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PAST Lectures

 The Chemist in the Kitchen

 Chef Michael Giletto will demonstrate how chemistry and physics are needed to create new textures and flavor profiles in today’s kitchens
  

 Michael Giletto is Executive Chef at the Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman, NJ and a culinary instructor at the JNA Culinary Institute in Philadelphia, where he himself was trained in the culinary arts.

Loic Barnieu
Owner and Executive Chef
La Belle Epoque Café & Picasso Restaurant and Bar

    When Chef Loic Barnieu isn’t portraying the French Patriot Marquis de Lafayette at the American Historic Theatre in Philadelphia, he can usually be found creating a savory entrée at one of his two downtown Media, PA, restaurants.
    Barnieu, owner and self-taught executive chef of Picasso Restaurant and Bar and La Belle Epoque Café in Media, PA grew up in a small village in Bergundy, France. Barnieu always had a knack for cooking but admits he learned a lot from his grandfathers who were both in the business – one a bakery owner and the other a restaurant owner and chef. When he wasn’t busy observing his grandfathers at work, he pursued his other passion – acting.
    In fact, shortly after high school, Barnieu moved to Paris and enrolled in theatre school. He worked in production for a French television network and appeared in numerous plays. But Barnieu felt he needed a change of pace and scenery, so with little fanfare he moved to the United States and settled in Philadelphia. Barnieu quickly picked up the English language and even became involved in the Philadelphia theatre scene.
    For now, Barnieu has his sights set on creating two of the most distinctive restaurants in the Philadelphia area. La Belle was awarded “Best French Restaurant” by Main Line Today in its July 2006 edition. Two years earlier the publication named it the “Best Restaurant in Media.” The trendy Picasso is also on the move and has recently kicked-off a monthly wine tasting event, a DJ night, a brand new Web site, and an enticing new menu.

 About Picasso Restaurant and Bar
    Picasso Restaurant and Bar has gained quick recognition for both its exceptional Spanish-Italian fusion cuisine and its remarkable wine and beer list. Picasso’s special events include a Friday happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., wine tasting dinners the first Wednesday of each month, and DJ night, every Friday from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. Picasso Restaurant and Bar is located at 36 West State Street, close to the corner of Olive and State Streets in downtown Media. Picasso’s is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday and for dinner Tuesday through Sunday. For more information, call 610-891-9600.

 About La Belle Epoque Cafe
    Serving Breton crepes for lunch and traditional Steak Frites for dinner, La Belle Epoque Café offers a traditional French bistro menu with a modern twist. Moreover, the restaurant has an exquisite wine and beer list. Reservations are recommended and required for parties of 6 or more. La Belle Epoque Café is located on 38 West State Street in Media, PA. For more information, call 610-566-6808.  

Christina Pirello

Christina Pirello is the inspiring Emmy Award winning host of the television series, "Christina Cooks," airing on over 135 public television stations nationwide, 50 countries internationally, through the Discovery Health Network, and on Comcast's CN8 Network. Christina is the author of three best-selling books: Cooking the Whole Foods Way; Cook Your Way to the Life You Want; and GLOW, A Prescription to Radiant Health and Beauty. At age 26, Christina was diagnosed with terminal leukemia, and deciding to forgo conventional medical therapies she turned to macrobiotics and cured herself. Today Christina teaches whole foods cooking classes and conducts lifestyle seminars and lectures nationwide on the power of food in our lives, in a variety of settings - from natural food stores to corporate boardrooms to Network TV. No lives are left unchanged when she leaves the room.  
 

Bev Shaffer

Bev Shaffer is an author, food writer, and culinary instructor, as well as the director of Mustard Seed Market and Cafe Cooking Schools in Akron and Solon, Ohio. She has developed more than eight thousand recipes on a wide variety of subjects, including seafood, sides and grains, and desserts, and has received many national and local commendations and more than 120 cooking awards.
Chef Shatter has made over seventy appearances on all four major Cleveland networks and is the producer and host of an award-winning cable show. Her weekly radio spot on Akron, Ohio's WAKR"s "Morning Drive Time" program features quick and easy seasonal recipes with tips. She is the coauthor of the cookbook No Reservations Required and a columnist ( "Ask Bev") for the Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine.
A member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Chefs Collaborative, and Woman Chefs and Restaurateurs, Chef Shaffer is also a founding member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, Cleveland-Northeastern Ohio Chapter.