Food and culinary professionals from all over the country gathered in southeastern Pennsylvania for the 5th annual Eat Retreat. They were greeted with local beers, fresh baked bread and black cod poached in Enzo extra virgin olive oil—a little taste of what was to come.
As experts in their craft, Eat Retreat attendees led skill-sharing workshops and guided tastings.
Budget Brick Oven
With 45 bricks, 8 cinder blocks, two sheets of metal and a bag of sand, Anthony Calleo built an oven and threw us a pizza party in the woods.
Citrus Tasting
Rick Nahmias traveled across the country with a box of California citrus for a fruit history lesson and blind tasting.
Gluten-free Baking
Baker Erica Fair led a session in baking with alternative flours, resulting in the ultimate breakfast treats.
Knife Sharpening
Sushi chef Erik Aplin taught us how to treat our knives and also demonstrated his fish butchery techniques on a whole bluefish.
Fermentation
Jeffrey de Picciotto and Chris O’Brien discussed fermentation techniques and traditions as we tasted ferments such as miso, koji, kimchi and kvass.
Community Building
In true collaborative spirit, Liz Martin, Liz Fitzgerald, Nadine Nelson, Rick Nahmias and Simran Jaising led a heart-felt session on developing meaningful partnerships and community engagement.
Eggsploration
From tiny quail eggs to the jumbo emu egg, Liz Martin led an investigative workshop all about eggs—included her own backyard chicken eggs.
Cruz de Asado Roast
With a whole pig donated from Stonybrook Meadow Farm, Laura del Campo organized a open-pit whole animal roast for the opening night of Eat Retreat.
A fully-stocked pantry fueled creativity and experimentation in the kitchen. Meal teams used Enzo olive oil to infuse vodka for bloody marys, adorn wood-fired pizza and make authentic Pão de Queijo (fancy Brazilian cheese puffs). And, all attendees took home a bottle of Enzo olive oil for their home kitchens.
A huge moment for me was Tuesday night dinner. I can’t believe I got to cook alongside professional chefs. I love collective cooking experiences, and this one felt like such a special accomplishment.Alex Jones, Value Chain Coordinator at Fair Food Philly
The salty olive oil granola has become an Eat Retreat breakfast tradition. Thank you Enzo for making it possible.
Let’s collaborate again!