A Foodie Event

I have always thought that foodies were a little weird. You know, those people who are constantly talking about the newest kitchen gadget or yapping about this great recipe or that one. But, it has come to my attention that I have become a foodie, and in fact, coming from a full blooded Virginian family, I am, at my core, a foodie. Hello. I’m Danielle. And I am a foodie.

That being said, some of you may not know that Milan, Ohio, population 600 and my home town, has one of the top 10 culinary schools in the world! Seriously! It’s called the Culinary Vegetable Institute. They have so many cool things going on, including Veggie U where they teach kids about eating healthy.

Knowing that my Grandma Margie is one of the south’s most original foodies, we got together and bought her a Cooking Class for her birthday, which naturally included a class for each of us. So Monday night my Aunt Beverly, Grandma, my mom, and my Aunt Brenda, and I experienced our first CVI cooking class.

Now, to clarify, this is a sit at a nice table and watch the chef cook your meal kind of class. There were probably almost 200 people there and the menu included Olivada Crostini, Bourbon Roasted Wild Turkey, and Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake among many many other dishes. We had a great time and we even had a visit from Farmer Jones, the owner and operator who always wears signature blue overalls and red bow tie. And just for good measure, her is a picture of my own little Farmer Jones

Maybe next year we’ll get tickets to Paula Dean’s cooking class at VCI. One can only dream…