Curtis Stone at The Rolling Pin in Brandon

Happy Friday!

I’m going to kick off the weekend with some photos from yesterday. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket to a cooking demonstration and book signing with Curtis Stone yesterday! The event took place at The Rolling Pin in Brandon, Florida (it’s where I took my macaron class two weeks ago!), and it was set up wonderfully by the staff. My friend Megan (from I Run for Wine) and new friend Leslie (from Dash of Les) all met up and were so excited to see Curtis up close and in person! I’ll let the photos do most of the talking, since I do have quite a few!

Curtis was showing off some of his new bakeware at this demonstration. His new pop out pans (muffin, loaf, and cake pans) look amazing! Unlike the typical silicone pans that are completely silicone (and wobbly), this line features a combo of cold rolled steel and flexible silicone. You can easily pop your baked goods out of the pan but you still get the baking benefits of a metal pan. I love it!

In addition, Curtis also whipped up a beautiful stir fry in front of us!

For the sauce, Curtis utilized one of my favorite pieces in his product line: the Bump and Grind (remember the name of this product for later). It is a mortar and pestle that is thinner than average, which I think is so very smart! Who really needs one of those enormous mortar and pestles anyway? I don’t…and Curtis even joked that he usually sees people using them as a place to put their keys instead of as a kitchen tool!

I love Curtis’ set of “Hold Me” melamine bowls – they feature a handle on the side, a spout for pouring, and a rubber ring on the base to prevent from slipping when they’re on your kitchen counter. Very smart design! And – Curtis noted that he didn’t just slap his name on his cookware/bakeware/etc. – he has a hand in the design of his products and wanted to create kitchen tools that work for the home cook. You’ve got to love that!

He even brought one of the “audience” members up to help him finish up the stir fry! He showed her the proper technique of course…haha!

Each of us were lucky to get a copy of Curtis’ newest book: Relaxed Cooking with Curtis Stone, and we all got to line up to have him sign it! I am so excited to try out some of the recipes at home; they aren’t fussy, they feature fresh ingredients, and don’t seem overly complicated to create.

Now, I had inquired on Facebook and Twitter as to what I should have Curtis inscribe on the inside of my book, but I ended up going with something no one suggested to me. I almost chickened out, since I was pretty sure that Curtis would think I’m a psychopath (and for all I know, he probably does now), but Megan and Leslie insisted. Peer pressure. I couldn’t even say it out loud, so I wrote it down on a piece of paper and slid it over to him…annnd notice the reaction on his face when he read my inscription! At least he was laughing…

Thank you, Mr. Stone, for humoring me.

We can’t forget Megan and Leslie though!

And…I’m sure you are wondering what it is I had Curtis write inside of my book…

Thank you again to The Rolling Pin (and Curtis Stone, of course) for organizing such a great event! I felt so fortunate to be in attendance!

Have you been to a book signing? Who was it for?