Beer and Food Pairing is demystified in the capable hands of Roger Mittag at a feast of a meal at Toronto's Nella Cucina.
The conversation started off something like this: “I’ve got Roger Mittag coming to Nella next week- it’s his food and beer pairing class,” said Joanne Lusted- the effervescent Director and resident Chef at Toronto’s Nella Cucina cooking school/event space. I reply- “Roger Mittag- who’s that?” to which Joanne says, “The Professor of Beer. You’ve got to come- you’ll love it.” And so off I went to thoroughly enjoy some unchartered sudsy terrain.
Mittag is indeed a knowledgeable and friendly guy who just so happens to love teaching beer-neophytes like me about what makes a good brew. He’s been doing just that since 1997 and even developed his own business around beer appreciation called “Thirst for Knowledge.” Not bad for a guy who used to be in beer sales before deciding that his future lay in enlightening us all on the differences between a lager and an ale (for starters).
The summer night we all met up with Roger, some 30 of us started off with a little beer primer (more on that later), and then settled into groups of 5 or so with trained chef leaders in the kitchen to whip up a batch of dishes each featuring a different style of beer. I have to say my group’s soft polenta with beer and Parmigiano was a highlight of the nightfor me, as was the amber beer poached pear with mascarpone dessert. The caramel surrounding the pears was incredible- I would have licked my plate clean if I wasn’t in polite company, but I digress.
Join me for a little beer and food pairing 101 a la Professor Beer – you may even pick up a tip or two to take with you to the pub on your next night out.
