HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE – Chic Le Chef had its grand opening Saturday evening with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a welcoming party with wine and hors d’oeuvres.

The event took place in the storefront owned by Julie Hoskins, the force behind Chic Le Chef, and is adjacent to Hardester’s grocery store in Hidden Valley.

Hoskins offered several different hors d’oeuvres from various styles of cooking to show off her versatility, and all were delightful and delicious. They included an Asian-themed spring roll wrap with carrots, kaffir lime and rice sticks in a ponzu sauce, chicken apple sausage, cheese and apples in puff pastry, and a crostini topped with a feta cheese mixture and an olive and caper tapenade. There also was a light bread pudding bite with cranberries topped with a caramel sauce.

The atmosphere in the shop is friendly and relaxed, and the décor makes you feel like you want to get behind the counter and start cooking yourself.

Chic Le Chef offers culinary classes for kids, teens and hands-on applications, and “how-to” workshops. Gift cards for classes are available, and make for a great unique experience. You can also hold a culinary themed birthday party at the shop, where Hoskins will entertain you and your guests with culinary games, and you can decorate your own cupcakes.

Chic Le Chef has recently started a gourmet dinner take-out service a couple of days a week. On Tuesdays they offer “Tuesday Take-Out,” a boxed dinner that they will deliver locally in Hidden Valley Lake and Middletown. On Wednesdays they prepare their “Hump-Day” meal, a family meal for four that can be picked up at the shop between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

The menu changes weekly and there are a limited number of meals they can prepare, so it is strongly recommended that you call ahead (by Tuesday morning) to reserve a package as they sell out early. They hope soon to add a “Finally Friday” meal that they will deliver in the Clearlake area.

Chic Le Chef offers catering for parties or weddings. They also host small corporate events such as board meetings or team building exercises.

Hoskins, owner of Chic Le Chef, is a warm and friendly person with a great passion for food. After spending a large portion of her life in the corporate world, she took a leap of faith and is following her dream of exploring food and sharing it with people. She can be contacted at Chic Le Chef, 18983 Hartman Road, Hidden Valley Lake, telephone 987-9664 or visit her online at www.chiclechef.com.

Lacy Christensen is a resident of Lake County and editor of the Foodie Freak columns. She is also the manager of Promptly Handled Person Concierge Services.