With summer upon us, chef Ben Knack will demonstrate the art of grilling with marinades Saturday, July 7, at the Bedford Village Inn.

Knack said he and fellow chef Paul Callahan will showcase several cooking steps and techniques with different marinades.

“We’ll include four marinades – a maple, which is a local favorite; achiote marinade, which is a Latin American spice; a jerk marinade; and a yogurt marinade,” Knack said. “We’ll be using the same type of meat, in this case a flank steak, to demonstrate how each marinade comes out different ways.”

Knack said the key is to use the same ingredients but different marinade techniques.

“Sometimes, people are content to just throw a piece of chicken or a steak on the grill,” Knack said. “But by doing your own marinades at home, you can make your meal a little more exciting and a little more fun. Marinating is one of the best tricks that we use in the kitchen – and we can utilize the same ingredients. In this case, the piece of chicken or a piece of steak.”

While a maple marinade might be familiar to most, a yogurt marinade is sure to mix things up.

“It’s Indian, and anytime you have tandori, for example, you have a yogurt marinade,” Knack said. “Greek yogurts have a little more acidity to them, so when you add fresh herbs to that, it won’t be terribly sweet.”

Knack also hit on the biggest common faux pas in marinating.

“I think over-marination is a big mistake,” he said. “People marinate foods overnight; most marinades just take four or five hours. If you marinate for too long, your meat tends to get very salty when you cook it.”

And while the demonstration will concentrate on grilling with marinades, Knack said the Bedford Village Inn doesn’t really have a trademark secret.

“We’re unique in the sense that things here change very often,” he said. “We’re always trying to create new dishes. We might try to bring something back once in a while, but mostly we change things up here.

“Plus, we have different outlets – we’re doing Italian food in Corks, we have American bistro food in the Tavern, and in the Dining Room we have fine dining and serve French cuisine. So our menu changes a lot.”

Inspiration is to be the mother of invention in the BVI’s kitchen.

“There are a couple items that I haven’t made in five or six years that I brought back,” Knack said. “We’re inspired by what’s seasonal, what we’re talking about in the kitchen, what we want to cook and what we think the customers are going to enjoy. And with our cooking segments, it gives diners a glimpse of what they can expect on the menu, and for us, we’re extending our repertoire. We’re not sitting on the same menu for 20 years. We want to make things more exciting. Food is about having the next great experience.”

Grilling with Marinades will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 7. The program is free. The Bedford Village Inn is at 2 Olde Bedford Way.