With a name like 29 Cooks, you would imagine the kitchen of this Emmaus culinary center gets pretty crowded, yet there's just one woman behind the name. One dynamic lady with the energy and creativity of 29 cooks, and her name is Cindie Feldman.
The family-oriented Feldman would be quick to add that she's assisted by niece Brittany, husband Kevin, and others in the kitchen, but 29 Cooks is very much her vision and expression of a lifelong passion for cooking.
The name refers to the center's location on Route 29 heading south out of Emmaus. She and her husband, both Whitehall natives, previously owned and operated Café 29 in Emmaus.
“The new place was going to be called 29 Catering, but we also wanted to do cooking classes,” Feldman explains. “By naming it 29 Cooks it says what we do here—we cook!”
A good cook takes a little of this and a dash of that and makes something tasty. Feldman, 46, has done the same with her business—29 Cooks is a delicious blend of food and fun.
Feldman left a successful food industry job and opened 29 Cooks last spring to focus on her catering side business. The extensive menu of time-tested items—including the Mediterranean chicken and salad recipes featured here—evokes a gasp from those who see it, but the menu, much like the flavorful food, was designed to deliver a big bang. “I want there to be choices,” she explains, “and I am there to guide people. I want you to feel you are important enough for me to really do something nice for you. This is very much how I think about everything.”
Those people-pleasing tendencies inspired Dinner Dash, a personal chef take-out service offered just one day a week at 29 Cooks—on Tuesdays. People were always asking Feldman to re-open a restaurant, but her catering business isn't set up for small quantities. Dinner Dash was the perfect solution. Every week, Feldman posts a menu on the website (29cooks.com) with choices of entrees, side dishes and desserts. Orders must be placed by midnight on Monday for pickup at 29 Cooks on Tuesday between 2 and 7 p.m.
“Wine a bit. You'll feel better.”
“We're a takeout restaurant once a week and on Tuesdays the kitchen is like a crazy cooking marathon that would rival any cooking show,” Feldman says. She packs every bag and greets everyone who comes in, with instructions on how to reheat the meals at home. Some folks pick up one meal for that night but most pick up as many as four meals at a time, for now and later.
People love the delicious food and fresh ingredients, and the inspired choices rarely repeat, taking cues from produce in season, upcoming holidays and the whims of its mastermind. Says Feldman, “Everyone loves it, and I get to be creative.”
It's her goal to get everyone creative and comfortable in the kitchen and that's why the hands-on cooking instruction plays a big part at 29 Cooks. The classes sprawl across the open and inviting space, which includes four big farm tables built by her husband. You're meant to feel like you're in the big kitchen of someone's house with access to everything.
Kids age eight and up can sign up for three-hour themed workshops, summer camps or receive private or semiprivate cooking instruction from the staff. “We just had a cake making workshop with homemade fondant, and the place was an epic mess!” she says. “Marshmallows and powdered sugar all over the place.” The kids mixed all the cake ingredients and baked the triple layers, made butter cream icing and used piping bags to decorate. “Ten kids with ten completely different designs. Amazing!”
Adult classes are completely customized. If you've always wanted to make bread or apple pie from scratch, 29 Cooks will teach you. Or, opt for one of the popular private cooking parties.
Just round up 10 or more friends or coworkers, agree on a theme, BYOB and have a blast. “We have a lot of girl groups but also a lot of couples. Some make complete meals, but we can also set up a ‘Battle of the Sexes' competition. The guys are hilarious. They want to use a ton of spices and the women won't use salt. Adults are really just like taller kids!”
Kids of all ages love to don the brightly colored aprons—29 of them, of course—that hang along one wall. Some aprons are traditional, some are flirty, and some say things like “Wine a bit. You'll feel better.”
The most-used apron is Wonder Woman, not surprising considering how much self-esteem gets generated while learning new skills. That's what it's all about, really, and why “To build confidence through culinary skills in an encouraging environment” is the motto at 29 Cooks.
The recipes that follow are some of Feldman's favorites, simple to prepare and guaranteed to please everyone's palate.
Strawberry Fields Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
Strawberry Fields Salad
8 ounces mixed field greens. (We used baby Swiss chard, baby arugula, baby spinach and mesculin mix.)
6 medium to large strawberries, sliced thin
One 14-ounce can of mandarin oranges, drained
5 ounces crumbled goat cheese
4 ounces pecans, toasted in a 375°F oven until beginning to brown
Garnish with a sprinkling of blueberries and blackberries, to taste
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing, or your favorite store-bought lemon vinaigrette
Place all items on greens and serve with dressing on the side.
Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar1 Tablespoon white or regular balsamic vinegar1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard1 teaspoon dried oregano1 clove garlic1/2 teaspoon kosher salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper4 Tablespoons Meyer lemon or lemon juice2 Tablespoons agave nectar or honey
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until mixed well. Blending it will help to emulsify the dressing and stop the oil from separating from the vinegar
Mediterranean Chicken Breasts
4, 6-ounce chicken breasts1/2 cup baby arugula1/2 cup baby spinach8 sundried tomatoes in oil (from jar), diced1 cup heirloom or regular grape tomatoes3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oilGarlic powderOnion powderDried oreganoKosher saltBlack pepper1/4 cup Greek dressing5 ounces of crumbled feta (feta crumbles with different flavors added in is fine)
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place tomatoes, olive oil and a large pinch of garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, oregano and a smaller pinch of kosher salt in a bowl
and toss until coated. Put in a single layer in the oven for about 15 minutes or until tomatoes start to burst open and turn a little brown. Remove and set aside.
In a sauté pan, cover just the bottom with olive oil. Heat the oil until hot, but not smoking. Add the chicken breast and dust the top only with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Cook on first side until there is a nice golden crust (seared) on it. Flip the chicken over and cook the second side until there is a golden crust. Remove the chicken when it is about 75 percent finished (about 125°F internally). Set aside.
Top each piece with Greek dressing. Next place the following items in this order on the chicken: spinach, arugula, sundried tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, feta cheese.
Place back in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Let the chicken rest for about five minutes before serving.
Blueberry Salted Pistachio Ice Cream with Shortbread Cookie Crumbles
2 large eggs3/4 cup sugar2 cups heavy whipping cream1 cup half and half1 Tablespoon almond extract1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries soaked in 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup lemon juice.2 cups of salted pistachios chopped1 cup good white melting chocolate10 store-bought mini shortbread cookies or homemade (use a good brand here if buying)
In a bowl whisk the eggs for about a minute.
Add the sugar in and whisk for about a minute again.
Next add in the cream and the half and half, almond and vanilla extract. (Using lighter milk or cream will result in a very crunchy, icy texture to your finished ice cream and is not recommended.)
Pour into your ice cream maker and follow your manufacturer's instructions. When the ice cream is about five minutes from being finished, add 11/2 cups of the blueberries, strain the juice a little and retain it. Add the 1 cup of the salted pistachios. Remove the ice cream and place in an airtight container overnight.
Melt the white chocolate and dip half of the shortbread cookie into it. Roll immediately in the pistachios. Set aside until the chocolate is set.
Upon serving: scoop the ice cream into bowls and top with additional blueberries and the sauce they are in, crumble the salted pistachio covered cookies on top.
