Dan's Papers - January 11, 2008

Can you believe it? The postcard invitation came directly to my home a few weeks ago. Though my last name was spelled incorrectly (Lombarde), I could tell they wanted me. They said there was only one thing missing - me!

And so I'll send an RSVP to Suffolk County Community College and its new Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management School on Main Street in Riverhead. Now I don't know just why SCCC needs me at its new facility. I'm sure admission folks know I'm a bit beyond college freshman age. So if they're not considering me as a student, they must want me as a professor.

That's rather flattering, especially since the 28,000-square-foot culinary arts and hospitality center (classes begin January 24) has all kinds of great things going for it. Like baking and pastry labs, a demonstration theater, and a restaurant open to the public. Catering, too.

Guess you can see why I'm so excited. I'm gonna get one of those big chef's hats. It's very important to look professional. Then, as a professor, I plan lots of innovation, like new courses. And competitions that show off the North Fork's culinary artistry.

One course I'd like to see developed could be titled "Value and Versatility of the Kitchen Knife." We all know that if you get yourself a good knife, you've got a real friend. Open up a can of paint and use the knife as a sturdy stirrer, or tighten screws on pot handles and apply glue to fabric with the very same knife. A good knife's outdoor use? Dig out tiny acorns stuck between planks on backyard decks. Yes, indeed. Kitchen tools provide super course material.

But food is the heart of the matter. My after-class hours will be devoted to research and development of North Fork culinary arts. I suspect my salary will reflect my considerable effort. Though I have not yet discussed compensation with Richard Freilich, director of the SCCC culinary arts program.

One of my ideas is a "Taste of the Town" event. Even a competition. Here's how it works. One month, special recipes from Riverhead are taught in class and served in the restaurant. The next month, recipes from Aquebogue, the following month, recipes from Laurel. You get the idea. We'll work right through the North Fork all the way to Orient.

Residents of each town will be asked to submit their favorite family recipes. Professors will make a dozen or so selections for each month. And we're off.

To show you the possibilities, I did some investigation even before being officially appointed to the SCCC staff. For example, meet Elizabeth Flores, an eighth-grader at Southold Junior High School. With her mom, Sonja, Elizabeth goes about preparing Pupusas Salvadorenas every few weeks. Think tortilla, beans, mozzarella, onions, green peppers, tomato salsa. And then hope you get an invitation to dinner at Elizabeth's home - or eat at the SCCC restaurant during Southold Month.

If you can't make Southold Month at the school's restaurant, aim for New Suffolk Month. New Suffolk, a small, special North Fork spot, is home to Fran Pesci. And home for Fran is also her kitchen.. Take note, Culinary Arts in Riverhead.

Fran's specialty is stuffed roasted shoulder of veal. I'll not reveal Fran's stuffing secrets. Let's just say students and restaurant patrons will be back for seconds. String beans and oven-roasted potatoes are served up with the veal Fran calls a "middle-of-the-week" meal. Some week.

Finally, sauce. Vicki DePietro has gotta be the sauce champ of Riverhead. Thinly sliced garlic, browned sausage, minced onion, and a little olive oil. Tomatoes, of course. Vicki likes it over ziti while her two just-out-of high-school sons seem to like it over everything. Can't blame 'em. Vicki's secret? Simmer and stir. Simmer and stir.

Whew! This professor job is real work. But beyond my salary, I see one very special benefit. Meals in my kitchen should improve considerably, especially if I sit in on the course listed as Savory French Cuisine. I'll certainly have to remove the plastic tablecloth when I serve savory French stuff. That deserves a real linen cloth. I think I have one packed away in a basement box.

Yep. From now on the North Fork's not just small potatoes.