9-WEEK PROFESSIONAL CULINARY ARTS SERIES: COOKING FUNDAMENTALS FOR THE SERIOUS COOK

9-week Professional Culinary Arts Series: Cooking Fundamentals For The Serious Cook
Hands On / Tastings / Binder / Recipes & Handouts / Toque / Limited Class Size
3:00pm - 6:00pm for all dates / Series Fee = $1,395.00
Exec. Chef Gary Hild

SERIES DATES:
Day 1: Sun 09/27: Knife Skills
Day 2: Sun 10/04: Meats
Day 3: Sun 10/11: Seafood
Day 4: Sun 10/18: Vegetables
Day 5: Sun 10/25: Moist Heat Cooking
Day 6: Sun 11/01: Dry Heat Cooking
Day 7: Sun 11/08: The Mother Sauces
Day 8: Sun 11/15: Small Sauces
Day 9: Sun 11/22: Farewell Dinner

Full Series Description:
This series has become wildly popular with many graduating classes already under our belt. It continues to sell out quickly, so register early. Whether your desire is to build upon your existing skills or jump start your passion for cooking, we promise this professional chef series will change the way you approach your kitchen! Designed after a typical first year of chef training, and taught by seasoned culinary professional, Chef Gary Hild, this 9-week course will take your cooking skills to a new level. If you’re serious about learning to cook…and you think you might look pretty darn good in a white chefs' jacket, then join us.   

Note: Students must be age 18+ to attend our Pro Series. (Students ages 16-17 may register if attending with a paying adult.)

Note: Students are required to wear a white chef jacket to each class.  Available for purchase in our Kitchen Shop if desired.

Individual Class Descriptions

Class 1: KNIFE SKILLS.  In this first important class, you’ll learn how to identify and purchase knives, maintenance, the anatomy of a knife, shapes, how to hold and feel for balance and proper weight, storage principles, how to hone and sharpen, how to hold a knife properly, rocking and chopping, and the chef’s “claw.” You won’t just be introduced to your knives. You’ll receive serious hands-on experience as well as learn the basic cuts using a knife.

Class 2: MEATS. Excellent chefs know that there are appropriate cooking methods for each cut of meat. The knowledge learned today will be applied to recipes you choose to cook for the rest of your life. Meat identification; preparation techniques; trimming; applications to cooking methods such as roasting, braising, marinating (with and without a vacuum seal); sautéing; grilling; quick cooking and pan searing.

Class 3: SEAFOOD.  We will cover the different styles of seafood and the cooking methods that pair with them. You'll learn seafood identification, prepping and trimming for the various cooking methods, freshness testing, proper storage and much more. You'll also learn easy methods for ensuring freshness of buying and cooking shellfish. We'll then learn as we create some fabulous seafood dishes.

Class 4: VEGETABLES.  Fundamentals of vegetable cookery including identification, prepping (an essential part of every vegetable dish) and cooking techniques. We’ll learn which vegetables are best for the various cooking methods such as sautéing, roasting, glazing, stewing and steaming. All vegetable cooking methods will be covered including blanching and shocking to preserve freshness and color. We’ll work together as we make tasting samples of some perfect vegetable preparations! 

Class 5: MOIST HEAT COOKING.  This class will cover all aspects of moist heat cooking including such techniques as steaming, “en papillote” (in paper), poaching and braising. Once mastered, these methods are extremely easy to apply to various foods. You’ll learn which “proteins” are best for each of the methods, proper prepping, cooking and serving techniques. We’ll also learn “shallow poaching” and some simple sauce-making skills. 

Class 6: DRY HEAT COOKING. This course will teach dry heat cooking techniques such as searing, roasting, broiling and grilling. We’ll learn about protein fibers and what happens to them during the various cooking methods. We’ll look at which proteins are best for the various cooking methods, and we’ll explore some combination methods (such as searing then roasting) and why this works so well. Prepping, cooking, serving, carving, etc.

Class 7: THE MOTHER SAUCES. Tonight it’s all about the art of sauce-making as we deconstruct the basic Mother Sauces of Tomato, Velouté, Bechamel, Espagnole and Hollandaise. Along with this knowledge comes preparation of thickening agents and stocks as well as how to use these preparations in dishes. You’ll learn in an intensive hands-on setting.

Class 8: “SMALL” SAUCES. You know the Mother Sauces now so tonight we’ll build upon that knowledge by teaching how to make some interesting and easy “small sauces.” We will learn to deglaze a pan using the drippings and/or wine to infuse flavors. Learn to make and use a beurre manie to finish and thicken your sauce or gravy. All these methods will be taught in a power-packed “hands-on” class.

CLASS 9: FINAL DINNER. It's the grand finale to our Professional Culinary Arts 9-Week Series! Tonight, we'll practice what we've learned throughout the 8 weeks we've cooked together. You and your teammates will cook an upscale dinner using all the techniques we learned.   
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About Our Shared Cooking Experience
One of the things that makes our classes special is the community we build around every workstation. Each cooking workstation accommodates four people, and we thoughtfully pair individuals and couples together to create a collaborative, social experience. Over the years, we've watched countless friendships form over chopped vegetables and simmering sauces.

Most guests find that cooking alongside new people adds to the fun and creates unexpected connections. Whether you're signing up solo, with friends, or as a couple, you'll likely share your workstation with others who are just as excited to learn, laugh, and enjoy a great meal together. Please note that if you've registered with other people on the same order, you will automatically be seated together. If you signed up as a party of four, you will automatically have your own workstation. If you'd like to sit with another registered guest and you haven't booked your seats together, please let us know in the "Comments" section when you sign up, and you will be seated together and placed at the same workstation.

We understand if you'd prefer a more intimate experience with just your own group. If you'd like to reserve an entire workstation for your party, simply purchase four spots and you will be given your own private workstation. This guarantees your group will have the space to yourselves. Questions about our class format? Feel free to reach out—we're happy to help you find the perfect cooking experience!

Dietary Restrictions & Allergies
We want everyone to enjoy our classes safely and comfortably! If you have dietary restrictions or food allergies, let us know in the "Comments" section when you sign up. Our chefs do their best to accommodate vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten-free, and other dietary needs with as much advance notice as possible. Please note:

• We are not a nut-free facility and cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment.
• Some dietary restrictions may be challenging to accommodate depending on the class menu.
• If you have severe allergies or complex dietary needs, we strongly encourage you to call us at 913-341-4455 before registering so we can discuss whether we can safely accommodate your requirements.

Our team is committed to making your experience as inclusive as possible, but we want to be upfront about our limitations. The more notice you give us, the better we can prepare. When in doubt, please reach out—we're here to help you determine if a particular class is the right fit!

Refund Policy
For multi-session classes and series, we will give you a full refund if you need to cancel more than three (3) weeks prior to the start of a multi-session class. Within three weeks of the start of a series, no refunds or credits will be given. Please note that once the series has begun, no substitutions will be allowed since the series is designed for the classes to build upon each other. In the event you miss a class in the series, no refunds will be given and it is not possible to make up the class(es) in a future similar series.

Please note that any refund issued for classes purchased using a Gift Certificate or Account Credit will result in reinstatement of the original Gift Card or Account Credit and will bear the same expiration date. Account Credits issued for cancelations within three weeks of a class will expire one year from the date of issuance. We reserve the right to cancel a class for any reason, at any time, in which case you will receive a full refund.

Other Notes

• Please enjoy a 10% discount on all items in our retail store during the full calendar day/night of your class or event. Our retail store will be open for browsing prior to class, during any breaks, and after class. 
• This series is for adults 18+. You must be at least 18 years old as of the date of the first class of this series. 
• Please click here for a full description of our FAQs and Policies. Finalization of your registration tells us that you have read and understand them.