609146 Thu Apr 02 21:56:57 -0700 2009 13 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4563300 I am student at UCLA witha passion for cooking, but I can't find any cooking classes that aren't realy incorporated into a fulltime culinary school, any suggestions? Thu Apr 02 21:56:57 -0700 2009 279388 Rachael5000 1 4564604 I'd love some leads on this as well. I want to take cooking classes that focus on techniques & fundamentals for people who are already comfortable in the kitchen but would like to improve their skills and learn advanced skills. Something of a mini-culinary program. Unfortunately, the classes I've looked into and taken have been too basic and are essentially recipe execution classes. I want a class that teaches techniques, then lets the students apply them in creating their own dishes. Not one that has demonstrations in front of the classroom then hands out recipes that students are supposed to execute. All you chef-types & cooking schools out there, are you listening? There is a market for this. I think there's a whole segment of cooks that isn't being served by the culinary education community. Fri Apr 03 10:25:53 -0700 2009 4563300 10401 soniabegonia 2 4565777 There are a ton of schools that offer individual classes. Chef Eric's Culinary Classroom is one on Overland and Pico. Also at Sur La Table, they offer a variety of classes (the 3rd & farifax location) Fri Apr 03 15:50:51 -0700 2009 4564604 21052 carln 1 4565166 Rachael - down the street from you (well not literally, but figuratively) there is a great cooking school called New School of Cooking. It's very good, very hands-oh, and the instruction is excellent. If you love to bake you MUST try a class with Cindy Mushet. They serve all of the student-made dishes at the end with wine, so don't be put off by price. You'll still get a meal out of it too. I started with the beginner knife skills class and have been back frequently http://newschoolofcooking.com/ Fri Apr 03 12:53:09 -0700 2009 4563300 12886 kotatsu 2 4566249 New School of Cooking and Sur La Table are both "hands on" classes only. This means you are broken down into groups of 4 or 6. You are given a couple of recipes BUT NO INSTRUCTION. You are on your own. The instructor walks around to the many groups but you do not learn from the teacher. IMO, the best classes are taught directly by the instructor. They tell you how big to make the pieces of food, how high to make the flame, what to look for before adding the next ingredient. In "hand on" classes people do what they want. The last one I went to at New School of cooking we were cooking cauliflower curry. The woman who was supposed to be making florettes of cauliflower merely sliced the head into strips and ruined the dish. Later on, one of the men in our group insisted it needed a spice that was not called for it and poured it on. After taking cooking classes in L.A. for over 30 years, I can tell you "instruction" classes are the way to go. But they have disappeared. Fri Apr 03 18:45:27 -0700 2009 4565166 13794 SilverlakeGirl 1 4565874 There are also cooking classes offered at any Chef's stores, Surfas in Culver City and Home Cook, which used to be in Pasadena, but no longer, but I took a few good sushi & tamale classes there. Fri Apr 03 16:23:06 -0700 2009 4563300 90755 Phurstluv 2 4565994 Rachel and Sonia, I think I know of just the program for you! Many years ago I attended a wonderful professional program at Let's Get Cooking in Westlake. I am not sure if it is still taught by Cecelia DeCastro, but if it is, this class was great! My class met all day on Sunday, which allowed me to keep my full time schedule working at the same time. If I recall correctly, the program was between 6 or 9 months long. There were about 10 or so students in the class, and everything was hands on. You started out with basic techniques (not basic-basic, but things like kitchen safety, knife skills, etc. were covered). By the end of the course you knew enough to be placed as a line chef at a high end restaurant. We finished the course by hosting a 10 course meal at La Toque (Ken Frank's old restaurant on Sunset), where we planned, executed, and served everything to our friends and family who had bought tickets. I am an attorney and I was taking this course to test the waters on a career change. At the end of the course, Cecelia was setting me up for an entry level position at Wolfgang Puck's newest restaurant in Malibu, Granita, (at this time, it had just opened). Anyways, I couldn't recommend this program more highly. I went back to law, but have since changed back to food, and I teach cooking classes out of home. While I wasn't personally looking for a career change, I really feel that what I learned at this school gave me a strong foundation for a career in food, and Cecelia is very well connected to place you upon graduating. Good luck with your search! Fri Apr 03 17:08:40 -0700 2009 4565874 185144 dkennedy 1 4566378 Or you can try the following online cooking school... not quite the same as in person but worth trying if you can't coordinate your schedule with the classes out there... http://rouxbe.com Fri Apr 03 20:04:29 -0700 2009 4563300 118060 mrshankly 1 4566678 for vegetarian cooking go to spork foods. sporkfoods.com one of the gals used to cook at native foods in westwood. they also cater. Sat Apr 04 00:47:06 -0700 2009 4563300 11935 westsidegal 2 4570774 awesome thats jsut what i am looking for Mon Apr 06 00:35:28 -0700 2009 4566678 279388 Rachael5000 1 4569238 I also go to UCLA and suggest you try this adorable place called Chez Cherie for cooking classes. The instructor, Cherie, is incredibly sweet, fun, and very knowledgeable. She offers a variety of different types of cooking classes from basic kitchen technique and knife skills courses to specialized classes, like her Latin flavors or New Orleans Culinary experience classes, and you can attend whichever class interests you. She also teaches a Trader Joe's class which feature only Trader Joe's products; I've been to two of them and they were wonderful. At the start of the class, you are given the menu for the evening as well as recipes for each item so that you can follow along while she cooks. She prepares the food in the front and explains step by step exactly what she's doing. Since the classes are relatively small, you can ask questions about whatever she's cooking, and she's quick to offer help and suggestions regarding any type of questions you may have. At the end of the class, the food Cherie prepared is served, and I have always left incredibly full and extremely satisfied. When I went, I learned five or six new recipesm, which were truly delicious and I've made them at home. The class is so much fun and I really recommend you try it! Her website is chezcherie.com - check out her class schedules. Sun Apr 05 11:05:37 -0700 2009 4563300 280234 katiej923 1 4570629 http://www.chefsinc.net/classes/classes_index.html Try checking this place out. It's off of Pico and it's not too far away from UCLA. Sun Apr 05 22:26:36 -0700 2009 4563300 89472 DrBruin 1 4579512 Rachael stick to the classes at Sur Le Table, they are taught by real chefs and not just recent culinary school graduates or "wannabes" like most of the other places. William Sonoma also has some classes Wed Apr 08 16:03:53 -0700 2009 4563300 236463 lambrusche 1 4579644 Epicurian on Melrose in West Hollywood. One day classes, start with a demo and then hands on and then a meal. Wed Apr 08 16:47:00 -0700 2009 4563300 122406 miwine