Jim Voltz is spilling his secret: mise en place.
Mise en place, which translates from French to "put in place," is the practice of getting all ingredients measured and set out along with kitchen tools and pans before you start cooking.
It's the secret to low-stress entertaining, said Voltz, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu and who, for years, has hosted dinner parties on the porch of his Crystal Lake cottage.
His cookbook, "Dinner on the Porch," is now available. He'll be signing copies Saturday at Peppercorn, 226 E. Front St. in downtown Traverse City, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The sit-down dinners, with six to 12 guests each week, usually featured classic French cuisine. Voltz started giving cooking classes last summer.
Voltz was an engineer for 30 years and, while working in Paris, enrolled in the Cordon Bleu's training for non-professional chefs. He met Julia Child in 1985 at a wedding (she hosted the brunch, but the food was catered) and they became good friends.
The cookbook, which features recipes he uses to entertain on his porch, also features stories about his guests. For more information, go to www.dinnerontheporch.com.
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Taste the Local Difference, an agricultural endeavor of the Michigan Land Use Institute, is hosting a tasting June 30, 6-9 p.m., at the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa.
Executive Chef Ted Cizma will give cooking demonstrations, the Glenn Wolff/Angelo Meli Trio will provide music, chefs and producers will be on hand and there will be, of course, food, all of it locally grown and produced.
Reservations are required; call 534-6430 and mention the Taste the Local Difference Event. Admission is $10 per person.
For more information, call 941-6584, ext. 21, or e-mail janice@mlui.org.
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Plans are shaping up for the first Global Wine Pavillion at the National Cherry Festival.
The three-night event -- July 9-11 -- will be held at the former Clinch Park Zoo property and will showcase local, domestic and international wines as well as 15 beers.
More than 90 wines have been selected by Ron Edwards, a master sommelier from Petoskey.
There's a $10 entrance fee that includes a pour of the night's featured wine and a crystal wine glass manufactured by Stolzle.
Matt Sutherland, cofounder of the Epicurean Classic, is putting the event together. Tickets are available at www.cherryfestival.org or by calling 947-4230. Tickets will also be available at the event.
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Upcoming Learn Great Food tours include "Wharf and Wine," a farmers market tour, July 16, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., beginning at the Leland Farmers Market. Chef Perry Harmon on Sweeter Song Farms will be helping with the cooking and Larry Mawby, of L. Mawby Winery, will do the pouring. Cost is $50 per person. For more information, go to www.learngreatfoods.com.
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Babe Toteff, of Elk Rapids, says the best way to make "pickles" on a hamburger cake is with slices of kiwi. Strawberry slices can double as "tomatoes," she says. She uses a recipe she found at FabulousFoods.com that makes a full-size cake that looks like a hamburger, using yellow cake for the buns and brownies for the patty.
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Blu, a restaurant on Lake Street in Glen Arbor, is celebrating its first anniversary and will be open seven nights a week beginning June 28.
The restaurant is also introducing an early bird first seating at 5 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. with a prix fixe menu that includes soup or salad, entree and dessert for $26.
For more information, go to www.glenarborblu.com or call 334-2530.
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If you have food news or recipe questions, send them to Jodee Taylor, 120 W. Front St., Traverse City MI 49684, e-mail jtaylor@record-eagle.com or call 933-1511.
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