Robert studied hotel administration at Cornell before launching his New York City restaurant career with Restaurant Associates at Rockefeller Center. He went on to work with restaurateur Dr. Joe Santo at Arizona 206 and Bolivar, where he met his now-partner, Chef Andy D’Amico. Robert opened Marseille in 2001 with Simon Oren, where Chef Andy later joined. The the three partners went on to open Nice Matin in 2003 and Nizza in 2007. In 2008, they introduced 5 Napkin Burger, which by 2013, was voted Zagat’s 12th most popular restaurant in NYC and one of the 50 Break Out Brands in Nation’s Restaurant News. Robert’s expertise in casual fine dining concepts extends to Playa Betty’s and Schmackary’s, where he is the managing partner. He’ll share insights about his approach to restaurant food, beverage, design, service and team management.
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.
This soulful menu adapts some of New Orleans' greatest hits into brilliant, brunch-appropriate dishes --- the meal almost requires a jazz soundtrack to go with it. We'll invoke the spirit of the Big Easy as we make and eat: barbecue shrimp; bananas Foster pain perdu; beignets; and a Cajun Bloody Mary.
One of the world's oldest cultures, China has a complex cuisine, with a range of regional dishes often not found anywhere outside of the country. Some techniques, ingredients and dishes are similar throughout all of China; this Essentials class focuses on those, giving you a well-rounded overview of Chinese food and culinary culture. From stir-frying and braising to steaming and red cooking, you will learn to use traditional Chinese techniques to make a menu that includes: scallion pancakes with dipping sauce; red-cooked chicken with rice; dan dan noodles; and Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce.
Sushi-making doesn't have to be limited to the view from a seat at your local Japanese restaurant. Bring the sushi bar home by practicing your skills at preparing nigiri (sashimi fish on top of thumb-size, compact sushi rice), perfecting the texture of rice, and learning the proper techniques to create a stellar hand roll. Once you've gotten the basics down, you will try your hand at: sushi rice; maki and futomaki rolls (both thin and thick), inside-out rolls; nigiri and temaki (hand roll).. You will soon learn that sushi is something you too can master.
The sauces you will learn to make in this class are not just for special-occasion dishes you'll prepare once a year. Relying on pantry ingredients and reflecting the contemporary cook's lifestyle, they are meant to easily take a grilled meat or poached fish from simple to superlative with a pan reduction, beurre blanc or a pesto. You will master these techniques by making sauteed steak with red wine reduction sauce; poached salmon with beurre blanc and pasta with pesto.
Ranked as America’s Best Culinary School (USAToday 2019), our roster of Chef-Instructors have run top kitchens around the globe.