Our Kitchen Stories Gives the Fourth a Local Flavor

July 1, 2010 – The Fourth of July is known for great grilling and cookout cuisine. Last night on the South Side a dozen lucky amateur chefs got the chance to learn some gourmet dishes perfect for celebrating Independence Day.

On Wednesday night SHOP ‘n SAVE and Gaynor’s School of Cooking hosted a VIP cooking lesson on summer cuisine at Gaynor’s School on the South Side. Members of SHOP ‘n SAVE’s new interactive cookbook, Our Kitchen Stories (http://www.ourkitchenstories.com), entered recipes and stories about their favorite cooking memories and a dozen were selected to participate in the lesson.

Our Kitchen Stories is a new website dedicated to sharing recipes, stories and cooking traditions that combine to demonstrate and preserve Western Pennsylvania’s culinary heritage. Members share recipes, pictures, tips, and videos all to help tell the story behind their favorite dishes.

Celebrity chef Gaynor Grant taught the group how to prepare a Fourth of July feast that featured Orange Rosemary Chicken, Wild Rice Salad, and Red, White & Blue Flan. The lesson included her personal tips on how to make cooking easier, more enjoyable and a more inclusive family affair.

“My entire family loves to cook, but when it comes to grilling I rarely cook anything besides the standard  burgers and dogs,” said Domenic Lanzillati, participant at the event and member of Our Kitchen Stories. “Both this lesson and the OurKitchenStories.com have helped me find new choices that will give my summer cookouts a lot more flavor.”

Additional recipes and stories can be found at www.ourkitchenstories.com.