If you’re looking forward to the Royal wedding, then get ready because the King of Food University is coming to the Queen City! The enthusiastic, excitable and unmistakable Star Instructor Curtis Aikens will appear on WNCN’s Charlotte Today on Friday between 11 a.m. and noon to cook his famous champagne dijon pasta sauce. For a taste of his style, watch Marc Silverstein interview him about the first time he cooked for Julia Child. He walks you through the steps to creating fresh pickled melons. Be sure to listen for the witty wedding joke at the end of the clip! The recipe is posted below.

Fresh Pickled Melons

Ingredients:
2 Cups Melons cut into bite size piece (mixture of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew)
2 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon each fresh dill, tarragon, and mint finely chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl combine wine and vinegar. Add sugar and herbs mix until sugar dissolves. Add melons; turn to coat with herb and vinegar mixture. Chill and serve.

In case you missed it, Food University shot a live broadcast via Facebook and Livestream to announce the dates of our 2011 Spring appearances. To watch the full video, click here.

Star Instructor Marc Silverstein was on hand to share the exciting news along with the upcoming tour dates and featured celebrity chefs. Come join Food U at these select IKEA stores where you’ll enjoy FREE seminars and cooking demonstrations. You don’t want to miss it! Dates are as followed:

It’s a question we all grapple with at the holidays: Does it make more sense (economically and otherwise) to prepare the feast yourself, or is it better to opt for the finished product at the store? And what will the guests think? Or the hosts, if you’re the one bringing dessert?

Food University Star Instructor Claudine Pepin has encouraging advice for those on both sides of this hot issue: the holiday meal isn’t just about the food. Whether you cook or you buy, you have to do what’s right for you.

In this Skype chat with Food U host Marc Silverstein, Claudine reminds us the holidays are about spending time with family and friends and enjoying good food – regardless of whether it’s handmade or bought from a store. “If you’re going to somebody’s house to enjoy their company, it shouldn’t be about the food or the gifts that you bring them,” she says. “They don’t expect you to make the wine that you bring – so why would they expect you to make the pie? If it’s a great pie, it’s a great pie.”

Do you agree? Is store-bought acceptable? For more of Claudine’s time and money-saving tips, watch her full interview right here on Food University.