Winter 2012 Cooking Classes - FOR TASTE OF THE WORLD BUFFET INFO -SCROLL DOWN!

Below is the Cooking Class schedule for this winter. Classes are Tuesday nights from 6:30 until 10pm in the Tempest kitchen with Chef Michael Howell. Prices are $89.95 + HST and include recipes, the lessons and a meal at the end of the evening with appropriate libations. Max class size 10 people. If classes on Tuesdays fill up and there is additional interest we may be able to add an additional class on the Monday nights. Please note that the March 20 Class with Guest Chef Peter Dewar is $99.95 + HST

All classes are subject to change or revision.  Cancellations must be received 24 hours in advance

Jan 24 Feast for the Casbah - A Turkish repast

Explore a little of the cuisine of Turkey

Fava – dilled fava bean puree,

Sigara Borek – phyllo feta pastry crisps

Islim Kebab – lamb kebabs wrapped in eggplant

Ispanak salatasi – Turkish spinach, currant, olive and nut salad

Jan 31 Soups - App to Dessert

a soup meal (or three different soups for three other meals)

Wild mushroom broth

Billi Bi (Saffron and mussel soup)

Mango soup and lemon gelato

Feb 7 Bermuda Traditions

Going south to Bermuda this Winter? Know how to make the dishes before you get there!

Bermuda style Fish chowder with Rum and Johnny cake

Cassava Pie

Gosling’s black rum pumpkin spice cheese cake

Feb 21 Simple Mexican

Simple fun Mexican flavours to warm your winter nights

Chicken taquitos

Tequila Lime Swordfish

Barbacoa

Dessert Rick Bayless’ Chocolate Tamales

Feb 28 Hand Made Pasta Class

You don’t need to travel to Tuscany this winter to learn how to make authentic pasta from Durum Semolina. Linguini alla vongole

Lasagna with Mushroom Bolognese

Chocolate ravioli for dessert

March 6 A Taste of Genoa, Italy

On the northwestern coat of Italy, homeport of Christopher Columbus, we explore the cuisine of Liguria: Farinata – open flame chick pea flour pancake

Baked fish with pesto and breadcrumb crust – grilled polenta

Cima alla genovese, stuffed veal roll

Castagnaccio (Chestnut) pie

Tour Tie-in - Cinque Terra 2013 – Visit Cinque Terra, the most romantic coastline in all of Italy, in 2013 with Chef Michael. Learn about the itinerary at this class.

March 20 New Canadian cuisine ($99.95) With Chef Peter Dear

For the Foodies in the House - spend an evening with Canadian Culinary Olympic Team Chef Peter Dewar as guest instructor (minimum 8 students for this class). learn advanced techniques in several modernist cusine areas: Plating ideas (spooning and pulling!), exotic ingredients, purees and sauces, Spherification, Sous Vide - recirculation cooking and more.

April 10 Indian (Punjabi) cuisine

ahh, the sensual flavours of India...

Roti bread

Tandoori chicken

Aloo Gobi Masala (cauliflower curry)

Raita

Besan Ka Halwa

April 17 Spring menus - Cooking with Greens

New greens salads with shaved spring veg

Tuscan fritatta with chard and ricotta

Turkey breast stuffed with spinach walnuts and feta)

Strawberry rhubarb tartlettes

April 24 Spring menus 15˚+ Menus

Spring is definitely here... Your Garden will come alive soon so be ready with recipe ideas.

Rhubarb soup with duck confit

Asparagus with chive hollandaise

Spring Lamb, pea and mint risotto

Rhubarb Syllabub

2012 Buffet Nights

Our TASTE OF THE WORLD all you can eat buffets return this winter.  All are $29.95 + HST (Acadia and other students are $25.95). Please reserve as these are popular!

January 25     A Taste of Turkey

Mercimek Koftesi  - Lentil Pate

Domatesli Kozlenmis Patlican-Biber Salatasi - Roasted Eggplant-Pepper Salad with Tomatoes

Adana Kebab – Grilled Lamb kebab

Spinach Salad - Ispanak Salatasi

Tavuk Koftesi – grilled Chicken Patties

Biber dolmasi – stuffed green peppers

Cacik – Turkish cucumber and yogurt

Fava – fava bean puree

Islim kebab – eggplant wrapped beef kebab

Feta Borek – phyllo wrapped feta, dill and mint

Simple Salad of Tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, red cabbage

Pita bread

Baklava and Halva

February 8 – Taste of the Bahamas

Avocado salad

Crawfish   fritters

Souse chicken

Johnny cake

Baked Macaroni

Bahamian peas and rice

Bahamas Fish Chowder

Grilled Mahi Mahi

Okra Salad

Rum Cake

Baked Banana Custard

Fresh ripe Papaya

February 22 A Taste of Mexico

Black Beans

Fish Tacos

Pico de Gallo

Salsa Verde

Guacamole

Cheese and Corn Empanadas

Grilled Mexican Corn  salad

Chicken taquitos

Tequila Lime Swordfish

Beef Cheek Barbacoa

Creamy poblano Chile Soup

March 7 A Taste of Liguria –

Genoa, Cinque Terra  and Italian Seafood

Farinata – Chick pea Cake

Baked fish with pesto and breadcrumb crust

Grilled polenta

Insalata di Pesce

stoccafisso in agrodolce (cod in sweet and sour sauce)

cima genovese, stuffed veal roll

pansotti, huge ravioli stuffed with vegetables and herbs, and excellent with walnut sauce.

Baci di Dama (little walnut pastries), and Gobeletti, little short breads filled with quince jam.

April 11 – A Taste of Punjab (India)

Roti bread

Tandoori chicken

Aloo Gobi Masala (cauliflower curry)

Raita

Besan Ka Halwa

Mango Rasam

Malai Mutter Paneer

Lamb Masala

Kulfi

TRAVEL ITALY with Chef Michael Howell

Excursions across Italy led by Chef Michael Howell.    Interested in once in a lifetime wine and culinary tours of Italy from North to South? Groups of six-ten. Friends, couples, cyclists you name it...

Our first tour of 2012 (March 27-April 4) is Exploring The Veneto - Shakespeare and Prosecco: Verona, Soave and Venice and tasting amazing DOCG Prosecco.  THIS TOUR IS NOW FULLY BOOKED.

Fall 2012 - Piemonte - an ultra exclusive Wine and food tour - Truffles and Barolo! visit Alba and take in the annual Truffle Festival, go hunt truffles with a master truffle hunter and enjoy them for lunch;  This tour is co hosted by Chef Michael Howell and Michael Palij, Master of Wine. It is a complete insiders tour of one of the worlds great wine regions. Villas in the Langhe Hills, visits to famous cheese regions (Roccaverano di Robaiolo), Asti, Torino and a guided visit to Slow Food's Salone Del Gusto - the world's largest Artisanal Food Show. - 8 days  PRICE UPON REQUEST

Spring 2013 -  Puglia - Olive Oil and history Tour (8-10 guests)- Terlizzi, Lecce, Matera, Ionian Coast - 8 days  We return to one of our favorite regions that is still the REAL Italy. We stay at the majestic Villa Cappelli on the ancient Appian Way outside of Bari Italy, visit grand wine estates like Tormaresca, watch fresh mozarella being made, eat the traditional foods of Puglia like Ceci y Fava, great seafood. Visit the ancient Sassi in Matera, swim in the Ionian at a private beach club, and explore the mesmerizing Castel del Monte.  Chef Michael hosts cooking classes and takes you to great markets to explore the food and culture of the south. $3995 + HST

Summer 2013 - Cinque Terra and Liguria! (6-8 guests) This will be an extraordinary seafood tour. Visit (we will walk!) the amazing Cinque Terra Coastline for several days and then head north for a visit to Genoa and Liguria. Details coming soon

Fall 2013 - Tuscany, Umbria and Rome - 12 days  (12-14 people) This will be a tour co-hosted by Chef Michael Howell and Chef Craig Flinn.  12 people max.  the allure of Tuscany is unparalleled.  12 days exploring Lucca, Florence, Siena, Cortona, Perugia, Todi, the magical ruined city of Civita de Bagnoregio and then three days in Rome visiting the major sites and some of Michael and Craigs hidden favorites a little off the beaten track  
For more information and full itineraries about our Upcoming tours please email info@tempest.ca tour packages email info@tempest.ca

Corkage Free Nights

Chef Michael's first cookbook, ATLANTIC SEAFOOD, is now available !  ATLANTIC SEAFOOD features over 50  recipes from Michael and Tempest, with glorious pictures from Shooterbug Photography. It is available at Tempest Restaurant (of course!),  Box of Delights Bookstore (Wolfville), the Tempest Booth at the Wolfville Farmers Market, Atlantic News (Halifax) and most major booksellers in the region. A great gift for the amateur cook or the seasoned pro!

Reservations are recommended but not necessary

:: Michael is now the leader of Slow Food Nova Scotia,  Michael will direct the Board and, with the help of Co-Chair Craig Flinn, create a healthy balance of fun and interesting activities for Slow Food NS members as well as spur action toward achieving Slow Food goals of healthy eating in schools, preservation of farms a and support for local producers and artisanal products. 

Visit www.slowfoodns.blogspot.com

The main website for Slow Food International, based in Bra, Italy is www.slowfood.com

The Canadian Slow Food site is www.slowfood.ca

Anyone interested in joining Slow Food or learning more may contact me through mail@slowfoodns.ca

:: Michael was very busy as the feature chef on CBC Television's Living Halifax show with Heidi Petracek. He did four episodes demonstrating that it IS possible to eat locally all year round in Nova Scotia. Check the links on these pages to view them online   http://www.cbc.ca/livinghalifax/archives/2008/02/

:: A Good Catch was recently published by Greystone Books and features recipes that use only sustainable seafood. Michael is the ONLY chef in the book with three recipes!

:: Formac Press recently published a compilation of Molassas recipes in MOLASSAS  by Joy Crosby.  All the food styling  for the recipes in the book was created by Michael 

:: The recently published Pumpkin and Squash Cookbook– recipes from Canada’s Best Chefs includes two recipes from Michael and Tempest. Published by Formac Press. Available at bookstores now

:: Where to Eat in Canada has again  recognized Tempest as one of the region's most important restaurants for every year since 2005.  We hope to continue this in 2011

The prestigious Atlantic Canadian Magazine PROGRESS, in its January, February 2007 issue, named Tempest the Best Fine Dining Restaurant in Nova Scotia.

LIfestyle Maritimes Magazine named TEMPEST the Best restaurant in the Maritimes in their Summer 2007 issue 

The Opening of Tempest continues to be featured on the television show "Opening Soon", currently being broadcast in Canada on The Life Network AND the Fine Living Network  as well as the occasional  rerun on Food Network Canada. The 1/2 hour documentary chronicles the opening of the restaurant from inception through opening night. Tempest is only the third restaurant in Nova Scotia to be featured on Opening Soon. Broadcast dates can be checked on  or the Fine Living Network (www.fineliving.com ), Life Network (www.lifenetwork.ca) or Food Network Canada (www.foodtv.ca)

:: The Coast - August 26 - September 2, 2004 - click here

:: Articles and recipes  from Michael and Tempest have been featured in  Occasions Magazine, WISH Magazine, The Chronicle Herald, the Valley Today, The Advertiser, Junkanoo Magazine, Big Game Fishing Journal, Abaco Life, numerous cookbooks, and other magazines.  Saltscapes Magazine featured an article about Chef Michael and a recipe for Asparagus Crepes with Chive Hollandaise. [read the article in PDF]