There is something about the fragrances associated with Christmas that transports me back to my childhood. The scent of nutmeg and ginger take me to my Grandmother's house for gingerbread cookies. The fragrance of cinnamon and butter makes my mouth ...
Maximizing Menu Development
Today's class is about menu development. After all our weeks of training, Chef Carol Cotner Thompson thought we were now ready to be creative and experiment. Scary for me because I want a recipe as my security blanket, but this how we learn. Once ...
Farmer Market Treasures
Today's classroom was taken to the streets of Santa Monica, CA for the Wednesday Farmers Market. We are on a treasure hunt for the freshest seasonal and locally grown fruits and veggies to prepare in class today. Wait until you see what we cooked ...
Incredible Indian
Trying to explain Indian cuisine is like describing quantum physics. I love both, but they are best left to an expert. India’s cuisine is anything but uniform for many reasons: its 5000-year-old history, numerous settlers with diverse belief systems ...
Asian Awakening
Asian cuisine is probably my least favorite, so why has this Pro-Chef class turned out to be my favorite so far? It isn’t the taste or texture of Asian food; it’s because the MSG gives me headaches. Therefore, I thought… Asian food = headache. But ...