Edible Homework: Cooking Schools Share the New Orleans Culinary Experience - cooking resource

Edible Homework: Cooking Schools Share the New Orleans Culinary Experience

Visitors who think a clutch of plastic beads, a hurricane glass and an obscene T-shirt are the best they can bring back home from a trip to New Orleans clearly haven¡¯t experienced one of the city¡¯s distinctive cooking schools.

Anne Gormly has, and after a lunchtime class at the New Orleans School of Cooking (524 St. Louis St., 504-525-2665), the Georgia College and State University vice president was able to whip up a menu of Cajun dishes for a charity event when she returned home.

¡°We couldn¡¯t find crawfish back home, but everything came out great anyway,¡± she says. ¡°Everyone is still talking about that meal here.¡±

The Crescent City¡¯s rich culinary culture is an essential part of the travel experience for many New Orleans visitors, and cooking schools in the French Quarter and elsewhere offer a unique way to tap in to that culture. If going to school isn¡¯t quite your idea of a vacation activity, don¡¯t be put off. These programs offer ¡°students¡± a fun, interactive curriculum covering a few recipes in about the time it takes to watch a movie. The best part: participants get to dine on the multi-course meal they have just learned how to prepare.

Frank Leo, general manager of the New Orleans School of Cooking, says guests appreciate the value of a cooking class, which at his operation includes instruction, take-home recipes and a three- or four-course meal for $20 to $25. The school has been around for 25 years and holds three-hour or two-hour classes daily in a renovated 1830¡¯s -era molasses warehouse, as well as hosting private classes for groups of 25 or more.

Returning visitors sometimes book a reservation months in advance, Leo says, while a rain squall or an especially hot day in the French Quarter will generate more spur- of-the-moment visitors looking for an interesting indoor activity.

The newest addition among French Quarter cooking schools is the Louisiana Heritage Cafe and School of Cooking (320 Decatur St., 504-299-8800), which is also a full-service restaurant in the lobby of the Bienville House Hotel. Here, Chef Joseph Faroldi serves up a heavy dose of culinary history and stories about the origins of south Louisiana dishes as he cooks them for his class. For instance, while mixing up a batch of jambalaya, he might explain how this savory rice-based dish evolved as a way to use up left-over meats and vegetables, while one of the biggest revelations for his guests is that Louisiana food is not necessarily hot and spicy.

Born and raised in the French Quarter, Faroldi acquired his love of cooking in the kitchen of his Italian mother and grandmother. He hopes to impart a similar learning experience at his restaurant and school.

New Orleans Cooking Schools

If you have always wanted to learn the art of Creole and Cajun cooking, now is your chance. Take a class, or a series of classes, at a New Orleans cooking school:

New Orleans Cooking Experience
2275 Bayou Road near Esplanade Avenue

The New Orleans Cooking Experience offers everything from private and special events classes to four-day cooking vacations. All classes are highly personalized and focus on authentic Creole cooking. Regular classes with up to ten people are offered with advanced reservations and include demonstration instruction, recipes, wine and a multi-course meal.

Some of this city¡¯s most noted chefs teach at the New Orleans Cooking Experience. Look for Frank Brigtsen (one of Food and Wine¡¯s ¡°Top Ten New Chefs¡±, James Beard Award winner, Zagat¡¯s Top Cajun Restaurant award), Poppy Tooker, and Chiqui Collier.

Single classes are offered at $185 per person and series packages range from $675 to $525. Vacation packages begin at $1500 and customized classes are available. The school is located at the House on Bayou Road in an 18th century Creole plantation complete with delightful gardens. For more information, please call (504) 945-9104 or visit www.neworleanscookingexperience.com.

Cookin¡¯ Cajun Cooking School
Store 116 in Riverwalk Marketplace

Conveniently located on the third level of the Riverwalk Marketplace, Cookin¡¯ Cajun offers daily two-hour daily classes including a full meal and view of the Mississippi River. Chef Susan Murphy and the crew share secrets about Crescent City favorites like Chicken Andouille Gumbo, Oysters Rockefeller and Praline Parfait.

Classes are $20 a person and feature take-home recipes and a 10% discount at the Creole Delicacies Gourmet Shop. Seating is available for up to 75 people. Group rates are available. For reservations and class times, please call (504) 586-8832 or (504) 523-6425 or visit www.cookincajun.com.

For more info about cooking school, please visit French Quarter.

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