Group Has Cause to Show Men Can Cook

To counter the traditional assumption that a garden-variety male is more at home in the garage than the kitchen, the Kiwanis Club of Thousand Oaks brings you the “Men Can Cook, Too!” Festival this weekend.

The club’s chapter will use proceeds from the annual event, to be held Sunday in Westlake Village, to fund local charitable causes and nonprofit programs.

Here is a preview: A mix of about 25 amateur and professional cooks will set up makeshift kitchenettes outdoors near the Westlake Hyatt Hotel. Festival-goers will sample a variety of gastronomic concoctions prepared on site by the men, plus have a hand in determining the winners of an amateur cooking contest. Competition categories: hors d’oeuvres or salads, entrees and desserts.

The restaurant pros will not take part in a people’s-choice contest but will be dishing up their respective gourmet specialties throughout the event. Also: a handful of wineries and microbreweries will pour their wares, the jazz group Valencia and Friends will provide the soundtrack, and there will be a Corvette car show before the festival.

The event is first and foremost a fund-raiser, but is there an underlying intent to dispute the myth that men are lost in the kitchen? Yes, indeed, according to event chairman Paul Prescott.

“I think we do a pretty good job of it,” he said. “There is some delicious food.”

DETAILS

The “Men Can Cook, Too!” Festival will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday. The outdoor event will be set up at 2801 Townsgate Road, near the Westlake Hyatt, in Westlake Village. Cost: $25. A free car show will precede the food event from noon to 4 p.m. For more information call 376-0219.

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Upcoming: The Pierpont Inn in Ventura will host a pair of events that may entice the wine connoisseur in you.

On Friday, chef Louis Ludwig and wine expert Ian Blackman will preside over a winemaker dinner, featuring the wares of Napa Valley’s respected Joseph Phelps Vineyards. Ludwig and Blackman will discuss the food and wine pairings during each course. The evening will begin at 6 with a reception on the terrace patio. The winery’s 1997 Grenache Rose will be served with imported olives, smoked salmon, fruits, ciabatta (baked flat bread with toppings) and bruschetta. The rest of the meal:

-- Sesame nori crusted escolar with yakitori chili pesto and vanilla sauce. Chardonnay Los Carneros (1998).

-- Ballotine of oven roasted Poussin with seared duck foie gras, pureed Yukon potatoes and citrus demiglace. Le Mistral (1997).

-- Veal tenderloin corn filo with roasted oyster mushrooms and shallots. Cabernet Sauvignon (1997).

-- Hazelnut caramel tart with vanilla anglaise and poached apricots. Eisrebe (1996).

Blackman--publisher of Learnaboutwine.com--will return to the hotel July 1 to conduct a “wine camp.” Participants will be guided through a social and informative afternoon that will offer some tutelage on wine basics, such as how to describe what you are tasting, how to enhance your meals with wine and how to purchase and store wine properly.

This workshop of sorts is intended for the casual wine enthusiast. No wine snobs, please.

DETAILS

The Pierpont Inn in Ventura will host a pair of wine-related events. Winemaker dinner: 6 p.m. June 30; $75, plus tax and 18% gratuity. Wine camp: 1-4 p.m. July 1; $35. The inn is at 550 Sanjon Road, Ventura. For more information or reservations, call 643-6144.

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Benevolent barbecue: Bring a hankering for grilled meats slathered in zesty sauces to St. Joseph’s Health and Retirement Center’s benefit barbecue Sunday in Ojai.

Hot off the grill will be ribs, tri-tip and chicken. The meal will be completed with salads, beans, bread and all-you-can eat strawberry shortcake. Tickets are $20 general; $10 for children 5 to 12 years. The center is at 2464 E. Ojai Ave. For more information, call 646-3239.

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.