Husband and wife team Jen and Charles are experienced food business operators with successful Champagne bar and restaurant concepts in San Francisco That they’ve brought to New York City. The Riddler opened to much acclaim in the West Village in the fall, and Souvla is opening in April. They’ll share their unique perspectives on strategic branding, organic marketing and restaurant management with aspiring chefs, operators and entrepreneurs. Jen Pelka is the founder and CEO of The Riddler, a popular, all-women-funded champagne bar in San Francisco and New York. The Riddler's first location in San Francisco was named Wine Bar of the Year by Eater and Best Concept by StarChefs, and the second location opened in the West Village in October 2019 at the top of Grub Street’s Power Rankings. It was named one of Eater’s 2019 Most Beautiful New Restaurants. With over 15 years of experience in restaurant and food marketing, Jen is an ace at community building and an experienced, profit-focused operator. Charles Bililies is the founder and CEO of Souvla. The Greek-American comes from a family tradition of restaurateurs and is deeply passionate about the hospitality experience. Bon Appetit Magazine dubbed Charles “the Mark Zuckerberg of fast fine restaurants,” and Souvla is among the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Top 100 restaurants, a recipient of the StarChefs award for Best Concept and has been featured in such media outlets as Today Show, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Bloomberg.
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.
Working in teams of two, each student will finish and take home two of the following cakes: vanilla mocha latte with mocha ganache and espresso buttercream; triple chocolate cake with dark chocolate cake, white chocolate ganache, chocolate frosting; chocolate chip cookie dough with edible cookie dough filling and vanilla buttercream; Ferrero Rocher cake with praline ganache and feuilletine crunch and chocolate ganache frosting.
Learn the basic techniques of pastry and baking in this 12-session class. The course familiarizes students with the recipes and concepts used by professional bakers and pastry chefs, which form the basis of every competent baker's repertoire. The program investigates a broad range of pastries - both classic and modern - to provide a full understanding of all baking categories.
The farms, orchards and of course vineyards of California's wine country combine to turn the region into one of the most bountiful in the U.S. The kitchens of Napa, Sonoma and the Russian River Valley highlight the quality of the ingredients at hand. Learn to make some of those dishes in your own kitchen, including: fig salad with sweet-spiced walnuts, Gorgonzola and Champagne vinaigrette; pork tenderloin with pan-roasted grapes; scallops with pan-roasted grapes and sauvignon blanc; and warm Dijon potatoes with fresh herbs and peas. You will enjoy these with a selection of California wines.
Sharpen your shellfish butchery skills in Knife Skills 4! This hands-on class teaches you the techniques required to prepare a seafood feast. Learn to handle and break down lobster (and make a refreshing lobster salad), and master the art of shucking oysters and clams (and enjoy oysters with mignonette and a modern Clams Casino). You’ll also make succulent Shrimp Scampi and perfectly crisp Fried Calamari. Elevate your culinary confidence and impress friends with your newfound shellfish prowess!
Ranked as America’s Best Culinary School (USAToday 2019), our roster of Chef-Instructors have run top kitchens around the globe.
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