I did a cooking lesson party the other night. Of all of the Chef Bill things that I do, these parties are among the most fun. And in this case, there were 22 women, all of whom work together, gathered in a colleague’s home to celebrate the season. And it was a blast. The menu was a simple one: three appetizers, followed by two paellas (one was a vegetarian version), and a finish with bananas Foster.

But the fun part is the questions that I get. That is, everything from my suggestions for cookware for the home (All Clad!!!) to my favorite knives, to fresh vs frozen crabmeat (go with fresh!). And it’s all in the comfort of their home.

But my favorite questions this week were for the paella. I had two requirements for dishes: no shellfish, and one had to be vegetarian. These are both contradictions to a traditional paella. So we did it anyway. And the reviews were great. The first paella had chicken, sausage, and salmon. The other had roasted vegetables, and chick peas. And since they both had saffron, the tastes were really good. And the questions ranged from farm-raised to wild-caught salmon (the farm raised holds up better while cooking, and remains moister) to rice types (Arborio, the same that’s used in risotto) to types of pans (if you don’t have a paella pan, go with something that’ll go from stovetop to the oven).

It was a great evening. And I’m looking forward to the other ones I have booked, too.