Last month Chef Adam Pechal and Feeding Crane Farms partnered to host the first in a series of Second Saturday classes at Lulu's Kitchen. Pechal will be holding another class this Saturday, April 13. This week’s class features wine and cheese pairings and recipes with Sean Minor Wines. If the March event is any guide, expect a good time and some delicious food. With Pechal’s gregarious personality and proven skills, you may even learn a little about about cooking along the way. Here's how things went down during the March class. The event was appropriately billed "Beer, Beer, Beer," and a variety of brews from Berryessa Brewing Company did indeed flow freely throughout the evening.  Gue

Fans of Tuli Restaurant Group’s Chef Adam Pechal will have to wait until next week to see if this local celebrity made it past the audition phase of ABC’s new culinary reality show, “The Taste.” However, there was still much to celebrate at the premiere party held at Restaurant THIR13EN on Tuesday, Jan. 22. Pechal, the man of the hour, networked with over 200 guests and family members – shaking hands, taking pictures and talking about his role on the new ABC show. The crowd consisted of “foodies and friends” according to Neill SooHoo, a local hair stylist and attendee at the premiere showing. “I am one of his (Pechal’s) best clients,” says SooHoo. “I love how diverse it is here…there ar

Adam Pechal has dreamt of landing a gig on the small screen for years. Not for his stage prowess though, but for his culinary artisanship. Chef Pechal – the head chef and owner of The Tuli Restaurant Group – is in it to win. He’ll make his debut on ABC’s new reality cooking show, “The Taste,” on Tuesday, Jan. 22. “I’ve been trying to get on a show for a few years with not much success,” said Pechal. “I have a casting director who’s always been in my corner and liked what I did. She gave me a call and told me there was a new show. I went and tried out and it stuck this time.” Pechal has been whipping up culinary delights in Sacramento since he started cooking at the age of 17. A graduate

Sacramento’s chefs are gearing up for an all-or-nothing competition with meat patties, lettuce, tomatoes, buns and secret sauces as the weapons of choice to claim the prize of being the cook behind the city’s best burger. Fifteen local restaurants prepare to go head to head at the inaugural Sacramento Burger Battle charity cook-off Tuesday Sept. 18 at Raley Field to raise money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. Sacramento Burger Battle founder Rodney Blackwell said diners will enjoy sample-sized burgers, live music from Hero’s Last Mission, beer, wine and apple cider, dessert and the ability to cast their vote for the people’s choice burger. A panel of five judges from

Martinis, mojitos and mixology rule the day during Midtown's Cocktail Week, Aug. 19-26. The week features seven days full of cocktail tastings, mixology courses and the cocktail week bartending competition. Midtown Cocktail Week was founded in 2008 by mixology experts Erick Castro and Joe Anthony Savala to celebrate Sacramento’s thriving cocktail culture. The following year they formed the Cocktail Collective, comprised of industry professionals and cocktail enthusiasts, to help with the planning of cocktail week. In honor of election year, the theme of this year’s cocktail week is “A Spirited Debate.” According to Elizabeth Studebaker, Midtown Business Association Executive Director,

Feeding Crane Farms reversed the process on local organic farms – instead of growing something and selling it, farmers ask local chefs what they want, and then grow it, said General Manager Shannin Stein. She added that her goal is to help create a fully sustainable local food scene within the next five years. “We’re doing things the way nature meant for us to do things,” Stein said. “We feel like it’s gaining momentum and that we’re not just a business, but a voice for social change in the food business.” Feeding Crane Farms is located in Natomas within city limits and currently has more than 80 acres of certified organic lands, with four and a half in use at one site and five in use a

Monday evening, 40 guests were welcomed into Red Lotus Kitchen and Bar by friendly staff and the smell of hops-smoked chicken wafting through the restaurant. These individuals gathered together for the fourth in a series of ongoing dinners known as the Slow Beer Movement. Hosted by Red Lotus and Formoli’s Bistro, the dinners are meant to highlight local food and, of course, beer. In the past, foreign beer, such as the Belgian brew Duvel Green, had been featured, but recently the event founders felt that finding a place closer to home would coincide better with their practice of supporting local food. That evening, each of the five courses and even the dessert was paired with a beer from A

Tuli Bistro owners Adam Pechal and Ulrike “Ulli” Lesk Petersen previewed the space and menu of their second restaurant, RESTAURANT THIR13EN, on Friday. The restaurant is located on the bottom floor of the Sterling Hotel at 1300 H St., where the restaurant Chanterelle was until it closed last January. All evening invited guests were provided teasers of THIR13EN’s menu, which included oyster shooters, sous vide quail wings, seared scallops, Kurabuta pork belly and seared sirloin with potato puree. Each guest was also provided a drink ticket to sample offerings from their full bar, such as wine from Berryessa Gap Vineyards, international beer taps and a number of signature cocktails. Peters