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14 LIVE IT UP! FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019 SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL restaurant consultant, and he currently runs his own business, Plus 1 Catering. Adema is in the process of helping open a Half Moon Bay seafood restaurant called Pillar Point Fish House. "I am working with the American Abalone Farm and it's a really exciting project." Because opening a new restaurant is challenging, Adema won't be teaching any classes in February but he's already got a Dim Sum workshop scheduled for March 6. His January classes included Japanese Comfort Food, and in the past he has led workshops in Pasta Making, and Five Preparations of Abalone. "I hope to do lots more classes in the future, but Dim Sum has been really popular so we've been keeping it in the rotation," says Adema. "I have been thinking about doing a class on different curries and probably one on different noodle bowls like Udon, Ramen, and Soba. Interactive classes always seem to be the most successful. It's lots of fun for people to get their hands dirty and to make things they never thought they could." Adema thinks the Asian cooking classes are popular because many of the ingredients and techniques are unfamiliar to most people. "I love Italian food and we do a great Pasta Class, but most people have seen flour, garlic, tomatoes, etc.," he says. "With Asian classes, there is a lot more opportunity to create an exciting experience by including unique yet accessible ingredients like fresh bamboo shoots, sweet soy sauce, sambal oelek, banana leaves, etc. Plus, if done right, Asian food is usually fast, fresh and healthy with crunchy vegetables and you can teach people totally new things like making dumplings by hand. Any time students come in without any prior knowledge of a type of cuisine, and by the end of the class they feel comfortable enough with it to experiment at home, as an instructor it's hard not to get enjoyment from that!" As a guest instructor, Adema appreciates the "amazing ingredients" New Leaf carries. "It is any chef 's dream to shop in a market like this," he shares. "I usually arrive extra early for my classes just to wander around the produce section and discover what new seasonal items have arrived since the last time I was there. I could spend 20 minutes with the selection of mushrooms alone. A few months back I was making abalone ceviche and saw some great looking rhubarb that I just had to use, so I incorporated it into the recipe and it was amazing! A month later, I was making the same ceviche, and there was no more rhubarb, but there was persimmon—which was also really good. To me, food is only as good as the ingredients." He has really enjoyed working with his students. "Coming from New England, it is such a treat to be around folks from the Santa Cruz area who are laid back and just want to relax and have fun. We really get a great mix of people too. So far, it's been mostly adults, but I'd love to do a kids' class someday. We've had some couples on dates, mother/daughter combos, old friends out for some fun, and some people who fly solo," he says. "What's great is that everyone starts working together and chatting with their neighbors. Often people banter across the room and we always have lots of fun. Usually people stay after the class and we keep cooking, eating and having fun. It has become like a private dinner party with friends." The most important thing Adema wants people to take away from his classes is confidence in their own abilities by learning techniques, rather than recipes. "People often show up with a pen and paper ready to take lots of notes, but I urge them to embrace the process more than the result," he says. "When we're making dumplings, it doesn't really matter if we use ground pork, or chicken or shrimp or veggies, what's important is to learn the folding techniques and how to use the bamboo steamer properly. You could make the best shu mai in the world, but if you don't line your steamer with a banana leaf, they will stick and rip apart. No amount of note-taking Chef Eric Adema. Photo credit Madia Jamgochian Seaweed salad from Cooking with Wild Seaweeds. Photo credit Madia Jamgochian CONTINUES ON 15 CONTINUED FROM 13

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