Let’s Get Cooking!
Article and Photographs by Toni Leland
If you love to eat great food, and
you also like to cook, then you’re sure to find the perfect venue among the
following cooking schools that offer recreational cooking classes. These are
not culinary schools where you could earn a chef’s certificate, but you could
certainly win the admiration of friends and family by fine-tuning your skills
in the kitchen. And what could be a greater gift than a series of fun classes for
that special someone? The choices that follow range across the state, and each
one is as unique as the individuals who passionately follow their craft:
creative cooking.
BUTLER COUNTY
The Cooking School at Jungle Jim’s International Market
5440 Dixie Highway, Fairfield, Ohio 45014
513-674-6059 • e-mail: cookingschool@junglejims.com
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| Sensational summer salad of roasted carrots and feta cheese. |
Classes are held year around, on an average of 3 to 4 per week. Up to 40 students per class participate in mostly hands-on instruction, but many demonstrations are also available throughout the year. One of the benefits of taking classes at Jungle Jim’s is the immediate access to all the products the International Market has to offer. Students can plan a meal, buy what they need, then make something great.
Carole works with a staff of eight
or nine chefs to manage such an impressive school schedule. Occasionally, the
school promotes a celebrity chef to sold-out events. Locally known “kings of
the kitchen” have included Paul Dagenbach and David Cook.
The cooking school also holds
private classes and team-building for corporations and companies. A recent
bridal shower included a demonstration using new products from the Gourmet
Galeria, after which attendees were able to purchase products at a discount.
Special events during the year
include wine and beer tastings, themed classes such as Gifts from the Kitchen
(November), Cookies (mid-December), and picnic ideas for spring. “Boot Camp for
the Really Beginner Cook” is a series of 3 classes designed to help individuals
learn the basics, increase their skills in the kitchen, and gain confidence.
Other past events have included a Christmas brunch, a Fifties Party, Oscar
Night, and a Mad Hatter Tea Party, as well as tours to Spain, Greece, and
Egypt.
“Nothing feels better than feeding
people,” says Tabone. “It is an immediate reward!”
FRANKLIN COUNTY
The North Market
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| Columbus Dispatch food editor Robin Davis |
614-463-9664 • e-mail: info@northmarket.com
Columbus landmark The North Market
has been in the same location since 1876. Now housed in the third building of
its long history (formerly called the Advanced Thresher Warehouse), the market
began offering cooking classes two years ago. The second floor was formerly a
restaurant, then a diner, but became the perfect spot for a cooking school.
Events director Mary Martineau relates that WBNS 10-TV and The Columbus Dispatch offered to move the commercial kitchen from
their studio and set it up at the North Market in the former restaurant space.
That area is now a fully-equipped kitchen for classes and demonstrations,
complete with cameras and monitors to show all the details, viewed from above
the work space.
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| BLT Dip prepared on camera for the Robin Davis show |
Robin is serious about her
cooking. “People just want to know how!
A whole generation missed out on learning these skills and, now, cooking is a
big thing, whether gourmet or simply for home.”
General classes are held twice a
month from fall through spring; these are mostly demonstrations, rather than
hands-on. The Chef Series features a local chef from a well-known restaurant
who prepares a 3-course meal for a class of up to 24. Guests in the past have
included Rocco Valentino, Matt Prokopchak (Trattoria Roma), and Richard Blondin
(The Refectory). Seasonal special classes abound: Thanksgiving Boot Camp (early
November), Kids’ Halloween Party (October), Holiday Cookies, and a Holiday Open
House, both in December. Class events are kept up to date on the website,
complete with registration and course fee information.
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| Classroom at Sur La Table is next to the store |
800-243-0852 or 614-473-1211
Chef Brad Kovach grins. “Recipes
are great, but just because it’s written down, doesn’t mean it’s the right
way.” Brad is the culinary coordinator for Columbus’s branch of the famous
national chain started in 1972 at Seattle’s Pike Place. Easton Market welcomed
Sur La Table in 2003, and Brad has been working to offer quality cooking
classes to local residents.
Kids Camp is held in July for 16
youngsters, providing kitchen skills, then moving on to actual cooking. Classes
are 3 hours a day. Seasonal events include Thanksgiving side dishes, building a
gingerbread house, and making holiday desserts and cookies. Some classes are
taught by guest chefs from the area. The school has partnered with Experience
Columbus, and is available to bus tour companies as a destination.
When asked why he loves to teach
cooking, Brad stopped slicing a cucumber. “Simple. I want people to learn how
to cook at home and how to enjoy food.”
GEAUGA COUNTY
The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking
8613 Mayfield Road, Chesterland, Ohio
440-729-1110 • lpscinc@msn.com
The Italian sun sparkles through
Loretta Paganini’s voice as she talks about her greatest love. “You know, I’m
Italian. In Italy we have a great love of food. The first thing we think about
in the morning is, what will we eat today?”
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| A "composed" salad using all fresh and local ingredients |
At The Loretta Paganini School of
Cooking, students get to eat the food they prepare, and they critique the food
prepared by other students. Paganini conducts about two hundred classes per
semester, running Monday to Saturday, days and evenings. The children’s classes
and partner cooking classes are very popular, as well as themed and specialty
offerings such as making mozzarella cheese, learning about different oils and
vinegars, and a special Mother’s Day Tea. A staff dietitian helps Loretta with
plans for gluten-free cooking, heart healthy, and allergy-related food classes.
Several times a year, Paganini accompanies students on gastronomic tours both
locally and abroad.
After twenty years in business,
Loretta has proven that her passion hasn’t dimmed. “Cooking classes are a sensorial experience!”
HOCKING COUNTY
The Inn & Spa at Cedar Falls
800-653-2557 • info@innatcedarfalls.com
The elegant Inn & Spa at Cedar
Falls is nestled in a lovely setting in the Hocking Hills, the perfect spot to
spend time relaxing and learning something new about cuisine. According to
Ellen Grinsfelder, one of the owners, the cooking program began in 1988 with a
class on baking cookies. Originally, the classes were offered by visiting guest
chefs, but eventually, as the menu for the inn expanded, an executive chef was
hired and the classes expanded.
Chef Anthony Schulz has been at
the Inn since 2007; he states that he likes to be proactive with healthier food
and less fat. “...lighter menus, and making things from scratch” are the main
focus of his seasonal classes. Students have the opportunity on Friday night to
sit down with Anthony for dessert and a glass of wine while they go over the
menus and dishes they will be preparing the following day. The students then
prepare the food for Inn guests–a totally hands-on experience.
Classes are held once a month
almost every month, and special events through the year include wine and beer
tastings, Thanksgiving-themed classes, and, of course, cookies for the
holidays.
LICKING COUNTY
Faire la Cuisine
1976 Granville Road, Suite C., Newark, Ohio 43055
740-587-2174
Susan Kaiser makes a sweeping
gesture over the rainbow array of freshly cut fruit, vegetables, and herbs on
the counter. “Food is my art form–not just feeding people!”
Hidden in the rolling hills of
Licking County, the Faire la Cuisine catering company is a delightful find, and
Kaiser’s dedication to the art of food has paid off for her. After working with
a Columbus caterer for two years, then spending two months in Paris to study at
Ritz-Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise, Susan opened her catering
business in 1990. With her love of educating people, she started offering cooking
classes in her home in 1995, but soon moved into the catering building.
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Well-appointed kitchen and classroom
|
Classes are held one to two times
per week, with a series of specialty classes through June, July, and August.
Kaiser has also launched an innovative student program at local schools, hoping
to teach kids about cooking. Faire la Cuisine hosts specialty chefs from around
the region to conduct interesting and informative classes; past guests include
Pam Anderson (USA Weekend & Better Homes and Gardens), June McCarthy
(former Executive Chef for Governor Bob Taft), Jim Budros (Le Belle Pomme), and
Rich Terapak (Zagat Ohio Restaurant
Survey).
Susan adds a sprig of dark green cilantro
to a golden-toned sweet potato salad. “Presentation is everything. Food must
look good and smell good, make people excited to taste it.”
Other Cooking Venues in Ohio
Recreational Cooking Classes
Columbus Whole
Foods Market (Sat demos) http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/columbus
Centerville Culinary
Company
http://www.culinarycompanyonline.com/calendar.html
Culinary Degree Schools
Cincinnati Midwest Culinary Institute (Cincinnati State) http://culinary.cincinnatistate.edu
©2011 Toni Leland. All rights reserved. This article first appeared in Over the Back Fence Magazine, Nov/Dec '09. No portion of this work may be reproduced without written permission of the author. Links to this article are welcomed, with proper full credit.
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