June 5 wine dinner features local chef and author

Blogger, chef, and cookbook author Jennifer Segal was the guest chef at a June 5 wine dinner in the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate restaurant.

Between courses, Segal spoke animatedly about her experiences cooking as a restaurant chef and for her family, plus the challenges involved in publishing her cookbook, "Once Upon a Chef."

The 60 diners enjoyed a menu featuring selections from her cookbook. Executive Chef Susan Delbert supervised their preparation and selected wines for each course.

Appetizers included Spanakopita rolls, smoked gouda and pesto mini grilled cheese sandwiches and ahi tuna poke with avocado and rice crackers were among the appetizers.

Subsequent courses included mushroom soup, Baja fish tacos, an entré of steak au poivre, and a dessert of Persian key lime pie, a delicious sweet and tangy version that could easily be mistaken for cheesecake.