What is a Chef Brad Event really like?

What is a Chef Brad Event really like?   I get asked that all the time so here goes,  my attempt to try to explain just what one is.   I have been doing them off and on for a few years.  It all started years ago when my friend a dear friend from Glendora California,  Dyan Steimle, actually we were not friends at the time, but anyway,  she walked up to me at Education Week in Provo Utah and asked what it would take for me to come there and teach classes.  It was wonderful and I am still doing them,  that was maybe ten years ago.  I love them.  

They are a lot of work and hours of planning and preparation, but the end result is 3 to 5 days filled with food and fun.  The way it works is you contact me by sending me an email to chef@chefbrad.com  and I will get back with you.   Have a few dates in mind and it's pretty easy after that.  I usually stay at the home of the hosting family.    I teach three to five days of classes with two to three classes each  day and try to include at the beginning a free presentation at your church or women's group or club.  

The Classes range from $40 to $60 per class per person.  Classes are two hours long and are filled with tons of information, food, fun, and you get copies of all the recipes.   Topics range from grains to  baking,  gluten free to pressure cooking and everything in between.   I do a lot with health and wellness, but am not a fanatic about it.  The whole purpose of the classes are to fill you with a desire to get back into the kitchen, no matter where you are in your personal journey of food and health and wellness.  

Here is a photo journey of some Chef Brad Events.   Enjoy  Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy 

Dyan the first person to have an Event  And look,  way back then we were using a Wondermill.  

Chef Brad Events are truly life changing.  From the education about food to the experience of learning and experiencing on a personal level my unique style of teaching.  My goal is to leave you inspired and filled with the knowledge you can do it.  One of the most common remarks I ever receive from a Chef Brad Event is "You really make me feel like I can do this."   That is what it's all about for me.  Empowering those attending to enjoy the journey even more.  

Anxiously waiting for instruction.  

So happy to be there.   Glendora is a great place to teach.  

I hate old pictures.  Can't  believe I how we change. 

Sometimes we even do outings.  I Love a good olive oil store and a good shopping experience. 

Always fresh baked rolls.  

Wow,  I love Chef Brad's food 

Connie has wanted me to come to Casper Wyoming for a long time.  She talked her good friend Aline Winn into getting me there.  Connie is a long time hard core Chef Brad fan.  I absolutely loved meeting her family and I think her husband was actually glad to meet the man that has cost him some money over the years.  No complaining from Cliff.  He loves it all.

So much good food to eat.  A Chef Brad Event is all about great food and fun.  You never leave an event hungry. 

Chef Brad Events are all about teaching those attending how to create great food with simple but healthy ingredients.    From using grains in most dishes you learn to create foods that explode with flavor in your mouths.

This is a wonderful grain fruit salad.

This is another example of a super grain dish.  Fruit, chicken, and slightly warmed to bring out all the goodness.

This is my favorite dish.  It blows peoples minds.  Pulled pork, buttermilk syrup and a hint of bbq sauce.
The waffle is whole grain.  But light and oh so amazing. 

How can you not have a culinary experience when traveling.  I am all about health and wellness, but I also am all about enjoying really great quality foods made with love and clean ingredients.  Blue Star Donuts in Portland is worth the trip.  Wow,  they put donuts on a whole new level.  

Great products make great foods and super memories. and of course even greater friends.  

One of the best parts of a Chef Brad Event for me is getting to know the family where I stay.  This young man has a special place in my heart.  I love how he loved my food.   Really made me feel special.  Thank you Duncan Family for all the great memories.

Class members are ready to learn. 

The hands on dinner party on Friday night has turned out to be our most popular event.  Everyone comes and cooks and we all enjoy a wonderful meal.  Actually I honestly get emotional about these nights.   You have to go to experience the magic.  Everyone cooking and laughing,  creating great memories that last forever.   

Happy winners of the door prizes.  Complements of Better Body Foods.  I love their products and so do the participants.   

Every home I go to is completely different,  but it always works perfectly.  

Connie and Valine taking a much needed break before the action begin.  

I love seeing everyone so engaged, from cooking to just visiting and getting to know each other.   

 Who doesn't enjoy a fresh ground gourmet burger.  And yes we even baked the bread we serve  them on.

  From burgers to wonderful creations in the pressure cooker, all bases are covered at a Chef Brad Event.  

A Chef Brad Event is all about love.  Love of food, friends, and the journey.  I personally love Chef Brad Events.  I love the food created, the friends I meet, and the personal journey I am on.   I love sharing what I have learned with others and the joy is I just keep learning and it just gets better. 

I hope to be able to experience a Chef Brad Event with you sometime.  Don't wait.  The Calendar fills up really fast and I am limited on how many I can do each year.  See you soon in the comfort of your home with your family and friends, enjoying the real joys of the Journey,  Family, Friends, and of course Food.  Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy 

Third Sunday Dinner Sept 2016

Everyone loves beans and tortillas.  

Summer time I take off doing dinners.  We just do Ice Cream and Cookies later in the evenings.  It's just to hot for a huge meal and the group is so big it's hard to do it in the house.  September is great.  Still warm out but doable.  I have really learned a lot over the past many years doing dinners.  It's been amazing.  I was thinking the other day the most important thing I have learned over the years is that when one is on the Lord's Errand it always works out.    Time and time again I have been reminded of that and each time I am humbled at the miracle of how it works.   I have mentioned before that Third Sunday Dinners are not always easy.  They are hard often especially when my schedule is so packed.  

But as I have moved forward I have felt the power and blessings in doing what sometimes seems impossible.  I have come to understand in a deeper meaning that the Lord's Errands entitles us to his grace and blessings.   

So with that I look forward to another fall and winter season of Third Sunday Dinners.  I look forward to the blessing and the wonderful connection of those who come to my home to enjoy the food, company, and just the blessing of connection.    Food has that power and I am ever amazed at just how powerful it works and really has the ability to open hearts, bring people tougher, heal wounds, and just plain bless our lives.  

Thank you for reading and enjoy this blog.   Greatest joy to you in all your culinary adventures.  

Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy 

My camp stove really gets used.  Not so much for camping, but for Third Sunday Dinner.

Justin Turley  Wow I enjoy this boy and his service to everyone. 

Micah and Dean.  The young men at our Church really are amazing.
They show up every month to bless us all.

I did thick flour tortillas fried with beans on top.  Easy cheating
Navajo tacos.  

Fresh Salsa is always a hit.

Connection, that's what is all about. 

So relaxing.

I think he likes the food. 

Good friends. 

New friends for me.  My good friend invited his family  I was thrilled. 

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Gotta love the missionaries.  Bobbie and Lauren are great friends
nurtured each month at dinner.

I tried to get a close up of that face.  He was enjoying the beans. 

So good to see everyone.  Wow I love these kids. And now their  Kids. 

Really!!   Please let me smile first.    Sorry Julie.  

Summer Fun. Annual Cooking day with Uncle Chef Brad

Summer time is for enjoying time off and enjoying the family.  For me it's cooking time with my nieces and nephews.  This is a  tradition for us and we really enjoy the day.  This year they wanted to do a competition.  So that is just what we did.  Wow, how much fun.  

Each year they look forward to cooking and being old enough to come.  We have an age requirement and it's fun for them to look forward to being able to come.  It's great fun as we gather and create lifetime memories.  

This year was the largest group yet.   The mothers stick around for transportation needs as we do a culinary adventure first.  I like to take them out to experience things that they normally would not experience at home.  From stores to eating it's always so much fun to expose them to new things.   

This year for the challenge I decided that hummus was a good one for them to learn how to make and to top it off we would do Cake Wars.   They were excited as we took off to a wonderful international market.  I explained what we were doing and divided them into three teams, mixing up the ages and cousins.   At the store they had to choose the ingredients for the hummus and the ingredients to decorate and flavor the cakes that were already baked and ready to frost and decorate.  

They had a ball at the store.  I was really intrigued with the choices they made.  These kids really have great imaginations and creativity.  It was amazing and exciting as they made their purchases.  

Two years ago I treated them to boba drinks.  It was really funny. They really didn't like them and I told them that it was ok.  It was all about the experience.   So this year I had not intended to do boba drinks.  While at the store after the shopping they asked "Uncle Brad, what about boba drinks?"  I was surprised and asked them if they were sure.  They were.  So 19 drinks later, (the poor woman) we were enjoying boba drinks.  At least some of us were enjoying them.  It was all about the experience. They will be talking about boba drinks for a long time.  

Off to my kitchen for the event.  We were ready.  Plenty of interesting ingredients and plenty of energy.  

This is the store.  The international market on Broadway and Dobson in Mesa Az.

 Shopping,  what an adventure. 

Boba Drinks for everyone. 

Off to the kitchen  We have all we need. 

Fresh Avocado are perfect in hummus. 

So much to do.

Ours will be the best.  

One of the finished hummus. 

I was so amazed at the cooking, but the cake contest was so cool.  I was so amazed at the end results of these wonderful children.  Three groups and three totally different cakes.  Each one was absolutely amazing.  Take a look and enjoy.

Our children are so capable of great things.  These cakes taught me a great lesson about our youth.  They are capable and given the task hold nothing back and rise to the occasion.

Stuffed Cantaloupe More Summer Fun

   Summer is all about fresh clean foods.  I love fresh summer fruits and nothing compares to a fresh cantaloupe.  Especially one you grow yourself or find at a good farmers market.

    The next best thing is a cantaloupe filled with a wonderful salad, ice cream, or just eaten with sprinkled with a little salt or try some fig balsamic vinegar.   Summer time is for fresh.

     Fresh produce out of the garden is wonderful and those of you who live where that is possible I hope you enjoy the experience and share the joy with others.  

      This recipe is all about fresh out of the garden.  From the cucumbers to the tomatoes and parsley it is fresh.  If your don't have parsley try fresh garden mint.  It's amazing.

       Summer time is a time for cleansing out the body and and eating fresh fruits and vegetables are just the thing needed.   Enjoy the recipe and your summer.  
                                                                Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy




Adding a grain to anything makes it better.  The texture of spelt or Kamut are perfect in this salad.  If you prefer lighter, use cooked quinoa,  like red or black.

Spelt Stuffed Cantaloupe Salad

2 cups cooked spelt, chilled

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half

2 avocados, in 1/4 inch chunks

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

1 cup green grapes, sliced in half

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

2 cups cooked chopped boneless breast of chicken,  optional

Place all ingredients in bowl and toss with dressing,  Fill halved peeled cantaloupe with salad and garnish with slivered almonds.

For the dressing

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/3 cup Xagave or honey

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1/3 cup flax oil, or olive oil

Dash nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Whisk together and toss with salad