Tag foodie

Parties That Cook Welcomes Summer Intern: Meet our Newest Marketer

This week, the Parties That Cook team is excited to welcome a new Marketing Intern! As with any PTC intern, we’re showing her the ropes and teaching her what it really means to be a corporate events company. It’s only day 2 of her 3-month stint with us, and we’ve already shipped her out to see our San Francisco team in action. As we tell most folks who are unfamiliar with our hands-on cooking parties, the best way to fully grasp what we do is to experience it, first-hand. I’ll let her introduce herself – take it away, Erin!

Hey all,  I cannot even begin to express how thrilled I am to be working with Parties That Cook for the summer! This is a company that, after only one day, has proven to be even more amazing than it looked on paper — err, online. There are many reasons to come to San Francisco, but first and foremost for me is to learn. I first heard about Parties That Cook through my college, Bibby Gignilliat’s alma mater. I first thought, “How could one company manage to take everything I love about life (food and people) and spice it up by making a career out of it?!” Luckily, they selected me for the internship, and now I get to spend the summer here.

I have been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. What began as an excuse to eat cookie dough has morphed into a journal of recipe clippings, “Iron Chef” parties complete with judges and secret ingredients, and more recently, elaborate and elegant dinner parties with parents and friends. Basically, the kitchen is where the party’s at.

Hailing from Denver, Colorado, I’m already impressed with the San Francisco food scene. There are so many restaurants to experience and enjoy. And so much SUSHI! It actually reminds me of Boulder, CO. Walking down Pearl Street, you can satisfy just about any craving you can think of – delicious and exciting! Still, my favorite eateries are the local hole-in-the-walls.

If you ever find yourself in the Denver area, I recommend checking out El Tejado, a local go-to for Mexican fare (IF you are in the know, that is). They might just make the best Carne Asada I’ve ever tasted. I’m drooling just thinking about it! And their Tomatillo Sauce… YUM. One great thing about tomatillo sauce is that it goes with practically everything: scrambled eggs, tamales and especially quesadillas, a college girl’s best friend. In fact, while I was browsing through the PTC recipe library, I came across this gem of a Quesadilla Recipe: Cheddar, Bacon and Leek Quesadillas with Tomatilla Sauce.  If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen!

The Latest Bay Area Gourmet Ghetto

You may have heard of Berkeley’s famous “gourmet ghetto” around Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, and you’ve surely heard the term applied to SF Mission’s 18th Street strip since the opening of Tartine Bakery, Delfina, Pizzeria Delfina and Bi-Rite Creamery.  But have you heard of the gourmet ghetto on Fillmore?

With TacoBar finally opening up for dinner in Pacific Heights last night and Citizen Cake reopening in its new location in the heart of Fillmore Street this month, what exactly is the deal with the latest dubbed “Gourmet Ghetto? “  According to Parties That Cook’s founder, Bibby Gignilliat, who also lives in the neighborhood, the Gourmet Ghetto designation comes from the real estate world alluding to the fact that hot restaurateurs and chefs have recently moved or opened satellite locations in the Upper Fillmore section of Pacific Heights. While this section of Pacific Heights was unaffordable to those same chefs and restaurateurs when they first started on the scene, now that they have become more established they have flocked to the area to create an incredible new foodie haven.

Shelly Lindgren, of A16, opened SPQR with Italian inspired cuisine and wine on Fillmore in 2007.  Pizzeria Delfina finally got into their space on California Street in 2008, after getting beat out for it by Zao Noodle Bar when they first looked at the space several years ago. Charles Phan, of The Slanted Door, opened Out the Door, combining Vietnamese cooking technique with local ingredients, late last year on Bush Street.  Dosa, an urban Indian dining experience showcasing regional Southern Indian specialties, recently opened up a second outpost at Fillmore and Post.  Other notable mentions in the area include Woodhouse Fish Company, Fresca for Peruvian cuisine, Florio for French fare, and La Boulange Café & Bakery (part of the Bay Bread Group).

With a plethora of cuisines from around the world, whether it be Mexican, Peruvian, Indian, Italian, French, Vietnamese or simply pizza or fresh bread, how can you resist paying a visit to this Gourmet Ghetto?  Familiar with any of these restaurants?  Leave a comment and let us know what you think!