What happens when you turn a legendary Michelin-starred chef loose on a haul of fresh Périgord black truffles? You get Truffles Unleashed! — four sumptuous truffle dishes, expertly curated wines chosen to complement each bite, an up-close cooking demonstration by the irrepressible Chef Roland Passot, and a troop of eager truffle-hunting dogs who will indeed be unleashed. Petting is encouraged!
Chef Roland takes the stage in the Ecolab Theater at CIA at COPIA and cooks two of the four dishes right in front of you, narrating as he goes. He is one of the most personable and engaging Michelin-starred chefs of our time — a rare and wonderful thing in this profession — and he has spent decades earning the stories he tells. Trained in Lyon, he built La Folie, the Michelin-starred restaurant that helped define fine dining in San Francisco, went on to create the lively Left Bank Brasseries, and today leads Vine Dining Hospitality. Expect technique, humor, hard-won insight into how truffles actually behave in the kitchen, and the kind of insider wisdom only a chef of his caliber can offer. Bring every question you’ve ever had about cooking with truffles — this is a rare chance to ask them.
New this year: the tasting comes after the cooking. When the demo wraps, we all move to the Copia Atrium for a standing tasting reception — all four truffle dishes, each poured with a wine selected to enhance the truffle’s magic. You’ll focus exclusively on Roland during the demo, and Roland will focus exclusively on you afterward: he’ll be right there in the atrium, glass in hand; so will the truffle dogs, the true costars of the festival weekend. Mingle, compare notes with fellow truffle afficionados, rub elbows with Chef Roland, and pet our cute truffle dogs!
CIA at COPIA is the perfect stage for it. Founded as a museum dedicated to food, wine and the arts, it has been reimagined as a vibrant culinary training center and playground open to all — which makes the Ecolab Theater and the Copia Atrium an ideal pairing of their own: one built for watching, one built for lingering.
Why you’ll love it:
These four recipes are designed to be easy enough to make in your own kitchen, impressive enough that no one will believe you did. Last year’s Chef Roland event sold out in 72 hours. Reserve your place while tickets are still available. Truffles Unleashed! is exactly what it sounds like.
This event is open to 21+ guests only.
*Please note this is not intended to be a full lunch. Each item served will be a tasting portion.