A seasonal note from the Art of Cookery kitchen

Fall Food Holidays

Four delicious reasons to cook together

Fall food holidays like pot pie, scallops, noodles, and pasta carry us from late-September comfort to a full October of good reasons to eat.

Fall has returned to the kitchen, and it brought a calendar. Cook the fall food holidays between September 23 and October 17, four holidays give us permission to bake, sear, twirl, and sauce with purpose. I love a holiday that improves dinner. Better still, this year’s class schedule lets us practice the techniques before the commemorative fork is raised.

National Great American Pot Pie Day — Wednesday, September 23

Pot pie is autumn’s edible blanket: a savory filling under a burnished crust, preferably served when the evening has started showing off its chill. It is also an excellent teacher. One dish asks us to season in layers, thicken a sauce, and handle pastry gently. Pie has no interest in being rushed, and frankly, neither should we.

Pot pie pointers

• Keep it cold. Use chilled butter and ice water, then refrigerate the dough before rolling.
• Flavor the crust. For a savory pie, add poultry seasoning; chilled broth can replace some of the water.
• Control the filling. Cool a hot filling before topping so steam does not melt the pastry too soon.
• Give steam a path. Cut vents in the top so the crust can crisp instead of becoming soggy.

Related classes

• Dutch Oven Cooking — Wednesday, September 30, 1:00–3:00 PM — $60. Brown, braise, bake, and fry in the most useful heavy pot in the kitchen.
• Create Pie Pastry — Tuesday, October 27, 1:00–2:00 PM — $29. Practice the cold-dough handling that stands between “flaky” and “decorative doorstop.”
• Pumpkin Pie Perfection — Friday, October 9 — booked out. Keep it on the inspiration list; a full class is still an excellent vote for pie.

National Fried Scallops Day — Friday, October 2

Scallops are sweet, elegant, and wonderfully quick—once the pan is ready. Whether fried or seared, the lesson is heat management. Moisture and crowding steal the crust; hesitation steals the timing. Prepare first, cook second, and let the scallop do what it does best: become dinner before anyone has time to ask when dinner will be ready.

Scallop success

• Dry thoroughly. Blot scallops well; surface moisture creates steam and delays browning.
• Heat first. Preheat the pan, then add oil and the scallops.
• Leave room. Crowding cools the pan. Work in batches if necessary.
• Let the crust form. Do not move scallops too early; turn once they release cleanly.
• Stop at just done. Scallops toughen quickly. Cook until pearly white or opaque and firm.

Related classes

• Date Night: Scallops and Wine — Thursday, October 1, 5:00–7:00 PM — $69. It runs the night before the holiday, so you can arrive on October 2 already feeling professionally festive.

National Noodle Day — October 6 & National Pasta Day — October 17

National Noodle Day is broad by design

National Noodle Day is broad by design. It welcomes ramen, rice noodles, egg noodles, hand-cut ribbons, and the many other forms that carry broth, sauce, vegetables, and spice across cultures. Celebrate by cooking a familiar favorite—or by choosing a shape, grain, or preparation that is new to you.

Better noodles, any style

• Use enough water. Give wheat-based noodles room to move and return to a boil quickly.
• Stir early. A few stirs in the first minute help prevent clumping.
• Taste, do not guess. Package timing is a guide; texture decides when the noodles are ready.
• Build for the sauce. Choose sturdy noodles for rich sauces and delicate noodles for lighter broths.

Try this celebration at home: Set out two sauces or broths, one crisp vegetable, one aromatic herb, and a crunchy garnish. A simple mix-and-match noodle bar lets every guest build a bowl while comparing texture and balance.

The perfect two-holiday warm-up

Pasta: Fettucini and Alfredo Sauce
Saturday, October 3  |  1:00–2:30 PM  |  $44 per adult
All 6 seats currently open and bookable

Roll, cut, and cook your own fettuccine from scratch, then bring it together with a rich, signature Alfredo.

It lands three days before National Noodle Day and two weeks before National Pasta Day. In chef terms: excellent mise en place for a month of celebrating.

Pasta Day is about matching shape, sauce, and finish

Pasta rewards attention to the final two minutes. The best results come when the noodle and sauce finish together, not when each is treated as a separate component. Long, delicate strands welcome lighter sauces; wider ribbons can carry more weight; ridges and hollows catch chunky mixtures and cheese.

Pasta finishing moves

• Salt the water. Season the pasta from within before it meets the sauce.
• Reserve a cup. Starchy cooking water helps loosen and bind a sauce.
• Finish in the pan. Transfer pasta just before al dente and toss it with the sauce to complete cooking.
• Match shape to sauce. Use broad ribbons for richer sauces and lighter strands for thinner ones.

Related classes

• Pasta: Fettucini and Alfredo Sauce — Saturday, October 3, 1:00–2:30 PM — $44 per adult. Roll, cut, cook, and sauce fresh fettuccine just before both holidays.
• Knife Skills — Tuesday, October 6, 1:00–2:00 PM — $34. It runs on National Noodle Day itself, because every good bowl begins before the water boils.
• Sourdough Start(er) to Finish — Saturday, October 17, 1:00–3:00 PM — $45, or $48 gluten-free — only 1 ticket left. Not pasta, but it lands on Pasta Day and keeps the flour flying.
• Pasta: Ravioli and Marinara — Tuesday, October 20, 1:00–2:30 PM — $44. Learn to make a pasta flour blend for ravioli dough, then make a zesty marinara.
• Make a Gourmet Meal — Thursday, October 22, 5:00–7:00 PM — $69. Fresh pasta, sauces, and wine—an evening that never goes out of style.
• Yaki Udon — Thursday, October 29, 5:00–6:30 PM — $44 adult / $50 under 16. Have a wok? Want to learn to use it properly? Join us for this tasty session making a Japanese heritage dish.

Cook the holiday, then come cook with us

Choose a skill, save a seat, and bring your appetite. We will handle the mise en place.

The calendar below shows the full September and October picture. Booked-out sessions can inspire the home menu; open sessions can become the plan.

Full September & October schedule

All 18 sessions scheduled from September 20 through October 31, 2026, are listed below—including open, booked-out, private, and canceled entries. Open-seat counts and statuses were verified in Peek Pro on September 20, 2026, and can change.

Class	Date	Time	Price	Status
Condiment Series: Mayonnaise	Wed Sep 23	5:00–6:00 PM	$30	Booked out
Private Cooking session	Thu Sep 24	1:00–2:30 PM	—	Closed private
Condiment Series: Mustards	Fri Sep 25	1:00–2:00 PM	$30	Booked out
Breakfast Sausage	Sun Sep 27	1:00–2:30 PM	$35	6 of 6 seats
Dutch Oven Cooking	Wed Sep 30	1:00–3:00 PM	$60	4 of 6 seats
Date Night: Scallops and Wine	Thu Oct 1	5:00–7:00 PM	$69	2 of 3 seats
Pasta: Fettucini and Alfredo Sauce	Sat Oct 3	1:00–2:30 PM	$44	6 of 6 seats
Knife Skills	Tue Oct 6	1:00–2:00 PM	$34	6 of 6 seats
Fermenting	Wed Oct 7	10:00–11:00 AM	$29	Booked out
Pumpkin Pie Perfection	Fri Oct 9	1:00–3:00 PM	$40 ($32 second adult)	Booked out
Flambe with Flair	Fri Oct 16	5:00–6:30 PM	$64 (2 people)	Booked out
Sourdough Start(er) to Finish	Sat Oct 17	1:00–3:00 PM	$45 ($48 gluten-free)	1 of 6 seats
Pasta: Ravioli and Marinara	Tue Oct 20	1:00–2:30 PM	$44	6 of 6 seats
Five Mother Sauces	Wed Oct 21	1:00–3:00 PM	$49	Canceled
Make a Gourmet Meal	Thu Oct 22	5:00–7:00 PM	$69	4 of 4 seats
Chicken Butchery & Carving	Sat Oct 24	1:00–2:30 PM	$49	3 of 4 seats
Create Pie Pastry	Tue Oct 27	1:00–2:00 PM	$29	8 of 8 seats
Yaki Udon	Thu Oct 29	5:00–6:30 PM	$44 ($50 under 16)	8 of 8 seats

Grab n Go Menu for the next several weeks

(sometimes it changes based on sourcing or other issues but not often)

 

Location: Art of Cookery, 312 S Division St., Whitehall, MI 49461.