Recently, I had the honor of attending the 
I attended the 4-day extravaganza of food, wine and fun last year and had an absolute blast. Nothing could top meeting Chef Geoffrey Zakarian, Christopher Kimball and Bridget Lancaster and watching all of the food demonstrations and attending the parties.
But then this year . . . I met the legend. . . Jacques Pépin, and his lovely daughter Claudine.
And the sandwich king himself, 
He made this deliciousness, which I devoured in 2 seconds!
And, Christopher, Bridget and Jack were there again! I LOVE Americas Test Kitchen!
He totally remembered me from last year . . not! This was the best smile I could get from Chris. 🙂 I love this guy!
From the moment I walked into The American Club, I was, again, blown away by the customer service and attention to detail. After checking in, and given a complimentary glass of wine, we were escorted to our room by one of the front desk employees and learned a little bit of history about The American Club, which was built in 1918 to house the Kohler Company’s immigrant workers at the time.
The guest room was as beautiful as I remembered it . . so elegant, charming and beautiful. And the American Club staff even surprised me with a birthday “cake.” They knew it was my birthday weekend from the previous year.
The food demonstrations were so great and there was so much excitement in the air!
In addition to the fabulous dinners, events and parties, we got to watch my friend and up and coming superstar Jocelyn Delk Adams make a fabulous dessert from her cookbook, 
At the end of the day on Saturday, we had the honor of sitting down with Jacques and Claudine to ask questions, chat and get his thoughts on his new cookbook, 
I was in awe sitting there watching one of my cooking idols talk and was just trying to take it all in. At the very end, we each got to take a photo with him and as I was leaving, he was hugging everyone and I got a little teary eyed as he hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek! Best moment from 2015 right here. I had no idea she snapped a photo, but my friend 
Sitting down with Jacques Pépin reignited my love and passion for food, cooking and being in the kitchen. I love feeding my family and having my kids in the kitchen with me. I love that he cooks and travels with his daughter, Claudine. They have a very special bond that they will remember forever. I absolutely loved meeting them.
Attending the Kohler Food and Wine Experience was truly amazing and I can’t wait for next year! If you enjoy food and cooking, hands down, this is the event for you! And if you live in the Midwest, you simply must consider Kohler and The American Club when planning your next weekend getaway. With the 
I had to share a recipe today from Jacques’ cookbook. This cookbook is amazing! From soups and salads to fish and seafood to rice and pasta, Jacques has everything covered and he even drew some of the illustrations in this book himself! I can’t wait to make the Oyster Chowder with Potatoes, Spinach and Corn and I have already made the 
Baked Cod with Olive Topping
Ingredients
For the olive topping:
- 2 cups mixed pitted olives coarsely chopped
- 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes sliced crosswise
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh parsley diced
For the fish:
- 4 6 ounce cod fillets
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
For the olive topping:
- Using a medium sized bowl, mix together all of the ingredients and let sit while the fish is in the oven.
For the fish:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spray or grease a 13 x 9 casserole dish and lay the cod inside, in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until the cod just begins to flake easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from the oven and onto a serving platter. Top with the olive and tomato topping and serve immediately.
Recipe adapted from Heart & Soul in The Kitchen.
Disclosure: I attended the Kohler Food & Wine Experience on behalf of The Kohler Company and The American Club and was asked to write about my experience. All opinions stated here are 100% my own.
