What a great time! I was invited to be a guest chef at a local restaurant in Granite Bay, California. It was an Italian restaurant called Granito’s and they’re famous for their Calamari, meat sauce, bread dipping sauce and their service. So what is a Creole/Cajun guy doing in an Italian place? Well, you should know that there are a lot of Italians from the New Orleans area. Even though I am not Italian, I can do an Italian night pretty darn good.
My specialties of the night were an encrusted Halibut (you’d have to have been there and seen what this was encrusted with. No, there was no alligator there), my Italian shrimp dish baked with seasonings made for the bread dipping, and my now famous chicken with olive oil, garlic and roasted potatoes - now that’s Italian.
My guest chef partner for the night made his famous Italian dishes, some kind of special tomato salad, and some small artichokes - all were big hits.
We also cooked up some special filet mignons, just to pass out. They had a little garlic, onions and crumbled blue cheese. They sure didn’t last very long.
This restaurant, by the way, is a hidden gem for anyone wanting excellent food. Try their veal Marsala and see what the best of the best tastes like.
If you’re planning a special night soon, then give us a call. I guarantee you will have good memories plus a lot of happy guests.
Not every party can be this much fun, but Jolaine sure knows how to throw a lively party. With sausages flown in from Louisiana, we had hot, mild, and some kind of surprse sausage served. We also had "Slap Ya Mama" Cajun seasonings served on the smoked salmon priot to the main boil. The guests loved it, the food went fast, and the music kept coming.
What a great way to spend a Saturday evening, it makes having a birthday a real treat!
Mardi Gras came and went, and we celebrate with Zydeco music, Mardi Gras beads and a N’Orleans Shrimp Boil with all the trimmings. Louisiana native Chef Andre Robin orchestrated an authentic shrimp boil that was served up family-style with real Southern rémoulade and beer and wine to wash it down. Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Mardi Gras Madness was held at beautiful Copia in Napa Valley. Visit Copia's website for more information.
Set in a great outdoor seating for 100, Dee’s 50th birthday party was a big hit. There was lots of family and friends enjoying lots of excellent food and fun unique entertainment provided by Cooking with Andre. The main attraction was Dee of course, but a close second was the Boil that Andre put on. What a feast: appetizers included smoked foods like Salmon, Pork Tenderloins, Pheasant plus Baby Back ribs that were second to none. It all went fast. Following was the main course of the Boil served with the notorious “Pour” - what a scene. The collaboration of simmering lobster, scallops, and shrimp with all the fixings and dipping sauce were something else.
One of Dee’s guests was Mr. J.R. Knudson, who had recently won the title of “World Chile Cook-off Champion” which was quite a feat considering there were over 400 chefs there and he took first place. That event was sponsored by Con-Agra, a well known company who makes great ingredients for the chilies. So when Mr. Knudson gives us a compliment as to the quality and presentation of this event in Dee’s back yard, we think it is worth publishing.
Mr. Knudson says that this is the best party he has ever attended, and he has never seen anything more impressive than the “Pour” of the Shrimp Boil event. A comment like this kinda says it all.
Here's another kind comment:
“We were excited to hear that we were attending the “Pour” on Saturday, but could not imagine that it would be so unique and fun as it turned out to be. The food was great and the presentation was fantastic, can’t wait to attend another event like this.”
---Roger Niello, State Assembly
Dinner at the Dump
September 2006
They called it the “Dinner at the Dump” event, but don’t let the name fool you. The catering that was done by Sacramento Catering/Depot Café was outstanding. The MC’s were none other than Armstrong and Getty and the music was handled by “the petting zoo.”
We were invited to this event to be part of a live auction. In order to familiarize people with whom we are and how we can cook, we passed out samples of Smoked Salmon, Andre’s way. We gave out one-bites, and the Salmon did not last long. We even had people tasting the Salmon that normally do not eat fish. We think they may start now. Many thanks to the generous people who bid on our dinner that was auctioned off, it was for a very good cause, and we promise the dinner event night will be one to remember.
While we had many positive comments on our sample appetizers, none compared to:
Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo who said, "The salmon appetizer at Saturday's fundraiser was excellent!I can't wait to see Chef Andre in action at his shrimp boil."
Recent News 
Set in a great outdoor seating for 100, Dee’s 50th birthday party was a big hit. There was lots of family and friends enjoying lots of excellent food and fun unique entertainment provided by Cooking with Andre. The main attraction was Dee of course, but a close second was the Boil that Andre put on. What a feast: appetizers included smoked foods like Salmon, Pork Tenderloins, Pheasant plus Baby Back ribs that were second to none. It all went fast. Following was the main course of the Boil served with the notorious “Pour” - what a scene. The collaboration of simmering lobster, scallops, and shrimp with all the fixings and dipping sauce were something else.
They called it the “Dinner at the Dump” event, but don’t let the name fool you. The catering that was done by Sacramento Catering/Depot Café was outstanding. The MC’s were none other than Armstrong and Getty and the music was handled by “the petting zoo.”