Metro Pulse/Gamut/Cooking with Class

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Confused about roux? Befuddled by béchamel? Instruction by local chefs can turn you into a better cook.

by Karyn Adams

As the hour approaches six on a crisp November night, 10 shiny chrome diner stools await their anxious patrons. Each place is set with a sturdy, white café plate and cloth napkin. But guests won't be placing orders. Instead, they'll be reviewing detailed instructions on how to create each of the evening's dishes.

Welcome to one of the hundreds of cooking classes taught each year at Knoxville's Williams-Sonoma store in West Town Mall, just one of the local providers of culinary instruction. In fact, there's a class or instructor to suit almost every skill level and interest. The trick is knowing where to look.

"We held our first class in March of 1999 as a word-of-mouth kind of thing," remarks Kelly Stephenson, Cooking Class Coordinator for Williams-Sonoma. "Now we've got a mailing list of over 685 people who want to take classes." And as demand has grown, so has the class schedule. By 2002's end, the store will have hosted over 60 sessions between August and December alone.

Local cooking expert and frequent instructor, Barbara Tenney, is a class favorite. One student even calls herself a "Barb-a-holic." On this night, the petite Tenney, with short waves of sunset-red hair, is clad in a putty-blue cashmere sweater set and slacks. "I attended Indiana University and took some classes at Northwood Culinary Institute," she explains, "But it's just all I've ever wanted to do my whole life, to cook and to teach others to cook."

Classes, which cost $35 per person, are kept to a strict 10-person maximum. Included with the personal instruction, a class-specific recipe booklet with helpful hints, and a full serving of everything that's prepared (you'll be stuffed by lesson's end), all participants receive 10 percent off all in-store purchases made on the evening of class. That's my kind of extra credit.

A recent class, titled "Over the River and Through the Woods," gave students the how-to on a classic Thanksgiving menu: honey-glazed green beans, roasted bourbon & mustard glazed turkey, baked sweet potato cups, congealed cranberry salad, and a cranberry sour cream pound cake. Apron donned, Tenney quickly set the tone with her signature accessible and spirited approach:

"Everybody has an Aunt Mary—you may say you don't, and her name may not be Mary, but that's what I'm going to call her. This is the aunt who comes in and meddles in your kitchen, inspecting everything you're making and telling you what you should do. I'm going to teach you how to do things ahead of time so that you can keep old Aunt Mary at arm's length!"

Jennifer Trussell, a federal agent who knows how to wield a spatula, is a class regular. "Barbara transcends cooking classes," said Trussell. "These classes are my stress relief."

Schedules for 2003 courses will be available at Williams-Sonoma the week of January 1 and phone registration begins the following week. Be prepared to speed dial—classes fill up almost as soon as the schedule is released.

Holly Forbes, executive chef at Lord Lindsey's catering, offers a more customized approach to cooking instruction. "I'll start right at the beginning with people, it's exciting to me." With her culinary vitae—degrees from Baltimore Culinary College and The School for American Chefs, executive chef positions in Baltimore and Texas that included the design and coordination of meals for President Clinton and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Sirikit of Thailand—Forbes can start anywhere she damn well pleases.

Despite her lengthy credentials, she has a warm, irreverent wit and exudes a can-do energy that puts one at ease. "People think of cooking as a way to get food on the table and into stomachs. It's so much more than that." Hence, Forbes began sharing her culinary knowledge with those inquiring about recipes or lessons. "If I can inspire someone to see cooking as more than a perfunctory chore, then I'm rewarded and happy." Forbes discusses interests and skill levels with students to help design a class that will best suit the individual or group. She's game for everything, from basic knife skills and the elements of tasting, to full-course meals and recipes for entertaining.

For $50 per participant (she can be reached at 522-2178), Forbes will teach from one to 12 students in her kitchen at Lord Lindsey or in a student's home. But her preference is clear. "I like being on my own turf. I know how fast my oven is. I know where my ingredients are. No surprises." And from the student's perspective, getting to spend some quality time in an industrial kitchen can be as educational as the cooking lesson itself. "It's an eye opener for home cooks to see how a full-time kitchen organizes and utilizes equipment and space," Forbes laughs, "and it's a helluva lot cheaper to reorganize your cookery and shelving than to redesign and rebuild your home's kitchen."

It's a rainy Tuesday night, and the tables at Bogartz in Homberg Place have been replaced with tight aisles of filled chairs. Welcome to "Bogartz Culinary Academy," a high-falutin' name given in good humor to the once-a-month class offered by restaurateur and executive chef, Bruce Bogartz. "We don't require reservations," says Bogartz, "We've got a list of about a hundred people and we call 'em a week prior to the class. Somehow it just works out, and we always have between 20 and 40 people." To get on the list, simply go to Bogartz and ask to be added. Classes are held on either Monday or Tuesday evenings, last about two hours, and cost $40 per person.

Because of Bogartz' 20 years of professional cooking and managing experience, he somehow makes the demands of an innovative restaurant, informative monthly classes, high-end catering, and special seasonal events look easy. "I'll admit it, sometimes I feel like I've taken on too much. But as soon as I start in, either teaching a class or preparing food for a special event, it's just so rewarding. I guess that's why I'm the busiest I've ever been."

In October, Bogartz conducted a rerun of a much-requested seafood class. He covered it all—how and where to select fish and seafood, best methods for cleaning and cutting, ideal preparations to bring out the best of specific types of seafood and fish, and helpful recipe sheets for each student. With demonstration, constant Q&A, and steady samples of everything prepared, students received a soup-to nuts on the subject. This evening's menu included tea-poached salmon with a curry crème fraiche; seared-dry packed scallops in caper brown butter; braised swordfish in a red wine sauce; grilled snapper topped by a root vegetable salsa; roasted halibut in a wild mushroom broth; a few hearty starters of browned butter shrimp and a cup of seafood chowder.

Students are allowed to bring wines or spirits to pair with tastings. At the end of each class, the group decides what to cover in the next session. Class camaraderie and Bogartz' flexible approach to teaching keeps Bogartz Academy in high demand, regardless of age or gender.

"We have a very even mix of men and women at each class. But men often turn out to be the star players. For some reason, they seem to be more willing to get hands on and ask whatever question comes to mind. They really get into it."

But all the questions from male students can be distracting to Saira Masood, co-owner of Taj Mahal Groceries on Sutherland Avenue. "The men ask lots of questions, yes, but the women seem to be easier to teach. I think it's all too new to the men. The women can stick with the lesson."

Masood, who specializes in Pakistani cooking, teaches anywhere from four to six people in her West Knox home, charging $25 per student. Instruction generally takes place on Monday or Tuesday mornings, from 10 a.m.—1 or 2 p.m. The small class fee covers instruction, a full meal for students, and food to take home to friends, family, or partners. As far as signing up for a class, simply go to Taj Mahal and let one of the Masoods know you're interested. Saira and husband Shahid are usually on hand, and they coordinate the schedule based on your availability and class space.

"People seem most curious about the spices that make Pakistani cooking what it is—curry leaves, cilantro, garam masala. These are new for a lot of people," Masood says. "Also, I teach people the difference between American spices, like black pepper, and Pakistani black pepper. There's cumin and then there's Pakistani black cumin or white cumin." Masood laughs, "Pakistani is always more flavorful."

As far as the cooking intimidation factor goes, Pakistani cuisine rates pretty high on my list. But Masood's instruction is down to earth and feels much like being in the kitchen with an encouraging relative. Through hands-on instruction, she covers breads (like chapati), dals (both vegetarian and meat-filled curries), biryani (rice and meat casseroles), and even meat-based kofta balls. Students should bring their own paper and pens for scribbling notes and recipes, and I recommend bringing plenty of blank pages. Although the preparations weren't hard, they covered new ground and included judgments with which American cooks may not be familiar.

Masood added, "Lots of people ask about how hot it will be when a dish is cooked. I show ways to make these foods still flavorful without being too hot for American mouths."

Even though I'm fairly confident in the kitchen, it's reassuring to know that Knoxville is peppered with a very accessible, very willing collection of helpful cooking instructors and culinary professionals. In fact, if you've got a favorite restaurant or eatery, it's worth asking if they offer any lessons. You may just end up with an hour or more of inexpensive, one-on-one instruction. Which underscores what all of these, and other cooking classes, supply that recipe books and cooking programs simply can't—human interaction. It's the most vital part of apprenticeship and learning a craft, and let me tell ya, learning never tasted so good.