What better way to escape the dog days of summer than learning a new skill in the kitchen and eating your way through the results? Meet Chef Regina Charboneau, “The Biscuit Queen” of Natchez, who empowers even the most timid cooks by teasing out their hidden culinary skills. An accomplished chef and restaurateur, Charboneau offers a variety of cooking classes at Regina’s Kitchen.
Her most popular class is “Biscuit and Brunch,” which takes place Saturday mornings at 10 am. Chefs-in-training whip up from-scratch biscuits using Charboneau’s special method, then pair them with artful toppings like shrimp with smoked tomato cream sauce, jalapeño cheese grits, and a French omelet with Boursin cheese. Class members go home with a tea towel and biscuit cutter so they can recreate Charboneau’s biscuits at home.
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Image courtesy of Visit Natchez CVB
Chef Regina Charboneau, “The Biscuit Queen” of Natchez
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Image courtesy of Visit Natchez CVB
Make biscuits from scratch at Chef Regina's “Biscuit and Brunch” class
“We eat everything we cook. It’s like going out to brunch but you get to help prepare it,” said Charboneau, who opened Regina’s Kitchen after teaching cooking classes for twenty years prior to the pandemic in her historic home. “People come from all over to visit Natchez. They really want to delve in and know everything about Natchez, and they are looking for experiential learning.”
Charboneau also offers French and Italian cooking classes and will host a souffle or sauce class on demand. Guests are welcome to bring libations to accompany their meals. The Biscuit Brunch can be booked online and private classes are available by appointment by calling Charboneau at 601-392-1756 or emailing her at chefreginanatchez@gmail.com.
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Image courtesy of Visit Natchez CVB
A successful shopping trip at Natchez Olive Market
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Image courtesy of Visit Natchez CVB
Natchez Olive Market offers fifty-five varieties of ultra-premium, pure, single-source olive oils from Europe, Australia, and South America, as well as infused white and dark balsamic vinegar and infused olive oils.
Across the street from Regina’s Kitchen, the women-owned, specialty shop, Natchez Olive Market, promises to elevate any meal with its assortment of olive oils and balsamic vinegars. The shop offers fifty-five varieties of ultra-premium, pure, single-source olive oils from Europe, Australia, and South America, as well as infused white and dark balsamic vinegar and infused olive oils. Infusions are mainly herb, fruit, or pepper and feature no added sugar.
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar selections rotate every six months, and customers are welcome to sample the products any day the shop is open. Be sure to browse NOM’s wide selection of gourmet foods and cheeses and locally made gifts, which include cheese knives and pottery. The Natchez Grazing Co., a boutique catering company, also calls the Natchez Olive Market homebase and creates artfully arranged grazing tables and charcuterie boards for any size gathering.
Natchez Olive Market is open Tuesday–Saturday from 11 am–3 pm. Looking for a more in-depth learning session? Inquire about booking a private group tasting or a dinner to experience how different oils and balsamic vinegars can be used to complement foods to best effect.
