View expanded class descriptions by month: January | February | March | April

January

January 6:
Cooking with Cocktails
with Chef Jennifer Biesty and Bar Manager Scott Baird, Coco500
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January 20:
Winter Dinner at Masa’s
with Executive Chef Gregory Short, Masa’s
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February

February 3:
Valentine’s Dinner for Two
with Chef Ryan Scott, Myth Café
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February 17:
Duck: from Bill to Tail Feathers
with Executive Chef Laurence Jossel, Nopa
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March

March 2:
Asian Flavors, Every Day
with Hung Huynh, Bravo TV’s “Top Chef”
[register]

March 16:
Classic Food and Wine Pairings
with Executive Chef Traci Des Jardins and Sommelier Eugenio Jardim, Jardinière
[register]

March 30:
Farmer’s Market to Table
with Executive Chef Jonnatan Leiva, Jack Falstaff
[register]

April

April 13:
Indian Spice
with Executive Chef Kirti Pant, Junnoon
[register]

April 27:
Cuisine of Piemonte and Liguria
with Executive Chef Staffan Terje, Perbacco
[register]

View expanded class descriptions by month: January | February | March | April

January

Cooking with Cocktails
January 6, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Chef Jennifer Biesty and Bar Manager Scott Baird, Coco500

Start the New Year in style by hosting a fabulous cocktail party, inspired by Coco500. Chef Biesty and Bar Manager Baird join forces to demonstrate an array of easy and tempting recipes. Chef Biesty, a StarChef.com Rising Star Chef in 2007, won critical acclaim for her menus at Bizou, Jardinière, and Universal Café before opening Coco500 with Loretta Keller in 2005.  According to San Francisco magazine, Baird is one of the “five bartenders you should know” in San Francisco, and is renowned for his fresh, innovative cocktail creations.

Menu includes: Local Oysters on the Half Shell, Yuzu Granité, Cucumber and Black Pepper, paired with a Vodka cocktail; Coriander Grilled Lobster, with Hominy and Green Mole Sauce, paired with a Tequila cocktail; Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Yellow Banana Curry, paired with a Rum cocktail; Dark Chocolate, Green Olive Oil, Country Bread paired with a Brandy cocktail; and French Cream with Spiced Poached Quince, Date Sugar, paired with a Bourbon cocktail. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Winter Dinner at Masa’s
January 20, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Gregory Short, Masa’s

For nearly 25 years Masa’s has been widely regarded as one the finest French restaurants in the world. Chef Short spent four years at French Laundry as Thomas Keller’s sous chef prior to opening Loft at Montage Resort in Laguna Beach in 2003. As executive chef at Masa’s since 2004, Short follows in the footsteps of renowned chefs Masataki Kobayashi, Julian Serrano, Ron Siegel and Richard Reddington. In his class, Chef Short demonstrates how to create Masa’s renowned contemporary French cuisine at home.

Menu includes: Potato Agnolotti with a Medley of Fingerling Potatoes and Black Truffles; Red Wine Braised Short Rib of Beef with Creamed Pearl Barley; and Pan Seared Scallops with Applewood Smoked Bacon, Nicoise Olive and Moro Blood Oranges. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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February

Valentine’s Dinner for Two
February 3, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Chef Ryan Scott, Myth Café

Rising celebrity chef Ryan Scott honed his skills and approach to cuisine with some of the country’s best chefs, including Gary Danko, Daniel Boulud, Charlie Trotter, Jasper White, Melissa Kelly, Suzanne Goin and Alessandro Stratta. His contemporary, healthy menus have been drawing acclaim and crowds since his arrival at Myth Café in 2005. In honor of Valentine’s Day, Chef Scott demonstrates a romantic dinner perfect for the holiday.

Menu includes: Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut, Cilantro and Duck Confit; Pancetta Wrapped Pork Loin with Celery Root, Gala Apples and Whole Grain Mustard Sauce; and Vanilla and White Pepper Poached Pear with Hazelnut Sable and Chocolate Sorbet. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Duck: from Bill to Tail Feathers
February 17, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Laurence Jossel, Nopa

A key player in the Bay Area restaurant scene for over 14 years, Chef Jossel has been the driving force behind several of San Francisco’s favorite restaurants, including Kokkari, Chez Nous, Chow, Park Chow, and now, Nopa, an incredibly popular neighborhood restaurant earning national acclaim for its approach to California-Mediterranean cuisine. In his class Chef Jossel focuses on the many, easy and delicious ways to prepare duck.

Menu includes: Duck Breast Prosciutto; Duck Leg Confit; Roast Duck; and Duck Egg Flan. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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March

Asian Flavors, Every Day
March 2, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Hung Huynh, Bravo TV’s “Top Chef”

The winner of season three on Bravo’s highly-regarded and much-watched “Top Chef,” Chef Huynh most recently was sous chef at the highly acclaimed restaurant Guy Savoy at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. His class focuses on delicious Asian cuisine, easy to duplicate at home every day.

Menu includes: Seafood and Mushroom Clay Pot Rice; Rack of Dover Sole, Roasted Cauliflower, Tamarind Brown Butter Sauce; and “Vietnamese Coffee” Panna Cotta, Almond Tuile. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Classic Food and Wine Pairings
March 16, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Traci Des Jardins and Sommelier Eugenio Jardim, Jardinière

Chef Des Jardins is one of San Francisco’s most acclaimed and prolific chefs, earning a large number of accolades since opening Jardinière in 1997, including The James Beard Foundation Award in 2007 for “Best Chef: Pacific.”  Jardinière was named Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurant,” was nominated as “Best New Restaurant” by The James Beard Foundation and has been listed as one of the “Top 100 Restaurants” in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle each year since opening. In addition, she bested Iron Chef Mario Batali on the Food Network show, “Iron Chef America.” Jardinière Sommelier Eugenio Jardim has lent his vast wine expertise to many Bay Area restaurants, such as EOS Wine Bar, and as judge in wine competitions all over the world. In this class he partners with Chef Des Jardins to demonstrate the best food and wine pairings.

Menu includes: Oysters, warm and cold; Scallops and Truffles; Red Wine Braised Shortribs; and a selection of Goat Cheeses, carefully paired with sommelier-selected wines. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Farmer’s Market to Table
March 30, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Jonnatan Leiva, Jack Falstaff

A veteran of such esteemed restaurants as La Palme D'Or at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida; Apicious and Les Elyssees Hotel Vernet in Paris; Union Pacific in New York; the Ruby Room in Boston; and Fifth Floor, Grand Café and Redwood Park in San Francisco, Chef Leiva has learned the art of cooking from some of the world’s masters. Flavored by his travels, but rooted in his formal training at the California Culinary Academy, his signature menu approach is showcased in this class, which brings local and sustainable farming to the dinner table.

Menu includes: Blood Orange and Fennel Salad; Roasted Quail with Polenta and Truffles; Local Petrale Sole, Basil Risotto and Meyer Lemon; Crispy Young Chicken, Celery Root Puree, Braised Collard Greens; and Coconut Flan, Arroz Con Leche Ice Cream. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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April

Indian Spice
April 13, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Kirti Pant, Junnoon

Chef Kirti Pant’s approach to modern, pan-Indian cuisine has quickly earned Junnoon high acclaim, including one of the top 20 new restaurants in 2006 by Esquire magazine. Different than the typical “heat and curry” approach to Indian cuisine, Chef Pant focuses on flavors and textures in bold, healthy dishes from multiple regions in India. His class will make it easy to bring these exotic flavors to the home kitchen.

Menu includes: Tangy Semolina Shells Filled with Spiced Chickpeas, Mint and Tamarind Chutney; Pan-seared New Zealand Blue Nose Sea Bass with a Rice Flake Crust, served with Kokum Sauce; and Black Tiger Prawns Simmered in Tomato Tamarind Sauce Flavored with Roasted Cumin, Mace and Star Anise. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

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Cuisine of Piemonte and Liguria
April 27, 4 to 6 p.m.
with Executive Chef Staffan Terje, Perbacco

Inspired by the traditional, seasonal dishes from the northwestern regions of Italy, Piemonte, Liguria and Valle D’Aosta, and the Provence region of France, the cuisine of Perbacco has earned accolades since opening in the Fall of 2006, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Top 100 in 2007 and the “Top 95 Tables” in Condé Nast Traveler.  Prior to opening Perbacco, Chef Terje worked at San Francisco’s famed Scala’s Bistro for seven years, as well as the original Piatti in Yountville, located in the Napa Valley.

Menu includes: Agnolotti Dal Plin (Piemontese Ravioli); Halibut Braised with Artichokes and Potatoes, Salsa Verde; and Olive Oil Panna Cotta. ($90 per guest, inclusive of tax and gratuity.)

[register]