftover plastic containers, I have dozens of them and not one top matches any bottom.
My cupboards aren’t too bad, I only need to hide the odd, mismatched plates, bowls and cups, that should be easy. All my serving pieces are of different patterns, styles and sizes, so the dinner will be served in an eclectic manner.
Once I get my kitchen all sorted, cleaned and organized, the tabletops will be the next challenge.
The cooking class has a Mexican theme, so I’ll set up the dining tables in a Mexican style, something like the photo, except the plates will be bright and shiny Fiestaware and each plate will be a different color. The assorted serving pieces will fit in just fine, making the tables even more colorful.
Maybe a low dish of bright flowers from my garden would give the tabletop design a festive look. Red, white and green crepe paper streamers stretching across the tabletop would add even more flare. Of course, the food will be the highlight of the dinner and I know how beautiful and delicious it will be, especially when presented on the Mexican-decorated tables. Watch for “showtime” tabletops here soon. 
Written on October 3rd, 2009 by no shouts
The most successful fundraiser to ever be held in Boquete is the BID 4 BOQUETE AUCTION, a one-day event held at our local fairgrounds on the first Sunday in December each year. This event draws hundreds of folks, not just those attending the event, but so many business owners, residents and visitors who donate time, talents and items to make this such a success.
This year for the first time, special events are happening on days prior to December 6 and this is the first one scheduled. Lauretta Bonfiglio, Executive Chef of Bistro Boquete Restaurant, is donating a cooking class to be held in The Boquete Gourmet’s kitchen next week. All proceeds will go to the Bid 4 Boquete effort. The poster above is probably too small to read, but I wanted to show how beautifully designed the event is and Lauretta’s Mexican theme, “Taste of Mexican Mole”.
Chef Lauretta probably uses fine-quality commercial kitchen equipment in her restaurant and I can easily see that my kitchen is in dire need of updating. Now is the time to upgrade, so I’m busy equipping my kitchen with the finest cooking items available around this area.
Monday in David, I found a Cuisinart 12 inch, stainless steel skillet, the one with a small handle opposite the long handle, AND a very fancy Cuisinart 11 cup, stainless steel food processor, Model Number DLC-2011CHB. I’ll need to study the detailed manual to learn how to use it, it does so many things and it’s so powerful compared to my 25 year-old Black & Decker model.
You can read about finding my saucier in a recent blog. Several small utensils, serving pieces and large bowls will need to be purchased in order to make this latest upgrade to my kitchen complete. You’ll be able to see a complete inventory of my updated kitchen in future blogs, please check back soon.
Chef Lauretta’s class sold out almost immediately and it’s happening next week. I’ll be ready.
Thanks to Bid 4 Boquete for giving me the opportunity to donate the use of my kitchen for such a worthwhile cause, and thanks to Chef Lauretta for donating her time and expertise to help our Boquete community. The students are in for a fun-filled evening with Lauretta and without them, this project would not have been possible.
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