Tuesday, April 23, 7:00 P.M.
Members $85, guests $110

They say that good things come in small packages, and Cat Cora is no exception. At 5 foot 1, Cora is petite by certain standards, but her reputation as executive chef and partner of Postino looms large.

Cora is a familiar face to viewers of the Food Network's Melting Pot, the show she co-hosts with Union Pacific's Rocco DiSpirito, and a familiar byline to readers of her syndicated column, "Cooking from the Hip." She was also seen on TVFN's My Country, My Kitchen, filming her segment in Greece. Cora herself grew up in a small Greek community in Jackson, Mississippi. Her grandfather, father, and godfather were all restaurateurs, and in her home, imported feta cheese and home-cured olives were as much a staple as fried chicken. To this day, Cora's soft Southern drawl comes as a surprise to those who partake of the boldly flavored Italian food she sends out at Postino. But Cora says she feels very comfortable cooking Italian food, noting that southern Italy has pine nuts, currants, and cinnamon in common with Greek cuisine.

After graduating from the CIA, Cora worked in New York with Anne Rosenzweig at Arcadia and with Larry Forgione at An American Place before going to Europe to apprentice with legendary French chefs Roger Vergé and Georges Blanc. She returned to the States to work as sous-chef under Melissa Kelly at the sorely missed Old Chatham Sheepherding Company in upstate New York. But Cora felt drawn to California, so she was thrilled to get a job as chef de cuisine in Napa Valley's Bistro Don Giovanni. Before long, she and Tra Vigne's Michael Chiarello opened Postino in the East Bay outside San Francisco. In an early review, San Francisco Chronicle food editor Michael Bauer predicted that Postino was "destined to be a real success." He was dead-on.

One more thing-for her evening at the Beard House, Cora will demonstrate how to make mozzarella, another good thing that comes in a small package.