Soulful Cooking Demonstration

Our Soulful Cooking Demo kicks off with Chef Christine Wendland, Executive Chef and Owner of HoopHouse Bakery & Cafe in Bordentown. Wendlund has garnered a reputation in the Central New Jersey region for her authentic, inspired interpretation of local farm fare. She’s also helping to usher in the next generation of cooks as an adjunct culinary professor at Rowan College at Burlington County.

Wendlund was a top graduate from The Culinary Institute of America and has won several awards for creative recipes. Most recently, she was a winner on The Food Network program “Chopped” (July 4, 2017).

Check out the collard greens recipe below!

Soul Food Collard Greens

Ingredients

• 4 lbs collard greens cleaned and cut
• 1 lb bacon ends chopped
• 1 large onion diced
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 large jalapeno pepper sliced
• 2-3 tbsp of white distilled vinegar

Instructions

1. Place the bacon ends in a pot, and place the pot over medium heat.
2. Brown the bacon, add in the diced onions and cook until the onions start to sweat.
3. Add in the minced garlic, and cook for one minute.
4. Pour in the chicken broth, and turn the heat up to high and let boil for 20 minutes.
5. Pour in the two cups of water, and turn the heat down to medium.
6. Start adding the collard greens to the pot.
7. Once all of the greens are in the pot, sprinkle in the seasoning salt and ground black pepper.
8. Add in the sliced jalapeno and vinegar, and stir the ingredients.
9. Cover the pot, and let simmer for one hour and 10 minutes over medium heat. Be sure to peek in, and stir periodically.
10. Enjoy!

Recipe Credit

Our very own Chef Diane Fehder will lead our Baking Demo. Fehder began her culinary career by attending the International Culinary Center for Pastry Arts in New York City. After graduation, she seized an opportunity to move to London, where she expanded her decorating abilities under the direction of the UK’s celebrated cake designer Peggy Porschen. Currently, “Chef Di” teaches Pastry Arts at RCBC.

Fehder’s work has been featured in magazines such as The Knot, New Jersey Brides, Cake Central and American Cake Decorating. Her cakes have appeared on TLC’s Four Weddings and in 2013, Diane made her Food Network debut as the cake designer of the winning team Tre Artista on an episode of the competition show “Sugar Dome”. She also competed as a contestant on The Food Network’s Halloween Wars Season 5 and most recently won the Episode “Here Comes Santa” on Sugar Rush Christmas on Netflix.

Try out the cornbread recipe below!

Ingredients:

Instructions

1. By hand, mix the dry ingredients.

2. Add the liquid ingredients and stir just to combine. Mix as little as possible. Do not develop the gluten.

3. Pour the batter into sprayed pans.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Unmold.