The Art and Science of Biscuits: Two Chefs, Two Methods

1901 Vine Street,Philadelphia PA 19103

08 June, 2022

Description

Learn the secrets of biscuit baking from two of the region's finest Southern-inspired chefs! Join two of Philadelphia’s best southern-inspired chefs, Valerie Erwin and April McGreger, as they share their secrets for flaky and fluffy biscuits while discussing the possibilities of baking as a form of political resistance. Part science and part art, biscuits remain elusive even for experienced bakers. There is no better way to learn technique, however, than baking alongside a couple of pros. Valerie and April will discuss ingredient selection, cooking and dough-handling techniques, the many different styles of biscuits, as well as the value of traditional, homespun cookery. After observing their varying methods, you will see there are many paths to delicious biscuits. This class will give you the confidence to find the one that works for you! Please notify us in advance with any dietary restrictions. All proceeds from ticket sales go towards supporting the Culinary Literacy's Center programs for youth, neighborhood engagement, and English language learning. Please note our complimentary tickets are sold out for this program. Please email [email protected] with additional questions. About the Presenters: April McGreger is a writer, chef, culinary historian, and the founder of Farmer’s Daughter, an award-winning pickling and preserving company, that she she operated in North Carolina for 11 years. She first learned the art of preserving at the elbow of her mother and grandmother in a small Mississippi farming town. Her wanderlust led her to a master’s thesis on a volcano in Italy before the call of kitchen could no longer be ignored. She worked her way into a pastry chef position at the nationally acclaimed Lantern Restaurant in Chapel Hill, NC. There she honed her skills and her palate while discovering her passion for working with seasonal local fruits. She spent years researching vernacular preserving traditions around the world before founding Farmer’s Daughter in 2007. Her stories and recipes have been published in many publications, including The New York Times, Bon Appetit, The Local Palate, Martha Stewart Living, and many more. She has written three cookbooks, including The Complete Guide Guide to Canning & Preserving that was published as a special edition magazine by Centennial Media. North Philly native Valerie Erwin specializes in the food of the Lowcountry, where her grandparents were born. She opened and operated the critically-acclaimed Geechee Girl Rice Café, which showcased the foodways of the Geechees—descendants of enslaved Africans living on the coast of South Carolina and Georgia—during its twelve-year tenure in Mount Airy. Valerie has worked under a number of Philly food legends including Judy Wicks (La Terrasse) and Steve Poses (Frog Commissary) before opening Geechee Girl and later managing the pay-what-you-can EAT (Everyone at the Table) Café. She now focuses her attention on writing and speaking about food, culture, and food justice in the hospitality industry. She serves on the boards of the Southern Foodways Alliance as well as the Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network and was featured in Netflix's mini-series High on the Hog in the episode "The Rice Kingdom."