Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to join a conference call with professional chef Nicole Aloni. We discussed some of the benefits of logistics of cooking with a cooking club. Nicole, and the other bloggers on the call, had so many wonderful tips to share and I knew I had to share them with all of you.

• A cooking club should ideally consist of no more than 4 people. If there are a lot of people who want to be part of the cooking club, split into groups to cook and then everyone can get together to swap meals with the larger group.
• If you need a larger cooking space, call around to local churches and see if any would be willing to share their kitchen with you. You can usually get the use of a large commercial kitchen this way, and usually the only requirement is that you clean up after yourselves.
• When you have extra meals or ingredients, consider sharing them with an elderly neighbor, a family that could use an extra meal, or your local food pantry. You can even plan to do this in advance and turn your cooking day into a service project also.
• A great way to add a gourmet touch to an otherwise ordinary meal is to use fresh herbs.
• When you start with incredible ingredients, a meal takes on a shape of its own.

For the past 5 years, Nicole has been working with Sam’s Club and writing for their monthly magazine, The Source. You can find many of her recipes on the Sam’s Club Recipe Center website, including the recipe for her very special Tomato Jam, that all of us on the phone call were anxious to try. The recipe center is chock full of recipes and ideas that will come in handy for everyone!

Here is some more information on Nicole:

Nicole’s newest book, The Backyard Bartender was released in May ‘07.   In this beautifully photographed book, Nicole brings a chef’s sensibilities and a caterer’s strategies to the art of the cocktail.  As befits the season, these recipes focus on the lush flavors of summer; fresh herbs and fruits are center stage.

Nicole’s first two books, Secrets From A Caterer’s Kitchen and Cooking for Company, continue to receive rave reviews from her students and fans hungry for great recipes and entertaining tips.

Nicole makes frequent television appearances, including The Food Network. Since moving to Seattle, Nicole has made numerous appearances on Northwest Afternoon and most recently completed a series of interviews for KOMO News on strategic shopping. She also teaches cooking and entertaining across the country at schools like Sur La Table, Draeger’s, Central Market, Viking and L’Acadamie du Cuisine.

This year Nicole is launching an online study series for catering professionals called Secrets From Your Catering Coach and maintaining her blog on conscious eating and entertaining.

2006 found Nicole serving as a judge for the James Beard Cookbook Awards and on the host committee for the International Association of Culinary Professionals conference in Seattle.

Most recently, Nicole has completed training as a Career and Life Coach at the prestigious Coaches Training Institute.  Her coaching practice focuses on successful individuals, especially culinarians, who want more.

Prior to writing her latest books, Nicole enjoyed an exciting, diverse career in the culinary arts. She completed the diploma course at La Varenne in Paris and stayed on to work as a chef at chateaux in Burgundy.  In California, she owned her own restaurant, directed one of the country’s most prestigious catering operations and produced a line of gourmet food products.

For six years, Nicole was the Director of Catering at the Los Angeles Music Center where she catered the Academy Awards four times, prepared a state luncheon for HRH Queen Elizabeth II, and produced galas in honor of three American presidents, foreign dignitaries, divas and Julia Child.

After leaving the Music Center, Nicole owned and directed operations for Nicole Cottrell Productions, Inc. for 12 years.   Her company catered elegant events for clients such as the Four Seasons Beverly Hills, the Tournament of Roses and the Kirov Ballet.  Her company also manufactured packaged foods for fine grocers like Vons/Pavilions, Gelsons, Trader Joe’s, Larry’s and Neiman-Marcus.

You can find out more about Nicole, her books, her recipes, and her kitchen methods and tips at her website, NicoleAloni.net.

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