Chef Rameaux's School of Cooking and Lousiana Market

Dear Friends:

I'm sorry to report that Chef Rameaux's will be closed for a few weeks due to some pretty serious cancer surgery that I will undergo on Feburary 18 at Duke Medical Center. Many of you know that I've had a long fight with skin cancer brought on by over three decades of immune suppressive drugs following my two kidney transplants in 1971 and 2002. Just recently one of those cancers, a squamus cell tumor, invaded the bone and nerve surrounding my right eye, and has progressed rapidly into the cranial bone.

My surgery is scheduled for Monday, Feburary 18. The tumor around my right eye has progressed sufficiently now that they will need to permanently remove my right eye, a lot of bone and tissue surrounding it, as much as a fourth of my skull and a big chunk of my scalp in order to get it all. I'll be in the hospital for about 10 days. I hope to be back in the store within a couple of weeks after that. Other than a lot of pain and even more pain medicine, I'm doing pretty good. I've lost a lot of weight and my energy level is very low, but we remain optimistic that this will all finish up on the positive side. Just keep your fingers crossed for us.

Thanks to you all for your ten years of support of Chef Rameaux's now. To all of you holding gift certificates, please don't worry, they will all be extended appropriately to make sure you get ample time to use them. Please know that Peggy, Austin, and I appreciate your thoughts and prayers more than you can know. As things progress, we'll keep you posted here on the website, and I "gawrantee" that the thing I want most is to get back in the kitchen at Chef Rameaux's and "laissez les bon temps rouler."

Chef Rameaux

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SPRING 2008 COOKING CLASS SCHEDULE
Make reservations by email at www.cheframeauxcooks@aol.com or
by phone at 919-834-2750

All classes are $45 per person unless otherwise indicated. Classes are held at Chef Rameaux’s School of Cooking at 704 N. Person Street, Raleigh, NC 27604. Tuesday night classes begin at 7:00 p.m. and last till about 9:30 p.m. Reservations may be made by phone or email, and must be secured by a credit card at the time of reservation. Please see our cancellation policy. Café au Lait & Beignet Lessons are Saturday mornings at 10:00. Cost is only $7 per person, and no reservations are required.

Hi Everybody! Here's the new Spring 2008 Cooking Class Schedule for Chef Rameaux's. Every month we'll still have both Singles Nights and Ladies Nights. We’ll be continuing our “Rameaux Forums,” a series of public debates featuring some of the most knowledgeable local politicians, academicians, and business leaders. We also call this “Red Beans & Repartee,” because we'll have a big pot of Red Beans & Rice on the stove and a cash bar. For a cover charge of only $5, you can discuss and debate local, national, and international issues with our top local opinion leaders. We will be using the format of British Parliamentary Debate, wherein a speaker makes an opening statement in defense of a proposition of fact or policy. This may be followed by--or interrupted by--comments, jeers, huzzahs, or rebuttals from the audience. These informative and stimulating meetings will be the 2nd Monday of each month. Reservations are not required, but if you're bringing a crowd, give me a “heads up.”

JANUARY

8:     Mama’s Soul Food Night: Some of the great dishes that Mama made at home and that I learned to cook at an early age. Black Eyed Peas & Corn Bread,     “Blackened” Yellow Squash, Boiled Cabbage, Skillet Pork & Beans, Pan Fried Pork Chops, Anna Lou's Lemon Ice Box Pie.

14:     THE RAMEAUX FORUM, 6:00 to about 8:30 or so. Speaker/Topic: TBA

15:     CHILE NITE AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. Only the brave (or the masochistic) dare come. Captain Shreve’s Dynamite Salsa, Guacamole Fayetteville, Cajun StyleChile with Andouille Sausage, White Chile with Blue Runner Beans, Guacamole Fayetteville, and French Quarter `Praline Sundae.

17:     LADIES NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S: What happens at Chef Rameaux's stays at Chef Rameaux's! The first group of six ladies to make a reservation gets to choose the menu. $45 per person.

22:     CHEF’S FAVORITES NIGHT: Shrimp & Corn Bisque with Andouille Sausage, Blackened Redfish with Cajun Stir-Fry Vegetable Medley, French Quarter Praline Sundae. $50 for this lesson.

29:     BACK TO BASICS NIGHT: Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Red Beans & Rice, and French Quarter Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.

FEBRUARY

2:     MARDI GRAS SATURDAY NIGHT!   It’s the biggest night of Carnival Season, and we’ll do it right at Chef Rameaux’s! Zydecopious will be back with the hottest Zydeco licks in the Triangle, we'll eat lots of Red Beans &     Rice, Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Bread Pudding. Either Mardi Gras Costumes or formal wear are required, and there will be a great prize for the best costume. $50 for the music, the food, the lesson, the fun, the beads, and the prizes. Non-refundable reservation required no later than February 1st. Party is from 7:00 till 11:00.

5:     FAT TUESDAY FEAST: Shrimp & Oyster Gumbo, Mini-Muffaleta Sandwiches, Chicken & Andouille Jambalaya, New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce. Prize for best costume!

6:     ASH WEDNESDAY VEGETARIAN FEAST: We’ll kick off Lent with a spread of traditional Cajun dishes that will make you feel that you not giving up a thing. Gumbo des Herbes (“Green Gumbo”), Eggplant Jambalaya, Red Beans &    Rice, and Peaches Lisbon.

11:     THE RAMEAUX FORUM, Red Beans & Repartee with local opinion leaders. $5 cover charge & cash bar. Speaker and Topic TBA. Starts at 6:30 p.m.

12:     VALENTINE’S NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S: All the ladies will be greeted with a long-stemmed rose and a flute of champagne, compliments of Chef Rameaux. Your elegant candle-light dinner tonight will be served on Chef Rameaux’s personal collection of antique Victoriana Rose China, and your menu will be Shrimp & Corn Bisque with Andouille Sausage, Chicken Barataria (Chef Rameaux’s version of Chicken Cordon Bleu), Steamed Asparagus with Creole Hollandaise, and, for dessert, Champagne Apple Pie with Chantilly Cream. $50         for this lesson.

19:     Monsieur le Ecrevisse night at Chef Rameaux's! It's all about the mudbugs tonight! Crawfish Bisque, Crawfish Etouffee with Crawfish Cornbread Des Amis (new dish), Bananas Foster.

26:     Tribute to Mother’s Restaurant (www.mothersrestaurant.net) , Poydras Street, New Orleans: Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Roast Beef PoBoys with “Debris Gravy,” New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.

29:     LEAP YEAR NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S

MARCH

4:     CREOLE BRUNCH NIGHT. Who says you can’t have Brunch at 7:00 p.m.? Tonight we’ll sample some of the fantastic dishes that have made “Jazz Brunch” a tradition in the French Quarter. We’ll start you off with a Mimosa (Champagne and Orange Juice Cocktail), then treat you to Grapefruit Decatur, Tasso Cheese Grits Opeloussas, “Uptown” Egg & Andouille Casserole (new dish), Grilled Garlic French Toast, Pan Perdu with Grand Marnier Glaze. You’ll think you’re in the Court of Two Sisters or Commander’s Palace Courtyard when you’re done. $50 for this lesson.

6:       SINGLES NITE AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. “Hey, Good Lookin’, What You Got Cookin’, Hows About Cookin’ Something Up with Me?” You never know what might happen when we turn the heat up in the kitchen! Come on down and find your own sous chef at Chef Rameaux’s while you enjoy Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Roast Beef PoBoys with “Debris” Gravy, and Café au Lait & Beignets.

10:     THE RAMEAUX FORUM: Red Beans & Repartee with local opinion leaders. $5 cover charge & cash bar. Speaker and Topic TBA. Starts at 6:30 p.m.

11:     Calcasieu Crabmeat and Tomato Bisque, Shrimp & Grits St. Denis with Andouille    & Tasso Sauce, Bananas Foster. $50 for this lesson.

17:     Black Eyed Pea and Bacon Vinaigrette Salad, Stuffed Bell Peppers, Cajun Style Black Eyed Peas, Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Anna Lou’s Lemon Ice Box Pie.

20:     LADIES NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. What happens at Chef Rameaux stays at Chef Rameaux's! The first group of six ladies to make a reservation        gets to choose the menu.

25:     BACK TO BASICS NITE: Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Jambalaya, and New Orleans Style Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce.

APRIL

1:     APRIL FOOL’S AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. No foolin’, this menu will make you slap your grandma. Shrimp & Corn Bisque with Andouille Sausage, Prien Lake Trout Amandine with Brown Rice Iberia, Bananas Foster. $50 for this lesson.

3:     LADIES NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. What happens at Chef Rameaux stays at Chef Rameaux's! The first group of 6 ladies to make a reservation get to choose the menu.

8:     Mardi Gras Shrimp Remoulade, Crawfish Quiche Florentine, Steamed Asparagus with Creole Hollandaise Sauce, French Quarter Praline Sundae.

14:    THE RAMEAUX FORUM: Red Beans & Repartee with local opinion leaders. $5 cover charge & cash bar. Speaker and Topic TBA. Starts at 6:30 p.m.

15:     SIGNATURE DISH NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. Our three “signature” dishes all at one time: Shrimp & Corn Bisque with Andouille Sausage, Catfish Rameaux, and Storyville Pound Cake. $50 for this lesson.

17:     SINGLES NITE AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. “Hey, Good Lookin’, What You Got Cookin’, Hows About Cookin’ Something Up with Me?” Sometimes things can get pretty hot in the kitchen! Come on down and find your own sous chef at Chef Rameaux’s while you enjoy Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Roast Beef    PoBoys with “Debris” Gravy, and Café au Lait & Beignets.

19:     CHEF RAMEAUX’S CRAWFISH BOIL. 5:00 p.m. on Saturday. We’ll get out on the sidewalk in front of the store and do an authentic Cajun Crawfish Boil with all the fixins: fresh, live crawfish, corn on the cob, new potatoes, onions, and     andouille sausage. We’ll have lots of ice cold Abita Beer and a big tub of Cole Slaw Coushatta and some New Orleans Style Bread Pudding w/Whiskey Sauce for dessert. The price is only $30 per person, but you must reserve and pay at       least 2 weeks in advance, and the payment for this lesson is not refundable, because I’ll be ordering the mudbugs based on the number of reservations.

22:     Creole Seafood Gumbo, Crawfish Fettuccine, Bananas Foster.

29:     Shrimp Bisque, Crawfish Corn Macque Choux ala Aucoin, Fresh Apple Cake with Grand Marnier Glaze.

MAY

6:       GARDEN FEAST. We’ll raid the garden for all the good stuff for a great spring dinner. Fried green tomatoes, Stuffed Bell Peppers Belle Chase, Cajun Style Black Eyed Peas & Cornbread, Stewed Okra & Tomatoes, College-Educated     Collard Greens, Pan-Blackened Yellow Squash, and Strawberries Vieux Carrie.    NOTE: this is NOT a vegetarian meal.

12:     THE RAMEAUX FORUM: Red Beans & Repartee with local opinion leaders. $5 cover charge & cash bar. Speaker and Topic TBA. Starts at 6:30 p.m.

13:     FISH FRY NITE. Bodcaux Bayou Fried Catfish, Baked Beans Breaux Bridge, Potato Salad Patin, and Anna Lou’s Lemon Ice Box Pie.

15:     SINGLES NITE AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. “Hey, Good Lookin’, What You Got Cookin’, Hows About Cookin’ Something Up with Me?” You never know what might happen when we turn the heat up in the kitchen! Come on down and find your own sous chef at Chef Rameaux’s while you enjoy Chicken & Andouille Gumbo, Roast Beef PoBoys with “Debris” Gravy, and Café au Lait & Beignets.

20:     Creole Seafood Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Bananas Foster.

27:     Creamed Spinach ala Creole, Easy Blackened Chicken Breast, Brabant Potatoes de Familles, Oven Broiled Garlic French Bread, French Quarter Praline Sundae.

29:     LADIES NIGHT AT CHEF RAMEAUX’S. What happens at Chef Rameaux stays at Chef Rameaux's! The first group of 6 ladies to make a reservation get to choose the menu.