Boston Flora

Tag: Ana Sortun

  • Saturday, April 29 – Sunday, May 7 – Small-Group Cooking Experience on the Aegean Coast of Turkey with Ana Sortun

    This 8-day Culinaria is special in so many ways. You’ll have hands-on cooking classes with two incredible cooks—Chef Semsa Denizsel, who left her well-loved restaurant in Istanbul, Kantin, and created the Cooks Grove, a cooking and event space near Ayvalik on the Turkish Aegean Coast, and Chef Ana Sortun, beloved, amazing chef and owner of Oleana, Sofra and Sarma.  The hands-on cooking lessons at Cooks Grove will be in small groups of 12 maximum, giving you lots of individual attention. We’re excited about this new format—half the group will cook with Semsa, a well known Turkish chef and dear friend of Ana’s, while the other half explores cheese farms, the market, cultural sights the town with Ana. Then, the two groups switch!

    We’ll also explore markets, visit food producers, and eat at restaurants that Chef Semsa knows and loves. We’ll also be accompanied by Banu Ozden, who is incredibly knowledgeable about Turkish food and wines, and is a great friend of Ana’s and Oldways’. No doubt! You’ll have an extraordinary experience.

    Since we’re on the Aegean Coast of Turkey, we’ll also visit two historic sites—Pergamon and the incredible Ephesus, south of Izmir. We’ll have wonderful meals in and around Izmir, and you’ll be able to experience the Izmir market, wineries, a fish auction, and the making (and tasting) of katmer, a truly delicious Turkish breakfast dish.   

    In addition, if you (and others) are interested in a food tour in Istanbul at the end of our 8 days by the Aegean, we can make arrangements for a very special food tour experience with Banu Ozden. Questions?  Please read our Travel FAQ here. Call us at (617) 896-4861, or email us at Travel@OldwaysPT.org

    For complete daily itineraries, cost, and flight information visit Oldways Cultural Food Traditions website HERE.

    Photo courtesy of Cooks Grove

  • Friday, October 28, 6:00 pm – James Beard Foundation Taste America

    Join the James Beard Foundation at The Langham, Boston (250 Franklin Street) on Friday, October 28 for a night of culinary stars benefiting the work of the Foundation.  The menu will be created by John Besh, a Taste America All-Star from Besh Restaurant Group in New Orleans, local favorite Ana Sortun of Oleana, and Host Chef Mark Sapienza of The Langham.  Guest Emcee is  Jenny Johnson, two time Emmy award winning producer and co-host of NESN’s Dining Playbook.  The reception will feature tastings by Karen Akunowicz of Myers & Chang, Irene Li of Mei Mei Group/Brookline, Peter McKenzie and Susan Regis of Shepard/Cambridge, Michael Scelfo of Alden & Harlow/Cambridge, and Jeremy Sewall of Row 34/Boston and Portsmouth.The James Beard Foundation is proud to donate a portion of the evening’s proceeds to the James Beard Foundation’s Taste America® Scholarship Fund. From April 1 through May 15, 2017, local culinary students are invited to apply through jamesbeard.org. Tickets ($275) may be purchased online at http://tasteamerica.myshopify.com/collections/boston.

  • Tuesday, January 12, 6:30 pm – A Bazaar of Flavors: Bringing the Middle East to Boston

    The 2016 Ayer Mansion Lecture Series kicks off Tuesday, January 12 at 6:30 pm with Ana Sortun, Executive Chef and Owner and Maura Kilpatrick, Executive Pastry Chef, of Oleana Restaurant Group (Sofra, Oleana, and Sarma), with a program entitled A Bazaar of Flavors: Bringing the Middle East to Boston.  Wine and cheese will be served at 6:30 followed by the lecture at 7.  The Ayer Mansion is located at 395 Commonwealth Avenue, and tickets may be purchased online at http://www.AyerMansion.org.  $35 per person.

  • Monday, January 19, 6:30 pm – Whole Grains and the Mighty Chickpea

    Sofra Bakery will present Whole Grains and the Mighty Chickpea on Monday, January 19 beginning at 6:30 pm at their store located at 1 Belmont Street in Cambridge. Whole grains are currently popular on the American culinary scene and in the vocabulary of home chefs. They have long been a staple in the cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean. Hailed for their nutritional value, fiber, and protein content, whole grains provide rich sustenance and can stand on their own in entrée dishes. We add to the mix one of our favorite legumes – the chickpea. Chickpeas can make appearances in so many formats: whole, ground into flour, or pureed into dips. In this class, Chef Ana Sortun will demonstrate Cauliflower Gratin with Fried Quinoa & Nigella Seeds and Pork Belly with Ribolitta & Grano. She will also feature a dish created by Sofra’s new Chef de Cuisine, Didem Hosgel: Potato Kofte with Chopped Radish Salad. To finish off the evening, Chef Ana will conclude with three different styles of Hummus – with bread, Syrian-style & “Taverna-style” with lamb. Please note that this class may end slightly later than 9:00 PM. Place your name on the waitlist at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/whole-grains-and-the-mighty-chickpea-tickets-14609771219. Fee: $110.

  • Saturday, September 21, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm – Farm-Raiser Dinner

    Saturday, September 21, 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm – Farm-Raiser Dinner

    Join Chefs Ana Sortun and Barbara Lynch, Mixologist John Gertsen, and the Siena Farms’ team to help purchase the Farm’s largest, most fertile, and most cherished parcel of currently-leased farmland here in Sudbury on Saturday, September 21, from 5:30 – 10, rain or shine. This 26-acre set of agricultural preservation restriction protected fields will be theirs to farm for generations – with your support!

    This unforgettable night of celebration will include cocktails in the fields themselves, live music, and a multi-course feast from the fields with wine pairings in the greenhouse, at the peak of the 2013 harvest season.

    All proceeds from the 2013 Farm-Raiser Dinner will be used toward the down payment of this farmland purchase, which is under agreement and scheduled to close on July 18th, 2013. We’ve been anticipating and preparing for this opportunity for over three years, and your contribution now will play a pivotal role in making this historic transaction possible for Siena Farms.  All 100 tickets for the Farm-Raiser Dinner must be sold by July 12th to meet Siena Farm’s goals.

    After your purchase, Farmer Chris will follow up with you directly by email to confirm your reservation details. Please call Farmer Chris directly at (978) 479-0019 with any questions about the Dinner, the Field or Farmland Packages, or the farmland itself. Please note that Farm-Raiser Dinner reservations will be transferable but not refundable, and that the purchase cost is not tax-deductible.  Tickets are $1,000 each, and there are special benefit packages available at http://www.sienafarms.com/farm-raiser-dinner.php.

    SFCSASupper-021

  • Monday, October 22, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm – The Apple Lover’s Cookbook Class

    Join local author Amy Traverso at Sofra, 1 Belmont Street in Cambridge, on Monday, October 22, from 6:30 – 9,  as she takes us through her fabulous cookbook all about apples! Amy will be preparing several recipes with Chef Ana Sortun, sharing with us her stories and inspirations, and answering all of your burning questions about this fall favorite. Registration for this class includes your own, author-signed cookbook to take home! Fee $130.  Sign up at http://applecookbook.eventbrite.com.

  • Monday, October 1, 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm – Farm to Fork Cooking Class

    Do you need some new ideas to help you get the most out of your veggies – no matter what the season? Oleana Chef de Cuisine, Cassie Piuma, joins us to share some flexible recipes that can be used with different vegetables all year long. Get out of your steamed-veggie and stir fry rut! Friends from Ana Sortun’s family farm, Siena Farms, will also join us for the evening as we make Boreks, Phyllo Pies, Caponata, Tzatziki and more.

    Classes include a recipe booklet, tastes of all dishes demonstrated, beer or wine pairings (depending on class topic) and plenty of time for Q & A with the Chef!  $110, plus $3.74 registration fee, at www.farmfork-eorg.eventbrite.com.  The class will take place Monday, October 1 from 6:30 – 9 at Sofra, 1 Belmont St., Cambridge.

  • Saturday, January 28 – Sunday, January 29 – Be Healthy Boston

    Be Healthy Boston is a two day urban wellness retreat, right in the heart of Boston, at The Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer Street.  Meant to educate, inspire and empower members of the Boston and surrounding communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles, Be Healthy Boston promises to be a unique experience in a unique environment, like no other.

    There’s lots to look forward to! Just a few things include:

    Learning how to adopt a healthy lifestyle holistically
    Sampling new and exciting fitness classes from local studios
    Trying acupuncture, reiki, and other integrative therapies
    Enjoying mini-massages and other spa-therapies
    Speaking with local health and wellness experts and business owners (Siena Farms owner Chris Kurth and his fabulous chef wife Ana Sortun will be among them)
    Be Healthy Boston will be more than just an event; it will be an experience like no other. Nowhere else can you meet face to face with local wellness providers, services, and businesses, all of which can help you create the healthy lifestyle you want, all under one roof.

    Your Two-Day Pass includes:

    15 Workshops on innovative topics, including nutrition, stress management, and green living
    Sample fitness classes in Gyrotonics, Yoga, Kettlebells, Zumba and more
    Mini spa treatments and integrative therapies from Aveda, Chuan Body + Soul, Spa Intercontinental, Massage Envy and others
    Coaching and wellness consultations with leading wellness coaches
    Cooking demonstrations with award-winning chefs, such as Oleana’s Ana Sortun
    Book signings with best-selling authors, great take home gifts and plentiful samples
    Healthy and delicious lunches and Saturday early evening reception
    Silent auction to benefit Dana Farber’s Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies
    and more!

    Be Healthy Boston is a two day urban wellness retreat, right in the heart of Boston! Meant to educate, inspire and empower members of the Boston and surrounding communities to live and maintain healthy lifestyles, Be Healthy Boston promises to be a unique experience in a unique environment, like no other.

    There’s lots to look forward to! Just a few things include:

    • Learning how to adopt a healthy lifestyle holistically
    • Sampling new and exciting fitness classes from local studios
    • Trying acupuncture, reiki, and other integrative therapies
    • Enjoying mini-massages and other spa-therapies
    • Speaking with local health and wellness experts and business owners
    • Attending innovative workshops
    • Participating in cooking demonstrations with local restaurants and chefs
    • Meeting like minded Bostonians interested in their health and wellbeing
    • And more!

    Come to Be Healthy Boston and be inspired to create the healthy life you deserve!
    Attending innovative workshops
    Participating in cooking demonstrations with local restaurants and chefs
    Meeting like minded Bostonians interested in their health and wellbeing
    And more!

    Come to Be Healthy Boston and be inspired to create the healthy life you deserve! For complete information, log on to www.behealthyboston.com.  Register by January 8 for the best price ($79 – $159).

  • Thursday, March 10, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm – CitySprouts’ 10th Anniversary Gala

    Ana Sortun, award winning chef of Oleana Restaurant and author of the terrific cookbook Spice, and Mel King, Boston community organizer and advocate for urban youth,  host CitySprouts’ 10th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, March 10, from 6 – 10 pm at the Hotel Marlowe in East Cambridge, Massachusetts.  CitySprouts introduces school gardens as a core element of children’s public school education. Based in Cambridge, MA, CitySprouts school gardens ensure that hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and the experience of growing and eating food becomes part of the public education all children receive.You will enjoy an elegant evening with dinner, silent auction, and program.  For more information, call 617-876-2436, or email CitySprouts at info@citysprouts.org.