Essentials of Catering

You want to make great food in a minimum amount of time, but don't have a clue how to go about it. Or you're on your own for the first time and have discovered that eating out is expensive and takeout is tiresome! You need a small repertoire of dishes for daily dining, but you can barely manage instant coffee. Does this sound like you? Then this is the course to take. We assume you know nothing --- absolutely nothing --- about cooking and take it from there. In three relaxed, fun-filled classes, we'll get you on your cooking feet, teaching you how to prepare simple, healthful, delicious food. You'll learn about basic cooking equipment and menu planning; knife skills, including vegetable chopping and paring; how to make salad, vinaigrette, and other easy no-cook dishes; how to roast garlic and root vegetables; how to prepare delicious pasta; how to sauté and roast meats and more; and how to make desserts in minutes. You will learn to make three complete meals in three easy lessons, including: guacamole and chips, make-your-own taco bar, tres leches cake; classic Caesar salad, roast Cornish hens with root vegetables, and blueberry crisp; shrimp cocktail and garlic bread, classic fettuccini alfredo, arugula and radicchio salad with apples and glazed walnuts, and ice cream tiramisu

Sharpen your most essential cooking competency — Knife Skills! — in this hands-on workshop that teaches precision, efficiency, and professional techniques. Designed for cooks of all levels and taught by Steven Gao, Per Se alum and the content creator behind @stevenmotocooks, the workshop covers starter to more advanced executions in an approachable, real-world setting. You’ll start with fundamentals that support consistency and control. These include grip, stance, safety, and economy of movement. Steven will then demonstrate the core cuts used in professional settings, after which, you’ll roll up your sleeves and practice yourself – with fresh ingredients and personal guidance. You’ll also enjoy light bites and a selection of mocktails and cocktails, followed by a Q&A with Steven, wherein you’ll get cooking tips and insights to working in professional kitchens. This workshop is ideal for home cooks looking to build confidence; aspiring home chefs developing core skills; and anyone interested in better understanding professional culinary standards. This workshop offers a focused environment grounded in technique, clarity and practical application — because great food starts with knife skills.

Sitting down to an assortment of dim sum in a bustling restaurant is the culmination of a weekend stroll through Chinatown. It's never easy to choose from the myriad of delicacies that pass by the table, or to not try just one more thing. In this class, you will learn to prepare a variety of popular dim sum dishes, to impress family and friends with a feast of your own. You will make: shrimp shao mai; spring rolls; spareribs with balck bean sauce, and pan-fried vegetable dumplings with spicy dipping sauce.

Explore the unique ingredients, simple techniques and sometimes fiery recipes of Thai cooking, one of the most distinctive of Southeast Asia. You’ll learn to cook authentic versions of some of the country’s most popular recipes. You’ll make: summer rolls with dipping sauce; satay with peanut sauce; yellow curry chicken; jasmine rice and pad Thai.