CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Follow the progress of the Greenbrier Executive Chef Rich Rosendale as he leads Team USA in the elite international culinary competition Bocuse d'Or in Lyon, France, on Jan. 30. He and his assistant Corey Siegel will be cooking from 3:20 to 9 a.m. EST. Pesky time zones.

They compete on the second day of the two-day competition against teams from Denmark, Sri Lanka, Estonia, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, Norway, Hungary and Japan.

The awards will announced between the more reasonable hours of 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Jan. 30.

Look for up-to-date details on Facebook and Twitter and on the Gazette's Twitter feed. Follow the late night/early morning action by live stream at www.boscusedorusa.org/bdo2013, which will be active starting on Jan. 29.

California dreaming

The Wine Shop at Capitol Market will host a "California Affair" from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Capitol Market. The event will include samples of 15 wines from California, including the wines of Michael David Winery. Food will be provided by Luisa DiTrapano of Cucina Luisa with live entertainment by Due Divertado.

Cost is $55. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call 304-343-9463.

Beard nominee

Scott Collinash, chef at Panorama at the Peak in Berkeley Springs, has recently been nominated to the James Beard Foundation. Officials will soon begin evaluating his cooking and presentation.

Collinash changes his menu weekly to accommodate the strong preferences of Panorama owners Patti Miller and Leslie Hotaling to use local foods as extensively as possible.

He will be leading a team to the Cast Iron Skillet Cook-Off at The Greenbrier Feb. 1 and 2. The meal he plans to prepare will be offered for $50 per person Friday  at Panorama on the Peak. Call 304-258-0050.

Cabbage patch kid

Katelyn Cross of Belington was recently named a winner in National Bonnie Plants Cabbage Program for the large cabbage she grew. Her cabbage was selected by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

Cross will receive a $1,000 savings bond from Bonnie Plants to be used for education. She grew the oversized cabbage as part of the Kids Grow Green: Cashing in Cabbage, a hands-on gardening and education program.

Third-grade teachers may register for the 2013 contest at www.bonnieplants.com.

Kids cooking class

West Virginia University's Kanawha County Extension Service is offering hands-on cooking classes for middle school students during "Early Out" days. They will learn about cooking, menu planning and nutrition as they prepare foods.

The first meeting will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 30 at the extension office, Suite 101, 4700 MacCorkle Ave. S.E., in Kanawha City. Additional meetings will be Feb. 27, April 24 and May 23.

There is no cost to attend the cooking club, but space is limited to 12 students. Registrants must be willing to attend all four classes in the session. Call 304-720-9573 or email KanawhaCountyExtens...@mail.wvu.edu to register.

Tuesday lunches at the Civic Center

The Charleston Civic Center is open to the public for lunch between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Tuesdays only. In house caterer Distinctive Gourmet will change the menu monthly. January's menu is pulled pork or turkey barbecue sandwich, chips, slaw and drink for $7. Wraps and salads are also available.

Save the water tip

The recipe calls for a cup of the water used to boil the pasta, but you once again dumped the pot of pasta into the colander and watched the water drain before you remembered to save a cup. Next time, place a measuring cup inside the colander as a reminder to save the required amount of pasta water before you drain it.

Reach Julie Robinson at jul...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1230 with information to be included in Food Notes.