Shop and Nosh at the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

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Cooking Class at the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

If you follow my blog even semi-regularly, 

you know there are two things that I absolutely love to do 

SHOP and NOSH!

And now I've found a way to roll my two very favorite things to do into ONE, by taking part in a cooking class held at The Cafe at Middlebury Consignment! When an invite rolled into my inbox to visit the Middlebury Consignment Store, needless to say, I was thrilled!

I was familiar with the store through some television advertisements, and several friends have visited on a "destination day' to shop Middlebury, but until now, I've never had the opportunity to visit Middlebury Consignment for myself.

Opening in 2009, Middlebury Consignment is a one stop shopping store for all your home design needs. Not your typical 'consignment' store - Middlebury Consignment mixes a bit of  upscale consignment pieces with new design furniture and fixtures.

I spotted pieces from Lillian August, Howard Miller, Barkman, and more! The original store has since expanded to three buildings, the second two dubbed "the annex" located a few miles down the road. In addition, full design and decorating services are offered, as well as culinary accessories, tools, and utensils.

But on this visit we primarily spent time in the kitchen of the Cafe at Middlebury Consignment, taking part in one of their popular cooking classes. This particular class featured the preparation of appetizers, but they offer a wide and varied range of classes! A quick glance at their cooking class events lists dates that feature Cowboys and Campfires (Aug 6. 2017) Trip to Morocco (Aug 16, 2017) A Tuscan Grigliata (Aug 27, 2017)  End of Summer Tapas Party (Aug 30, 2017) Provence Inspired Steakhouse (Sept 7, 2017) and many, many more in the months to come.

Check out their event calendar at https://www.middleburyconsignment.com/cooking-events/

We started with a nice glass of wine and some cheese and crackers. Our cooking group consisted of a wide range of Connecticut social influencers invited to experience the fun of an 'appetizer' based cooking class led by The Cafe's own Chef Mary Kravec.

In attendance were Natalie from New England Foodie,  Brittny from Basic Britny, Hannah from Sometimes Social, Amanda from the Amanda Bella, Christine from Vigora and Vogue, Nonee from Nonee's World, and Yinka from Yours Truly Yinka and Linked Media.  (If I missed anyone - let me know and I'll link back to you too!)

Visit them all in the days to come for their details of this fun event!

Chef Mary instructs her cooking enthusiasts!

We jumped right in and donned our aprons and Chef Mary would rotate around the kitchen island recruiting the nearest participant to prep that particular portion of the meal. By the end of the cooking class everyone had some "hands on" experience and she included lots of great tips for food prep like how to use a spoon to peel ginger, blanching the broccoli rabe with salty water to draw out the bitterness and retain the crisp green color, and so many more!

Here are some photos of our food preparation:

Here I am --
so intent on stuffing those artichokes
Photo Courtesy of Linked Media

Voila! Stuffed Artichokes -
Ready to pop in the oven!

Amanda works on the flatbread dough!

Nonee works on the rosemary kebobs

Marinating the Balsamic Wings

While everything cooked up in the oven 

we had a wonderful tour of the store!

Yassss!

I'm definitely making a return trip just to shop!

When we finished touring the multiple floors of furniture and home decor we returned to feast on the fruits of our labor!

We made this!

My plate full of goodness!

Broccoli Rabe

Stuffed Artichokes

Roasted Grape Flatbread with Ricotta 

Balsamic Wings

Polenta Squares

Blueberry Lavender Crème Brûlée

I think I can speak for everyone and say we ALL thought the cooking class was a wonderful experience! We each felt like we had a part in the preparation and we certainly walked away with some great tips! I've already replicated the roasted grapes into a chicken dish I prepared this weekend with the same great results. DELICIOUS!

If you haven't already, visit Middlebury Consignment and treat yourself to one of their upcoming cooking classes!  You'll be glad you did!

Middlebury Consignment
The Cafe at Middlebury Consignment

1365 Whittemore Road
Middlebury, CT 06762
Phone (203) 528-0130
https://www.middleburyconsignment.com/

Store hours:
Monday through Saturday 11AM - 5PM
Sunday 11AM - 5PM

Disclaimer: I was invited to tour the store and take part in the cooking class by members of Middlebury Consignment's management and marketing team, however, all views expressed are my own.