Chefs Dana Drutz and Gina Burchenal teamed up to instruct our group of willing, able, and hungry participants through a hands-on class creating a delicious assortment of tapas. The menu for the evening included Roasted Potato Wedges with Saffron Aioli, Sherried Mushrooms and Peas with Crisp Baguette Slices, and Mini Chorizo and Corn Custards with Smokey Chipotles. The big hit of the night was both creating and devouring the Garlic Shrimp Chimichurri, second only to the Serrano Ham Bundles with Apricot and Blue Cheese.

Of course, the EADA Dining Club participants didn’t stop at the plate. We also treated ourselves to a variety of unique, infused martinis, compliments of the innovative epicurean brains at work in Gina’s Kitchen. Among others, we sipped delectable watermelon martinis and desperately tried to keep our minds on the learning process, but to little avail. While I must say that I can now make an impressive display of ham bundles, some of the tapas art was possibly lost among the laughter and consumption at our table.

If you’re not familiar with Gina’s Kitchen yet, do yourself a favor and stop by. We were greeted with a smile at the door, and felt right at home in the kitchen. Well, right at home with the added bonus of being in a thoroughly equipped and well-stocked space. The kitchen also seems to be very flexible. Gina uses it for classes, kitchen rental, catering, and supper clubs. It was a comfortable place to relax and learn; an excellent choice for this type of class. This was my second EADA Dining Club event to attend, and my compliments to the hosts on another cool and refreshing eve spent far away from the summer heat.