School of Culinary Arts

 

West Hollywood Classes

$85/person

Oak Glen Apple and Foodies Tour:      $130.00 per person

Los Angeles has so many great produce growing regions directly in our backyard. Spend a cool, crisp day in the country.

We will board our deluxe motor coach towards the Oak Glen apple area. Prior to reaching the apples, we will stop at the Grabbers Olive Plantation. Learning about this fine fruit crop with a tasting and tour. Then, we are off to the Cucamonga Valley for a sampling and tour from fine wineries older than most of them in Northern California. The mountain village of Oak Glen will be next where each of us will go out and pick a bag of apples and the harvest. We will have ample time to walk around the village of arts, crafts and apple treats. Lunch is not provided, but plenty of places to grab something or pack a picnic. Bus, sampling, apple picking, wine tasting tours, all tipping and more are all included in the price of this remarkable tour.

Saturday, October 16th 7:45 AM – 7:00 PM West Hollywood

The Holiday Los Angeles Produce and Flower Market Tour    $130.00 per person

This is our 24th year conducting this sold out tour. Yes, we do leave very early, but that’s when the hustle of the markets is happening in downtown. The historical market is full of activity all night. We will have a member of the department of agricultural take us on a private stalls and events of the market. He will teach you the correct way to pick produce at your local market. If you tend the thump or smell your cantaloupes or watermelons you will end that stupid ritual after this tour. Then off to the largest flower market outside of Holland. Since Christmas is only a week away, the market will be packed with holiday flowers to purchase. You can buy 25 roses for less than $7! Then, we are off to Phillipes, home of “The French Dip,” to have breakfast (on your own - Approx. $7, coffee is under a dime). Then a quick walk down LA’s first street while they are opening the stalls for business and the last great train station, Union Station, that was built in 1939. Off we go to Grand Central Market to buy spices and tour the famous Bradbury Building across the street. We will stop at an artisan ice cream store prior to heading back to the schools. Bus, sampling, all tipping and more are all included in the price of this remarkable tour.

Saturday, December 18th4:00 AM – 2:30 PM West Hollywood

Raw Food: Dessert with Megan Davis

It’s truly amazing to see people experience raw desserts for what might be the 1st time.  In this class we teach you 6 different raw desserts from chocolate bark to cheesecake to live for.  Raw ingredients and techniques are covered so you can wow them with healthy, delicious and inspired creations.   Menu: Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake, Brazil Nut Power Cookies, Lavender Chocolate Bark, Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Key Lime Pots de Creme,  Chocolate, banana and cinnamon ice cream.  Monday, September 27 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Ladies Night Out

It’s ladies night and you’re feeling right...right? If your last ladies night out was seeing “Sex In The City”, you’re due for a new experience with your galpals. So boogie on down to Epicurean tonight and dine on: shrimp with Green Goddess dipping sauce, cornmeal crust pizzas with mixed greens, bacon and ricotta, veal meatballs with artichokes, tomatoes, green olives and sage, chicken rollades, and blackberry & pomegranate martinis, of course. Dessert for the girls going all out - chocolate brownie tart with passion fruit ice cream and for the ones watching their svelte figures - skinny dippers bon bons.

Saturdays, October 2 & November 20 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Sushi and a little Sake, too  

Nikki Gilbert, Sushi Girl
Join us for a fun packed evening of sushi making and sake. You’ll learn the basics of making sushi including how to prepare rice, cutting fish and vegetables. We’ll make rolls, like California and spicy tuna handrolls, and sashimi. It’s a great technique to learn and fun to do with friends. Fridays: July 23 & August 27 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Summer in the City

For just a few weeks each summer, stone fruits-peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums an cherries reach their peak. Let's take advantage of them...hazelnut frangipane tart with apricots and creme fraiche, sugared pluots on crips anise scented phyllo, cherry and almond tea cakes, freshly churned peach and buttermilk sherbet, warm nectarine  and blueberry shortcake, all served with our lucious plum limeade martini. 

Saturday, July 24 10:30 a.m-1:30 p.m.

Salad Daze with Jesse Brune (from Food Network's "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" )

We couldn't decide which salad recipes were the best, so we went hog wild and decided to do them all: Thai papaya shrimp salad, lamb salad with marinated eggplant, brown rice and basmati salad with avocado and cilantro vinaigrette, Summer salad with poppy seed dressing, Kale salad with spicy peanut dressing, Asian duck salad. We'll even offer up the much coveted salad recipes I know... the Ivy's chopped vegetable salad and Houston's creamy coleslaw.  www.jessebrune.com

Fit to Eat with Jesse Brune (from Food Network's "Private Chefs of Beverly Hills" ) 

By now, everyone knows there's a big difference between the fat in ice cream and the kind in olive oils, nuts and avocados. But the most virtuous of all fats-omega 3s. Where do we find them-visit your seafood counter. Whether it's for your health and protecting yourself against heart disease or for the aspect of great healthy eating, these ideas should be bait enough-pardon the pun. You'll love these main course dishes: wild salmon in green curry broth, rosemary tuna and white bean puree, marinated char with salmoriglio sauce, lime marinated salmon on potato crisps with Meyer lemon confit, and roasted halibut with walnut crust. www.jessebrune.com

Knife Skills

This class gives a foundation for all culinary training and teaches the correct knife techniques. During class students learn the proper handling of knives and how to make a myriad of cuts. You may surprise yourself. A light meal will be served from the fruits of your labor, cut up chickens, veggies and the like. Please feel free to bring your own knives.  Sunday, August 29 2:30-5:30 p.m.

CUPCAKES COUTURE  III 
Instead of waiting in line at Sprinkles for a $3.50 cupcake, spend your Saturday at a cupcake bakeathon. Bring a friend or two for a great experience learning “stylish” cupcakes – a day you’ll surely not forget –  strawberry with brown sugar crème fraiche icing, passionfruit with coconut and cream cheese icing, peanut butter and chocolate, chocolate cherry cordial, peach cupcake with buttermilk icing.

Saturdays, July 31 & August 28 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Moroccan

Everyone is entertaining. Everyone pretty much will make the same food. Not you-why not do something a bit edgey, a bit exotic, a bit enticing ...prepare a Moroccan Feast. We've got the plan-chicken and chickpea tagine with apricots and harissa, grilled lamb keftas with mint dressing, arugula and mint salad with oil cured olives, oranges and ricotta salata, couscous with 7 vegetables, Moroccan harvest bread, coconut cous cous pudding, chocolate olive oil cake with orange blossom syrup, all served with cardamom-infused pomegranate martinis and traditional mint tea. Prepare your self for tonight's class-it's a doozey.

Saturdays, July 24 and August 28 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Braised & Beautiful
If I had to choose my favorite cooking technique, the one I absolutely couldn’t do without, it would be braising. After all, this is the technique that gave us comfort food like pot roast. Braising can take a long time, but we’ve discovered some inside secrets to speed up the pace. Here are just a few - orange braised chicken with crisp prosciutto, beer braised sirloin tips with wild mushroom sauce, halibut braised in tomato fennel broth, braised short ribs with Chinese flavors (to die for) and an all time fave - osso bucco.  Saturday, September 11 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Sauces

Sauces are ever changing. Today we will cover all the techniques in modern sauce making introducing you to new ideas such as garlic chive pesto, and olive pesto…great on chicken and fish dishes. We’ll include the use of flavored oils and compound butters and lots more. Want to learn why that sauce of yours sometimes breaks or never seems to work the same way twice? Ah…the mysteries of sauce making uncovered today.

TABLE FOR TWO

Here's a twist for "date night"...instead of another average meal at another average restaurant-come and cook a meal together, it's fun. Then, sit down and relax, have a nice bottle of wine. Menu: Red leaf Caesar salad with herbed croutons and Parmesan crisps, eggplant timbales, risotto with asparagus and mushroom ragout, lamb skewers with caramelized shallot and thyme crust, chicken picatta, and for dessert.... chocolate souffle! Saturday, September 25 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Jiffy Meals

“If it takes more than 30 minutes, I’m not doing it.” That’s just the way it is for most people today.  Check out some amazing “less than 30 minute meals” that even you will be impressed by. 

Sunday, August 22 2:30-5:30 p.m. & Saturday, September 18 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Pizza Napoletana

Join Rachel Rifat from www.flamingpiepizza.com. Learn how to make the perfect Neapolitan style pizzas by: creating a "wood-fired" pizza effect using pizza stones; learning how to make traditional Neapolitan pizza sauce; making and working the dough properly; and using only fresh and natural ingredients.

Meet Me at 3RD & Fairfax

Joann Cianciulli’s new cookbook “L.A.’S Original Farmer’s Market Cookbook” (Voted Top 10 Best Cookbooks of  2009 by Serious Eats!) is full of historical snippets from the Farmer's Market, a melting pot of ethnic cuisines.  Join us for a bit of Mexican, a bit of Brazilian, a bit of Singaporean and a bit of rock and roll.  Her book is for sale and Joann will personalize yours.

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