Introduction to Pastry & Baking

This two-session class, crafted by ICE's resident sommelier, Richard Vayda, is tailored to the wine novice who wants a quick, fun and basic introduction to the world of the grape. You'll learn the fundamentals of wine, wine tasting and appreciation, which will start you on the road to critically judging wine color, aroma, flavor and body. You’ll discover the meaning of such wine concepts as dryness, acidity, fruitiness, tannins, varietals, vintages and more. Participants interested in continuing their exploration of wine are encouraged to go on to Wine Essentials. We'll taste up to 18 wines, plus matching cheeses.

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.

These dishes capture the flavors and techniques of so many exciting, flavor-forward global cuisines. Spanning the gamut from Mexico to the Middle East, these small but satisfying plates are perfect for parties --- or collect them all to make a masterful (and entirely vegan) meal. We'll create and then feast on: Egyptian baba ghanoush and hummus; Argentinian hearts of palm, tomato and avocado salad; Italian roasted cauliflower with capers; and Balinese chili-grilled tempeh skewers.

This class is for the Italian food enthusiast! ICE Boot Camps give you the opportunity to learn how to cook and bake like the pros. This four-day Boot Camp focuses on the class cooking techniques and regional cuisines of Italy. On day one, we will tour Northwest Italy with a focus on fresh pastas. You will learn classic pasta dough techniques; how to extrude pasta and shape gnocchi and ravioli. On day two, we will cover the five courses of the Italian meal (antipasti, primi, secundo de pesce, secundo de carne, contorni) and explore the cuisine of Northeastern Italy. On day three, our main focus will be the the four pastas of Rome (carbonara, cacio e pepe, alla gricia and amatricana) while we also cover the regional cuisine of central Italy. On our final day, we will head to southern Italy and explore classic dishes like pesce all acqua pazza and fritti di melanzane as well as learn how to make fresh mozzarella.