From the Editor

At the end of last month we jumped on the “Groupon” bandwagon offering our cooking classes at a 50% discount. It was huge success and we reached our max sales of 500 groupons! We would like to welcome all of our new students. To accommodate the groupons we will continue to add more classes, including more hands on classes.

So what is to come this month? Lots of grilling, lots of teambuilding with our corporate clients, and lots of kids in our cooking camps!
 
There is a definite up tick with our corporate clients. We have a jam-packed month of teambuilding events; the favorite event still continues to be our mock Iron Chef event where teams face off in a fierce one hour competition.   We are taking this competitive spirit to our summer camps this year. Every Friday our camp kids will show us what they learned and face off in their own competition!
 
We are excited to have another Guest chef, Lillian Chou, in our kitchen on July 13th. Lillian has been involved in almost every aspect of the food world as a restaurant cook, food stylist, recipe developer, culinary instructor, caterer, and pastry chef. A former food editor for Gourmet Magazine, Chou is also a freelance food writer and photographer and has written for The LA Times, Time, and Saveur. She will be leading a hands-on cooking class on noodles and dumplings. As a huge fan of both this is one class that is worth taking!! Please sign up now, this class is almost full.

We hope everyone enjoys the transition form Spring to Summer. Stone fruits are starting to arrive along with juicy watermelons. We hope to see you in our kitchen or yours!
 
Eat local, eat well,
Melanie and Taji

Summer is about to be in full swing that that means it’s time for two of our favorite things: great fruit and great cocktails!! There are fresh berries (plump and juicy fresh blackberries are our personal favorite), mangos (the Ataulfo variety isn’t very pretty but packs a fantastic, sweet flavor) and stone fruits of all kinds (hard to pick a favorite among the apricots, plums, peaches and the many hybrid varieties available). While all of these beauties require nothing more than a little rinse or a sharp knife to enjoy, there is one way to celebrate them that is a bit more fun: use them in a cocktail!!

If you’ve been to a high-end bar or cocktail lounge lately you’ve probably noticed the trend of cocktails made with fresh-squeezed juices, fresh herbs and fresh crushed fruit. We love this trend!! Here are a few tips on enjoying the best Summer fruits in your next beverage:

Start by Smashing – Instead of reaching for store-bought juice, try smashing a mix of your favorite fruits with a bit of sugar (or agave, honey or sugar substitute) and a little bit of water. You’ll end up with a flavorful fruit concentrate that is the perfect base for a tasty cocktail.

Infusion Vodka – Try soaking fresh Summer fruit in vodka for your own unique infusions. Our favorite is a mix of berries – soak in vodka in the fridge for 5 days. Strain and discard the berries and then mix your favorite cocktails. Keep any infused vodka in the fridge to ensure any fruit particles don't spoil.

Homemade Simple Syrups – A good simple syrup is a critical part of any bartender’s bag of tricks. The basic recipe is simple: 1 cup sugar mixed with 1 cup water – cooked until the sugar melts and then cooled completely. The result is a liquid sugar that is perfect for sweetening drinks. Try making your own with fresh fruit. Our favorite is a mix of fresh mango chunks, fresh basil, sugar and water. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Strain and keep the Mango Simple Syrup in the fridge until ready to use. It will make the best Mango Martini you’ve ever had!!

If you want an up-close tutorial on using fresh fruit in cocktails, join us for our Mediterranean Backyard Party class on July 9th. We’ll be whipping up Fresh Blackberry Rum Coolers and Fresh Basil-Mango Mojitos.

Chicken is by-far the most popular protein on our dinner table. Americans eat so much chicken that the whole industry has shifted to create bigger, fatter chickens as fast as possible. This seemed like a good idea but actually means commercially grown chicken is unhealthy and bad for the environment. You’re better off choosing a free-range, organic chicken that has been fed and bred in a natural manner. Check out Rocky or Mary’s brand at Whole Foods or in your local health-food store. The few extra dollars are worth knowing your chicken wasn’t given any antibiotics, was fed a natural diet and was allowed to walk around in fresh air for most of it’s life.

Our big appetite for chicken can be great for our waist-line since it’s white meat is so low in fat, but it can also be boring and flavorless. Here are some tricks to getting the most out of your chicken dinners.

Chicken breasts are common but give home-cooks a surprising amount of trouble because it’s so low in fat it can dry out quickly. To avoid this, we recommend using the grill. Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil, salt and pepper (or your favorite rub). Place on a hot grill and let cook on both sides until well-marked. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before slicing to serve. This yields the perfect chicken every time – you get the flavor and texture from the grill but the juices are kept inside from the even heat of the oven.

Chicken Thighs are the un-sung hero of the chicken. It's dark meat is full of flavor and cannot dry out.  You can easily find boneless, skinless chicken thighs in all the local markets which make chicken thighs easy to cook with and less fatty . They are particularly good braised but can also be grilled. Check out our Food Revolution Class on August 17th for a simple and delicious chicken stew made with thighs.

Ground Chicken is a great alternative to ground beef. If you get a mix of dark and white meat ground chicken it will be leaner than ground beef but still have some moisture to it. We love using it for meatballs or burger patties. Great trick: add a bit of sour cream to the mix to keep the meat tender.

For more Chicken Dinner tips, join us for our Chicken on the Grill classes July 20th and 28th.
 

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  Kids Cooking Camps - will encourage your child's confidence as we teach them kitchen safety, basic cooking skills and seasonal eating.

 Teen Cooking Series - we'll cover cooking basics and safety which will build your teen's confidence in the kitchen.

Knife Skills - This is a class everyone should take at least once! You will learn to use your most  important kitchen tool. We will discuss the three essential knives you should have and practice basic knife skills that will improve (and speed up!) your cooking.

Kids Cooking Camps - will encourage your child's confidence as we teach them kitchen safety, basic cooking skills and seasonal eating.

  Food Revolution - we've been inspired by Jaime Oliver's food revolution to bring simple, real food to the American table. Come join the revolution with us in this hands-on workshop.

Chicken on the Grill - we have some amazing grilled chicken dishes that are sure to wake up your weeknight stand-by.

 Mediterranean Grilling - We will take the flavors of the Mediterranean and give you tips on grilling seafood, meat, veggies and even fruit.

Summer Asian Flavors - This class is for those that want to learn to create those delicious Asian flavors, quickly and easily at home. 

Light and Fresh Mexican - Ditch the heavy enchiladas and greasy tacos for a light and super flavorful Mexican meal. This elegant menu is a crowd pleaser that plays on all the Mexican flavors we love so much.

 Summer Seafood Wine Dinner - Bring a date or just a friend to our popular Friday Night Series. This time we'll talk about sustainable seafood (how to identify it, where to buy it and how to cook it) while making a simple and impressive Summer entertaining menu. Each course will be paired with wines that are perfect to drink in the hot weather.

Dumplings & Noodles with Guest Instructor Lillian Chou

Join chef and Food Writer Lillian Chou for a 3 hour, hands-on workshop.  She will show us the secrets to making dumplings and noodles.

Click here to see our class calendar