James Beard Award-Winning Chef To Visit RSNS

Master Chef Peter Berley will be at Reconstructionist Synagogue of The North Shore at 1001 Plandome Road in Manhasset on Sunday. He will lead a free cooking demonstration of recipes from his new Book, "Fresh Food Fast: Delicious Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hour" (HarperCollins).

Berley is a working chef, cookbook author, and culinary instructor. His foremost concern is the development of local sustainable food systems and the fate of home cooking in the United States. The former executive chef of Angelica Kitchen restaurant in New York City, he is chef at The Culinary Loft, also in New York. He holds classes at The Institute of Culinary Education and The Natural Gourmet Institute in Manhattan, The Brooklyn Kitchen in Williamsburg, Ger- Nis in Park Slope. In addtion, he works as a personal chef in East Hampton in the summer. In October 2011, Berley opened Culinary Studio and Teaching Kitchen in South Jamesport, Long Island.

The demonstration at RSNS is part of a daylong series of workshops offered free of charge to the community. This year's topic is: Jewish ethics in the 21st century. 

Local residents are invited to join the congregation for workshops from 10-11:45 a.m., and stay for a free buffet dairy lunch, followed by Berley's cooking demonstration from 12:15-1pm.

Topics for the day will include family and sexual ethics, medical ethics, and food and justice. There will also be child-friendly projects all morning, so parents can attend the adult workshops.

Workshops, lunch, and cooking demonstrationa are free of charge. But RSVPS to RSNS no later than Friday morning are required. To RSVP, send an email with the names and number of people attending to: rsns@optonline.net