Welcome to Couples & Truffles — an entertaining, delicious, and romantic Friday night kickoff to the Napa Truffle Festival weekend. Michelin-starred chef and Boulevard co-owner Nancy Oakes and her ‘Sausage King’ husband Bruce Aidells, founder of Aidells Sausage Company, author of a dozen cookbooks, and self-described devotee of truffles, take the stage with Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards’ Hugh Davies at CIA at COPIA’s stunning Vintners Theater to demonstrate two truffle dishes, as they share their cooking secrets, and do what they’ve been doing for 35 years: cook brilliantly, teach generously, and disagree lively about almost everything.
At Couples & Truffles, chefs Nancy and Bruce share the stage to demonstrate cooking with truffles with a pair of distinct culinary voices collaborating on two beautiful and delicious truffle dishes for one very entertaining evening. Nancy brings the precision and sensory elegance of Boulevard’s Michelin-starred California kitchen; Bruce brings the bold, curious, scholar-of-flavor energy of a man who has spent decades making the argument that great ingredients and great technique deserve each other equally. Together, they bring something unique: the real, unscripted dynamic of two people who genuinely love food, love each other, love to share, and have never once agreed on how to slice bread.
After the cooking demonstration, you’ll sample four tasting portions of truffle dishes prepared by Chef Nancy, two of which Nancy and Bruce will have demonstrated. All will be paired with exceptional Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards wines personally selected by Hugh Davies to showcase the profound, elegant depth of peak season Périgord black truffles. You’ll receive recipes for all four dishes to take home.
As the evening’s final act, step into the atrium to meet the costars of the festival weekend — our beloved truffle-hunting dogs. Petting is encouraged!
Why you’ll love it:
- Two demos, two legends, one dynamic stage. Nancy Oakes and Bruce Aidells share the stage to demonstrate two truffle dishes with easy banter that’s as entertaining as the food is sublime.
- A front-row seat to a 35-year culinary conversation. Watch how two deeply opinionated, award-winning chefs navigate a shared kitchen. Spoiler: they’re in love, nobody yields. That’s the fun.
- Four extraordinary truffle tastes — tasting portion of four truffle dishes, all created around Périgord black truffles harvested at the height of the season and at peak freshness.
- Exceptional wine pairings from Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards.
- The truffle dogs. You’ll meet and pet the extraordinary dogs who hunt these truffles. It’s the best furry way to finish a Friday night.
- Take-home truffle recipes from Nancy and Bruce, so you can recreate the magic in your own kitchen.
- Ultra-fresh truffles for sale so you can shave truffles over eggs the next morning.
Seats are extremely limited. This event will surely sell out quickly. Reserve your seats now.
CIA at Copia – Napa
500 1st Street
Napa, CA
Friday, January 15
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Cost: $200.00 – per person
(Excludes Fees)
This event is open to 21+ guests only.
Please note: this is not intended to be a full dinner. All food served will be tasting portions.