Fascinating, educational and delicious, all in the same bite

Eating out while dining in never tasted so good.
A week after overindulging on turkey with all the trimmings, Paula and I were treated to a feast with a twist this weekend, a seven-course celebration of food, flavors and fine wine unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. We were guests of honor in our own home for this special occasion, enjoying the talents of a recent graduate of the Cook Street School of Culinary Arts in Denver.
Brother-in-law Bob Brandt, who is married to my older sister Brenda (whom many of you may remember from a two-year stint teaching math and journalism at AHS in the late 1970s), is pursuing his true passion in retirement. Having made his last delivery in a 30-plus year career as a rural mail carrier in northeast Colorado two years ago, Bob and Brenda moved to Denver temporarily last year to experience big city life while he took a deep-dish dive into the culinary arts. We’ve heard rave reviews about his special cooking and catering skills, but until this week had not seen or tasted the whole enchilada.
Paula’s birthday prompted a gift made to order, featuring a few familiar dishes, as well as some I’d never heard of and/or couldn’t pronounce. We cleared some room in the fridge as instructed, then handed the keys to the kitchen to Chef Bob and for the most part stayed out of the way.
Meal prep started days before the first dish was served and I was intrigued to see the typed up and well choreographed menu plan for a party of six. My limited cooking skills have taught me that timing can be critical, making sure everything is ready to eat at just the right time. Take that times seven courses and the challenge factor goes up exponentially.
Added to the mix was the fact that our personal chef, dressed in a pleated black chef’s hat and white coat, made every element from scratch, including bruschetta, sourdough bread, french onion soup, chicken cordon bleu, grilled caesar salad, tiramisu, as well as several amazing sauces. There was a lot to digest, even before dinner was served.
Turns out our culinarian also spent a great deal of time researching the proper pairings of each course with a different Italian wine, poured in two-ounce servings. If paired properly, I learned, a wine and food item can create a third flavor experience all its own, hence the homework required for our piece de resistance. 
It all combined for a wonderful experience, as much about the unique flavors as the presentation and explanation of what went into preparing each entree. Fascinating, educational and delicious, all in the same bite.
The icing on the cake, from my perspective, was seeing what it looks like to find and embrace a new life passion once the work days are done. We should all be so lucky.
Well done, Chef Bob.
KURT JOHNSON can be reached at kjohnson@ hamilton.net