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BY CALEB SHEAFFER
STAFF WRITER
Published: Thursday, August 14, 2008
Updated: Friday, August 15, 2008 1:00 AM EDT
Kate Gabriele diced a stalk of celery as she prepared for the dress rehearsal of her television show in a small studio tucked into the Rustic Kitchen restaurant in the newly renovated Mohegan Sun casino at Pocono Downs.
After slicing the celery, she lifted a summer squash from the counter, explaining she bought it earlier in the day at the Farmers Market on Public Square.
"I love the Farmers Market," Ms. Gabriele said, as she continued getting ready for her first live studio audience. She had been practicing for her television show all week — and on this night she was going to perform in front of people instead of flowers and walls.
Ms. Gabriele, a trained chef from Mountaintop, is the host of the television show "In the Kitchen with Kate Gabriele" at the Italian-Mediterranean bistro and bar, the Rustic Kitchen.
Join the show
The first show was last Thursday. Tapings are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays every week. Tickets for the show are $55, and can be ordered in advance through the restaurant. The studio holds 40 people.
Rustic Kitchen is the first restaurant in the Wyoming Valley to feature a broadcast-ready television studio, and it could be the second in the nation, according to owner Jim Cafarelli. A Boston-based restaurateur, Mr. Cafarelli opened the Rustic Kitchen in Boston at Park Square in 2005. He added a television studio as a forum to teach guests about food, wine and cooking.
"We want to make food and wine more approachable to our guests," Mr. Cafarelli said, adding that people are sometimes afraid to ask questions about ingredients and dishes. "This room is designed as the opposite to that. We encourage people to ask questions," he said.
The show in Boston — "In the Kitchen with Alissa Bigelow" — filmed a pilot and Cafarelli has met with a few production companies about possibly having the show air nationally. Tickets to "In the Kitchen with Alissa Bigelow" sell out about seven weeks in advance.
Mr. Cafarelli said the idea worked because people come into the restaurant and then see the television studio. Immediately, people are curious about what goes on there.
Try gnocci
The opening show at Mohegan Sun is "Everything Gnocchi," and Gabriele will teach guests how to cook Chef Pete Adams´ gnocchi with the Italian meat sauce, Ragu al a Bolognese. She explains how to make orange vinaigrette for a Boston Bibb Salad with shaved fennel, red onions, goat cheese and toasted pine nuts.
During the show, guests sample the two dishes and drink wine — Capestrano Montepulciano from Abruzzi — to accompany the meal.
All the while, Ms. Gabriele entertains the crowd with facts about the food and quick lessons on how to prepare the Italian delicacies. This should be no problem for her.
Her former job was traveling from house to house, teaching cooking classes and hosting shows for "Taste of Home" cooking schools. Also, she grew up in a large Sicilian family, so she knows how to cook Italian food.
Focus on fresh
Ms. Gabriele loves working at Rustic Kitchen, because the focus of the restaurant is on fresh and locally produced food. As a chef, she´s always stuck to the philosophy that the fresher the food, the better the taste.
Though the show is in its beginning stages now, Mr. Cafarelli intends to shoot scenes at farms and other restaurants in the Wyoming Valley to inform the audience about local food. "In the Kitchen with Kate Gabriele" will be shown on monitors in the restaurant and the casino. Mr. Cafarelli also has a deal with WOLF-TV, Fox 56, to air some shows.
Throughout the year, the restaurant will host about eight to 10 different shows, and the food served will depend on the season.
After the show gets rolling, the television studio will also host cooking classes and private parties.
Mr. Cafarelli wants the show to proejct a friendly atmosphere. In discussing that aspect with Ms. Gabriele and her assistant, Candace Mullin, he tells them that they should envision the show as if they are hosting a room full of friends for food and wine. There´s no need to be nervous, he says.
"It´s more about having a good time," Ms. Gabriele said.
Contact the writer: csheaffer@citizensvoice.com If you go
What: "In the Kitchen with Kate Gabriele"
Where: Television studio in Rustic Kitchen restaurant at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs
When: Tapings are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Details: A dish is prepared before an audience and the show is taped for later showing within the casino and the restaurant. The meal is served to the audience. Tickets are available for $55 by contacting the restaurant at 824-6600.
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