Chefs to serve up advice on perfect pairings

If you've ever puzzled over what beer to serve with your bratwurst or what wine goes with those raw oysters, relax.

The 29th annual Taste of Charleston has the answer at its Taste of the Kitchen sessions today.

'We just wanted to get involved and show people how to add a little panache to their meals,' said Michael Carmel, department head for culinary arts at the Culinary Institute of Charleston.

The Institute's Palmer Campus, 66 Columbus St., is the site for two sessions today that have been paired under the heading of 'Taste of the Kitchen.' They are a new offering for this year's Taste of Charleston, which is run by The Greater Charleston Restaurant Association.

From 10 a.m. to noon, Carmel, other chefs from the school and a brewer will talk during a cooking demonstration about pairing food with beer.

'We'll be doing a pale ale and a pilsner, and pairing those with a homemade pretzel and bratwurst with spicy mustard,' he said.

The demonstration ends with lunch.

At the afternoon session, which begins with lunch, the chefs and a sommelier will give tips on pairing wine with dishes such as spicy jerk chicken with tropical fruit salsa and raw oysters.

Carmel said the sessions will be fun and informal, with opportunities for attendees to ask questions.

A limited number of tickets are still available at the association's Web site (www.charlestonrestaurantassociation.com). They are $45 for one session or $75 for both sessions.

The Taste, which started as a Sunday afternoon event, last year expanded to a weekend-long event.

This year's festival kicked off Friday with the sold-out Iron Chef competition, which pitted Chef Kevin Johnson from Anson's and The Ocean Room's Chef de Cuisine Nathan Thurston against Simon Andrews, executive chef of the Francis Marion, and Chef Kevin Mitchell of the Culinary Institute of Charleston in a contest to see who could best use the mystery ingredient — balsamic vinegar.

The festival ends Sunday with the Taste of Charleston at Boone Hall Plantation from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It includes a sampling of menu items from more than 40 local restaurants, the Waiter's Wine Race, a selection of specialty and imported beers, cooking demonstrations, live bands and a kids' corner.

Reach Brenda Rindge at 937-5713 or at brindge@postandcourier.com.