Sushi Night with Chef Stuart Christoff

UrbanBeat is offering a new monthly culinary experience with celebrity Chef Stuart Christoff, Mixologist Andrea Valerio and Chef Matt Jones. Our kick-off features Sushi and is sure to delight. Includes craft cocktail, passed appetizers, two hot and cold Japanese inspired charcuterie displays, presentation (origin & etiquette), demonstration (choosing ingredients & cooking, cutting and rolling technique), rolling stations to make your own, more sushi, and live music. You won’t go hungry!

Thursday Dec 1
6:30 Arrival with live music and appetizers/cocktails
7:30 Presentation, Demonstration & Roll Your Own
8:30 Live Performance by Clique Vocals duo Dan & Kelly

Chef Stuart Christoff, a Grand Rapids native comes from a long line of culinarians beginning with his grandfather who started bottling horseradish in the family garage in Lowell, Michigan. Today the family business - Litehouse Foods Inc., has manufacturers in six states in North America, Bangkok, Thailand and soon Dubai. To say that Stu grew up in a food family is no understatement. Chef Stu climbed the ranks from high school bus boy to lead line cook and went on to earn a culinary degree from Secchia Institute of Culinary Education and his B.S. in Hospitality Business Administration from Ferris State University during which time Stu spent four years at the acclaimed “Maru Sushi” in Grand Rapids. After Graduation, Stu joined his family in Thailand to gain international cooking experience where he cooked at Bangkok’s best restaurants. From there Stu became the Executive Chef for Hong Kong Academy International School in Hong Kong, where he remained until 2020. Now in Lansing, he is best known for his Asian culinary influence. A night of sushi will be a catered presentation and lesson of the history of sushi, important facts about its basic ingredients and how to practice proper etiquette when invited to a sushi bar! So bring your best guest and come hungry for knowledge, great food and drinks and brace yourself for a bit of laughter as we learn from Stu himself at rolling practice stations how to Roll like the Pro’s!

Matt Jones is the Kitchen & Facility Manager at Allen Neighborhood Center that focuses on business development for start-up hospitality and value-added food businesses. Most of the programming comes from in-field experience cooking and running restaurants for over a decade. He also put that experience to use running a community focused culinary program, teaching food safety and job-based techniques to many upcoming hospitality workers. Matt has dedicated 6 years to studying sushi technique and has taught over 200 chefs across Michigan how to properly execute this cuisine.

Mixologist Andrea Valerio is originally from Verona Italy, the city of love… known worldwide for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. He started his career serving tables in restaurants then moved behind the counter where he found a passion for coffee and cocktails.

Clique Vocals - Dan & Kelly
Performing classic jazz ballads of the 1920s–50s, plus a mix of pop and contemporary arranged in a unique style with tight harmonies.

Tickets are $85 per person. https://bit.ly/StushiUB