Favorite cooking courses?

I'm turning forty this fall and would like to go away for a cooking course - I would consider myself a good home cook and an experienced home baker. I would like a trip that expands my skills - and I'm not married to staying in the US or going abroad. Totally open to ideas. I'm thinking a 5ish day course?
Thoughts? Hit me with your ideas - either courses you've taken and loved (or those I should skip!) or ones on your bucket list. I can't even decide at this point between a pastry course or cooking. Help!!

nashama
  • Posted by: nashama
  • January 12, 2016
  • 2115 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

aargersi
aargersi January 12, 2016
I am just dropping in to say I am jealous and whatever you choose have SO MUCH FUN and of course you have to tell us about it afterwards
 
amysarah
amysarah January 12, 2016
If you're looking for a course that focuses in depth on skills/techniques, as it sounds, I've heard good things about the CIA Boot Camp programs - 2 to 5 days each, in several lovely locations: http://enthusiasts.ciachef.edu/boot-camps/
 
HalfPint
HalfPint January 12, 2016
Look into the baking workshops at the San Francisco Baking Institute. They have 3-5 day workshops in addition to the training program. http://www.sfbi.com/workshops.html

I have taken a couple of their 3 day workshops and they were so much fun. Intense, but you learn a lot. The baguette workshop was my first and then I took their holiday pies and tarts workshop.
 
ChefJune
ChefJune January 12, 2016
It all depends upon what cuisine you want to expand on, and where you want to travel to.
I can highly recommend Lucy Vanel's wonderful classes in Lyon at her cooking school Plum Lyon. www.plumlyon.com. Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France, and is one of the friendliest cities anywhere.
 
Nancy
Nancy January 12, 2016
If cooking, which cuisine? Here are a few on my possible list:
French, Susan Herrmann Loomis
http://onruetatin.com/
Italian, Giuliano Bugialli or Faith Willinger
http://bugiallifoodsofitaly.com/
http://www.faithwillinger.com/
Israel, Erez Komarovsky
http://www.erez-komarovsky.co.il/pages/english/
A CNN overview (Beijing to North Carolina, and a few in between)
http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/10-incredible-international-cooking-classes-465955/
 
nashama
nashama January 12, 2016
Good point about the cuisine, Nancy. I've clearly just started thinking about this and will check out the links you provided. I think if I go for cooking I'm looking for more "round out skills" as opposed to a cuisine. Like, improve knife skills and braising, searing, poaching, etc. I was a vegetarian for a decade and really taught myself to cook in those years so my meat handling is largely confined to roasting. But man, I can roast chicken!
Might be answering my own question of cooking vs baking here. Hmm.
 
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