This season’s Market to Kitchen series returns for the second time next week with a chef demonstration by Chef Stephanie Bergeman. The free program on preparing homemade salad dressings for use with seasonal produce will be offered June 20, under canopies on the south side of the Coppell FM pavilion, beginning promptly at 10:00 a.m.
Chef Stephanie is a regular market customer, who grew up in Valley Ranch and graduated from Coppell High School. She is the chef/owner of Chef Stephanie, LLC, a company specializing in personal chef services.
She has experience working in several aspects of the restaurant industry, including fine dining service and food preparation. Prior to her degree from The Culinary Institute of America at Poughkeepsie, New York, she also earned a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from The University of North Texas, then studied with the Court of Master Sommelier’s, and subsequently worked in such prestigious outlets as The Dallas Country Club and critically-acclaimed Chef Melissa Kelly’s restaurant Primo in Rockland, Maine.
Leading to this profession, she loved being in the kitchen during family gatherings. For her, being a chef is not just about the food, it’s about bringing people together and making people happy.
Her experience at The Culinary Institute of America and Primo Restaurant taught her “how important it is to use local and seasonal ingredients. Not only do you get the best quality product, but you also get to open up a dialogue with the people who grow and raise your food.
“As a chef, nothing beats local ingredients. Chefs and cooks so often get all the credit for amazing food, but all that praise really and truly belongs to the farmers, ranchers, and food producers that dedicate their lives to producing high quality ingredients. Quite honestly, they make my job as a chef very easy.”
She adds, “Great tasting food is obviously a huge perk of buying local food in season, but there are so many other benefits! Shopping at the farmers market allows you to meet the people that work so hard to grow your food as well as everyone else in your community. Buying locally helps your community’s economy and helps to reduce our impact on the environment. Why wouldn’t you buy local?”
An interesting note she sent the Coppell FM committee about her present career path is that “My business allows the average person to have a restaurant experience in their own home! I provide personal chef services for private parties, in-home cooking classes, and weekly meals.” For more information on next Saturday’s chef, please visit her website www.chefstephaniedallas.com
Music at the Market returns this Saturday with the Lost High Rollers. This local group donates their time and talent to our customers. Tips are a great way to show appreciation.