cooking classes

Kylie said:

Hi all,

Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?

I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special reference to Perth ('cause
that's where I am & could only find 2 on the 'net).

Raelene

I'm not in Australia, but my middle brother signed up for cooking classes held by a local
chef/restauranteur. You might wish to inquire of local restaurants as to whether or not they hold
something similar. No, he doesn't do grudge-work in the kitchen to the benefit of the restaurant! It
is closed on Sundays and that's when the classes are held. He's getting a real kick out of it.

Sample menu items from an email he sent me are below:

"Here are the recipes from a cooking class I was at this morning at Jarrett's
jarretts.comjarretts.comOpen ↗ with Chef Richard Farmer. The lunch menu is:

Mussels Marinara Seafood Terrene on Salad w/Saffron Aioli Stuffed Trout with Vermouth Sauteed
Grouper Bourride Maracan Grilled Swordfish, Chocolate Lava Cake & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

There were about 15 people there and it was a little crazy. It started at
9:00 and was over about 12:30. Best part was that we ate for lunch what we helped to cook. I got to
help with prep, sautéing veggies for the Ratatouille (on the big chef's stove. it was hot, with
two big sauté pans going) and finishing the wine sauce for Coq Au Vin. These aren't recipes from
the restaurant, just classic recipes and techniques.

Also, here's the recipe for the Crustacean Cocktail that I tried to make at Thanksgiving [that was
in 2002]. I was on the right basic track he said, and was happy to give me the recipe. No thickeners
such as catsup or tomato paste. I had no idea there would be simple syrup or sambal in it though.
Also he said the V-8 works better than plain tomato juice.

Crustacean Cocktail

1 ½ Cups Mixed Citrus Juice 2 C. V-8 Juice 1 C. Olive Oil 1 Poblano pepper (diced fine) 1 Red Bell
(diced fine) ½ Red Onion (diced fine) ½ bunch of cilantro (chopped) 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp.
cumin 2 seeded and diced jalapenos 2 oz. Simple Syrup 1 oz. Sambal

Portion: 4 Shrimp 2 oz. Lobster pour the liquid over the top of the seafood into large martini
glasses. Garnish with Avocado Tomato Salsa

Jill

Kylie said:

Hi all,

Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?

I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special reference to Perth ('cause
that's where I am & could only find 2 on the 'net).

I attended the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, New York 20 years ago. I've taken cooking classes
since then. I taught a college semester of cooking for students studying to become dieticians. I've
also taught small community school classes in health food cooking. (I can't help on the Australia
part of your question.)

Are you thinking of cooking classes geared towards professional cooking, job training or vocational
educational? Or is it more along the lines of learning to make something wonderful at home? Or
something else?

I've noticed that a lot of people take cooking classes as a sort of entertainment, a way to meet
people with similar interests, like a nice dinner out except you don't need a date. There's
nothing wrong with that, but I wish I'd known before I started teaching. I went in all serious
thinking about what the students would learn and found my classes not going well because they
were more interested in chatting and having fun and wanted me to be more entertaining when I was
being serious.

--Lia

"Kylie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Hi all,

Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?

I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special reference to Perth ('cause
that's where I am & could only find 2 on the 'net).

Raelene

Totally depends on who is teaching it. IME, they vary in quality quite a bit. I have been to some
great seminars at Whole Foods (in the US) and not-so-great classes held at the local community
college. Ask to speak to former graduates of the program, or students.

-L.

notbob said:

Not to rain on your parade, but perhaps you are just not a good teacher. I've attended many single
session cooking classes, most with wine served during the class. Very seldom have I encountered
the attendees chatting and generally ignoring the chef/teacher. Usually, the class members are
very attentive, paying close attention to the instruction. I'm not saying you aren't a good chef,
but not everyone is cut out to be a teacher.

You may be right. Whenever I teach one-on-one, no matter the subject, I get compliments. I'm clear
and thorough and have a good knack for discovering the trouble spot and explaining it. With classes,
however, that same clear, step-by-step thorough-ness may well make me boring. I wouldn't say my
students ignore me, but they haven't necessarily been attentive. I did get the feeling that some
thought of the class as entertainment, and I'm not good at entertaining.

--Lia

jmcquown said:

Kylie said:

Hi all,

Anyone been to any cooking classes/schools? What'd you think?

I'd especially like to hear of Australian experiences, with special reference to Perth ('cause
that's where I am & could only find 2 on the 'net).

Raelene

Quoted message said:

I'm not in Australia, but my middle brother signed up for cooking classes held by a local
chef/restauranteur. You might wish to inquire of local restaurants as to whether or not they hold
something similar. No, he doesn't do grudge-work in the kitchen to the benefit of the restaurant!
It is closed on Sundays and that's when the classes are held. He's getting a real kick out of it.

Sample menu items from an email he sent me are below:

"Here are the recipes from a cooking class I was at this morning at Jarrett's
jarretts.comjarretts.comOpen ↗ with Chef Richard Farmer. The lunch menu is:

Mussels Marinara Seafood Terrene on Salad w/Saffron Aioli Stuffed Trout with Vermouth Sauteed
Grouper Bourride Maracan Grilled Swordfish, Chocolate Lava Cake & Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

There were about 15 people there and it was a little crazy. It started at
9:00 and was over about 12:30. Best part was that we ate for lunch what we helped to cook. I got
to help with prep, sautéing veggies for the Ratatouille (on the big chef's stove. it was hot,
with two big sauté pans going) and finishing the wine sauce for Coq Au Vin. These aren't recipes
from the restaurant, just classic recipes and techniques.

Also, here's the recipe for the Crustacean Cocktail that I tried to make at Thanksgiving [that was
in 2002]. I was on the right basic track he said, and was happy to give me the recipe. No
thickeners such as catsup or tomato paste. I had no idea there would be simple syrup or sambal in
it though. Also he said the V-8 works better than plain tomato juice.

Crustacean Cocktail

1 ½ Cups Mixed Citrus Juice 2 C. V-8 Juice 1 C. Olive Oil 1 Poblano pepper (diced fine) 1 Red Bell
(diced fine) ½ Red Onion (diced fine) ½ bunch of cilantro (chopped) 1 tsp. ground coriander 1 tsp.
cumin 2 seeded and diced jalapenos 2 oz. Simple Syrup 1 oz. Sambal

Portion: 4 Shrimp 2 oz. Lobster pour the liquid over the top of the seafood into large martini
glasses. Garnish with Avocado Tomato Salsa

Jill

Hi, I am a newbie in this newsgroup and happen to know what sambal is. It is a prepared mixture of
red chilis (with seeds), salt and a little cooking oil finely chopped and mixed to form a paste. In
the Netherlands, Europe (where i live) you can buy it in any supermarket. This is because we eat
(and like) a lot of Indonesian food in which it is used. Sambal is VERY VERY hot.