Young Chef Cooking Series – Session I

Kids:  Young Chef Cooking Series

Designed for young people, aged 11 to 15.
This series of classes is designed for young people who are interested in engaging in a deeper understanding of food mastery.  This is a five-session series with the first four lasting 1 1/2 hours and the last one lasting 2 hours:

Session I:  Knife Skills and Food and Kitchen Safety: 

To provide a sound foundation for future lessons, students will learn safe use of a stovetop, basic kitchen conduct, terminology, and knife skills. 

Food Items:

 * Rainbow Roasted Root Vegetables: Students will practice dicing and chopping root veggies. They’ll learn how to season and roast them to perfection.

 * Salsa: Focus on dicing tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cilantro for a fresh, flavorful treat.

Learning Objectives:

 * Understand and demonstrate proper knife safety.

 * Learn and execute basic vegetable cuts (dicing, chopping, slicing).

 * Practice peeling various vegetables safely.

 * Understand the importance of uniform cuts for even cooking.

 * Introduce basic seasoning for roasting.

Student aged 11-15:  $50

Book Now

Junior Chef Cooking Challenge (ages 10-17)

Kids:  Young Chef Cooking Challenge

Designed for young people, aged 10 to 17.
This session is about cooking at a higher level while having fun and feeling comfortable in the kitchen… creating a good meal from random ingredients, the way it was done in days long gone. There was no quick trip to the grocery store for ingredients for that one recipe, meals were prepared based on what was available. 

This is a competition that will be judged by Chef Valerie.  Judging is based on these criteria:  Overall meal plan, Competent kitchen skills, Final Results (taste/cohesive foods). 

Prize is a $25 gift certificate toward a future class and an award certificate.

Participants will be making various dishes for a meal of their own design, and along the way, demonstrating their kitchen skills, like knives, measuring properly and how to select salty, crunchy, sweet, acidic…etc. to enhance flavors.  Valerie guides and assists to ensure the best outcomes and gives tips for skills enhancement.

Each participant will be making an appetizer, a main entrée, and a dessert.  They will need to make 3 of each round, one for judging, and two for themselves and their adult guest (if there is one).

Everyone sits down to dine together on their unique and flavorful meal. One parent/guardian can join the ending dinner for additional $18. Enjoy food, fun, and new friends. A minimum of 3 participants needed to run this session.

Think of that…they are getting some great kitchen skills, and interesting and memorable experience, a full hearty and delicious meal.

Student aged 10-17:  $55

Adult attending meal: $18

Book Now

Kids’ Foodie Bootcamp

Kids’ Foodie Bootcamp Day long event

Designed for young people, aged 12 to 17.
This daylong is designed for young people who are interested in engaging in a deeper understanding of food mastery.  Skills learned are Food Safety, Basic and Intermediate Culinary Skills, Basic Knife Skills, Kitchen Etiquette, and Self-Esteem.  Don’t pack a lunch, they are making all three meals of the day to enjoy.

Topics covered as the day (and their skills) progress:

  1. Knife Skills and Food and Kitchen Safety: To provide a sound foundation for future lessons, students will learn safe use of a stovetop, basic kitchen conduct, terminology, and knife skills.  They will be making a light breakfast for themselves.
  2. Introduction to Baking and Pan Frying: Lightly engages the students in foundation skills for baking (proper way to measure, how to crack eggs, not overworking certain doughs) and for pan frying (how to properly heat the pan, adding oil, when to flip, safety).
  3. Food Safety and Pastry: Students learn to avoid contamination of foodborne illness. Additionally, they learn more delicate baking methods.  They will be making their lunch.
  4. More advanced Knife Skills and Fruit/Vegetables: Peeling potatoes and cubing them, peeling apples and slicing them are part of this session. As is making a basic vinaigrette.
  5. Young Chef Skills Demonstration: Students will be planning and making a full meal that demonstrates their progressive learning throughout the day. One adult per student has the option to join the class ($18 for this ticket) at the end and dinner is served!

Use the Book Now button below to book this daylong bootcamp that is from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, with any participating adults arriving for the end of the day meal prepared by their young chefs at 4:00 pm. 

Students aged 12-17: $220

Adult attending day’s end meal: $18

Book Now

Kid’s Young Chef Series ages 11-15

Kids:  Young Chef Cooking Series

Designed for young people, aged 11 to 15.
This series of classes is designed for young people who are interested in engaging in a deeper understanding of food mastery.  Skills learned are Food Safety, Basic Culinary Skills, Basic Knife Skills, Kitchen Etiquette, and Self-Esteem.  Students do not need to register for all the classes at the same time.  But they must complete them in order of the series.   Each session 1 through 4 is $45, session 5 is $60 – 

Sessions cover:

  1. Knife Skills and Food and Kitchen Safety: To provide a sound foundation for future lessons, students will learn safe use of a stovetop, basic kitchen conduct, terminology, and knife skills.
  2. Introduction to Baking and Pan Frying: This session lightly engages the students in foundation skills for baking (proper way to measure, how to crack eggs, not overworking certain doughs) and for pan frying (how to properly heat the pan, adding oil, when to flip, safety).
  3. Food Safety and Pastry: Students will learn to avoid contamination of foodborne illness. Additionally, they will learn more delicate baking methods.
  4. More advanced Knife Skills and Fruit/Vegetables: Peeling potatoes and cubing them, peeling apples and slicing them are part of this session. As is making a basic vinaigrette.
  5. Young Chef Skills Demonstration: In this fifth and final session. Students will be planning and making a full meal that demonstrates their progressive learning over the previous 4 young chef sessions. One adult per student has the option to join the class ($18 for this ticket) at the end and dinner is served!

 Go back to the Kid’s Cooking Class main page to select specific courses as listed above.

Book Session 1:

Kids aged 11-15: Session 1- $45

Book Now

Rock Your Pot! Electric Pressure Cooking

How To Series – Show Me How To….

Rock Your POT!  Electric Pressure Cooker Cooking

Learn to ROCK your POT!  Interested in getting an electric pressure cooker but curious if it is for you?  Have one but are a bit afraid of it?  Just want to enjoy cooking a meal your family will love easily? 

Come for this session and cook an entire meal using the pressure cooker.  Bring friends/family…make friends and good food! 

Together, participants will make a family friendly meal with a Moroccan flair.  Make: Sweet and Sour Cabbage, Moroccan Mac and Cheese, Meatballs with Cilantro Pesto, and Chai Rice Pudding.   Sign up as a couple and you have a fun and interesting date, complete with dinner!

This meal also can be entirely gluten free (swapping out the regular macaroni for GF) and nutritious. 

You will learn how to make all of these dishes in about an hour AND learn different functions of your pot.  After making the dishes, sit down and enjoy the meal!  Feel free to bring a beverage of choice to enjoy.

$46 per person

Book Now

Use Convection Cooking

How To Series – Show Me How To….

Master Convection Cooking

Convection cooking doesn’t have to feel mysterious. In this hands‑on workshop, Chef Valerie Hanson will show you exactly how convection ovens and air fryers work — and how they compare to traditional baking and roasting.

You’ll learn:

  • What foods shine in convection and air frying
  • What not to cook with these methods
  • How to convert traditional recipes to convection times and temps
  • How to choose the right method for the best results

Then you’ll put it all into practice. Participants will experience the same foods three ways — traditional, convection, and air frying — and see (and taste!) the real‑world differences. We’ll finish by enjoying warm cookie balls and perfectly roasted veggies.

Adult  $29

Book Now

Flambé with Flair

Flambé with Flair

Want to impress someone with a fun and thrilling skill?  This class is for you!  (Ages 21 and over only)

Flambé is the French word for “flamed” or “flaming.  Spend some quality time with as a couple or with a friend learning to finish a dish with flair.  This class starts with a demonstration of how to safely and properly conduct this technique and then participants will prepare a dish in teams of two.  Finish by enjoying the dish you make together.  Feel free to make it a date night by bringing your favorite wine or other beverage.

The dish prepared will vary so you can keep coming just for the time together and the great food.  One time it will be Bananas Foster, another Steak Diane, or Greek Cheese Saganaki (OPA!), perhaps you’ll learn to prepare Cherries Jubilee or a Fish Flambe.  Since the ingredients are different, as are the necessary liquors, the pricing will be determined by the dish.  If you are the first to book the class, it is ok to request a specific dish from those named above.  This a booking that is for 2-person teams.  One booking and ticket price is for two people.

Class runs about 45 action packed minutes.

2 Adults $64

Book Now

French Cooking

Dessert and Treats

Beignet

Crème Brûlée

Flambé with Flair

Pate a Choux Cream Puffs

Select by Category

Savory

Quiche

Five French Mother Sauces

Select by Category

Vegan Old Fashioned Doughnuts

Gluten Free Vegan Donuts

Make doughnuts so good and light no one would believe they are vegan and gluten free! You will learn baked and fried methods.  History suggests that donuts (aka doughnuts) are a true American creation. Dating to the 1800s this pastry with a hole has developed over time into many varieties. In this session, learn the basics of making these vegan donuts and of course, make and eat donuts!  We will using a deep fryer so long sleeves would be in order.

Adult $40.00

Children 10-16 $47

Book Now

Surf and Pasta

Surf and Pasta

In this session learn to easily make a Whitefish and Green Bean/Asparagus entrée AND Cheese Ravioli and Marinara.  Start by learning how to make a delicious cheese ravioli from scratch, then, discover how easy homemade marinara is to make.  Next, steam green beans (or asparagus if in season) and make a white sauce to serve with them.  Finally, gently fry a deliciously mild whitefish with garlic and dill to serve with the beans and ravioli.  Class divides the food up and takes it home to enjoy, along with recipes.

Adult $60

Book Now