Michael Stillman grew up in the restaurant industry watching his family’s restaurant business. He worked for Union Square Hospitality Group and The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and gained experience in kitchens and purchasing departments before participating in staff recruitment and training, menu development and operations for Smith & Wollensky openings in Houston, Dallas and Boston. Michael channeled his creative vision and business sense into the concept creation of Quality Meats, which opened in New York City in 2006 and Miami Beach in 2015. He led the execution of every aspect of the new restaurant, from recruiting acclaimed design firm AvroKO and talented young chef Craig Koketsu, to negotiating lease terms and working with contractors to keep the job on budget and schedule. After closing the sale of The Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group and founding Quality Branded in 2007, Michael created a succession of restaurants that achieved critical and popular acclaim: Park Avenue Summer (Autumn, Winter, Spring), Quality Italian, Quality Meats Miami Beach and Quality Eats. Michael will share his advice for the smart, effective expansion of a restaurant brand.
You will work in teams to execute the class menu. At the end of class, participants gather to enjoy the food they have prepared. Wine is served with meals in most classes. All class menus are subject to change. While a snack platter is offered in both morning and evening classes, you may want to consider a light snack before joining us for class. Students are encouraged to bring a light lunch or dinner to all pastry classes.
You will work in teams to execute the class menu. At the end of class, participants gather to enjoy the food they have prepared. Wine is served with meals in most classes. All class menus are subject to change. While a snack platter is offered in both morning and evening classes, you may want to consider a light snack before joining us for class. Students are encouraged to bring a light lunch or dinner to all pastry classes.
Learn how to make the dumplings from throughout Asia - all hands-on. We'll also create perfect dipping sauces. In this make and take class, you'll prepare: steamed shrimp shao mai with orange dipping sauce; deep fried chicken wontons; pork and chive pot-stickers with black vinegar dipping sauce and vegetable gyoza with spicy dipping sauce.
Bordered by both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, with snow-capped peaks and lush green valleys, the diverse geography of France offers the best ingredients from the land and sea. You'll get a taste of the best of all those regions in this class. For your Francophile meal, you will prepare and enjoy frisée salad with shallot-bacon vinaigrette; steak frites (sautéed steak with hand-cut french fries); bouillabaisse (seafood soup from Marseille); and honey lavender blanc mange.
Learn to prepare mouthwatering versions of fresh seafood dishes, along with a range of universally useful cooking techniques. From grilling to frying to stewing, you can't go wrong with these dishes (including sides) that you might otherwise only find in restaurants. We'll even make cioppino, the mouthwatering Italian-American seafood stew that originated in San Francisco in the 1800s. Your seafaring menu includes: fried calamari with a spicy avocado dipping sauce; grilled salmon with tapenade and smashed potatoes; and cioppino (seafood stew of clams, shrimp, scallops, mussels, fish and tomatoes).
Ranked as America’s Best Culinary School (USAToday 2019), our roster of Chef-Instructors have run top kitchens around the globe.