I was one of the 12 lucky food bloggers invited to a Discover Gourmet Event at Leaning Ladder in Woodstock. Friend and fellow food blogger, Melissa Pelkey-Hass of The Front Porch Gourmet teaches cooking classes at Leaning Ladder and put together a gourmet dinner prepared by Chef Juan of Chez Montier. Chef Juan went above and beyond to create a gluten-free meal for me. In doing so, he ended up modifying one of the courses to be entirely gluten-free and no one knew the difference.

The entire event was so well organized featuring printed menus, a media list with information on our hosts, guests, sponsors and social media tags for all. We even received a printed invitation in the mail. What a nice touch and kudos to Melissa for being the hostess with the most-est.

Chef Juan, his lovely wife Judith and his son Austin served as hosts for a four-course Asian themed menu featuring Saketinis cocktails and wine parings from Southern Vines Distribution. All of the proteins for the meal were donated by TK Gourmet, Sprouts Farmer’s Market provided the groceries, and Astor Chocolate, Gimmee Jimmy’s Cookies (not gluten free), and Leaning Ladder created fun gift bags.

Chef Juan has been a staple in Atlanta’s gourmet food community for more than 20 years preparing meals for Diana Ross, Usher, and Steve Harvey. His work has been featured on The View, Atlanta & Co, Atlanta Plugged In and on radio including the V103 Morning Show.

Chef Juan admitted he had to challenge himself when he learned a celiac was attending the event especially for an Asian-theme menu where miso was being used. Miso paste contains gluten, so he used a gluten-free version and actually liked its lower sodium content and clean taste more than traditional wheat-filled versions. I was thrilled that Chef Juan felt the same and so did the other attendees.

I really had no idea of the depth of Chef Juan’s talents when I arrived, but after the appetizers were served, I knew I was in for an unforgettable meal. Curried shrimp with raisins, chives and onions served as the amuse-bouche and paired nicely with the Saketinis cocktails garnished with lycee fruit and honey ginger balsamic vinegar. I am not embarrassed to say I ate three and loved the flavor texture combos with the melt-in-your-mouth shrimp.

Here is how the rest of our gourmet meal played out:

Appetizer

Crab ‘Fingers’ Tossed in Wasabi Roumalade and Drizzled with Tuscan Herb Olive Oil

Salad

Arugula, Asparagus and Whole Bamboo Shoots with Sesame Olive Oil and Ginger Dressing

Main Course

Yucca and Potato Encrusted Chilean Sea Bass with Wild Mushroom Ravioli in Miso Broth with Seared Sea Scallops, Turned Carrots and Sesame Sauteed Field Greens Flanked by a Whole Roasted Crawfish and Finished with a Drizzle of Garlic Olive Oil

Dessert

Honey Sweetened Ginger and Lemon Granita Bathed with Sicilian Lemon Balsamic Vinegar

The whole meal was wonderful and didn’t leave me feeling heavy or too full. I really enjoyed the crab fingers dipped in wasabi roumalade, but it was the gluten-free ravioli in the main course that almost made me tear up. Chef Juan created ravioli dough using rice flour and it turned out wonderfully. I could have easily eat a gallon of the miso broth that was incredibly flavorful without being too salty. I had fun teaching a number of bloggers how to take apart and eat crawfish (suck the heads people) and the scallops were seared to perfection.

The entire night was so enjoyable. We had such a lively group of bloggers that made the whole evening come together so perfectly. I know we overwhelmed Chef Juan with all of the photos we took, but his smiling face showed he enjoyed every minute just as much as we did.

Thanks to Melissa, Chez Montier, and Leaning Ladder for hosting such a wonderful event. Special thanks to the event sponsors too! Purchase tickets to an event being produced by Chez Montier and consider hiring them for your next personal or corporate event. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. In no way did this influence my opinions and views, which are derived from my personal experience at the event.