Written by Cathy Swormstedt
Three Local chefs offer instruction in the fine art of Food Preparation
Want to add a little sizzle to life? Brew up some excitement for your next evening out? Find a new way to connect with friends and family? Well, here’s a one-size-fits-all kind of idea: Get the whole crowd together to prepare a meal—with a professional chef! Learn something new, eat what you cook and have a whole plate-full of fun doing it.
Steeped in the culinary arts
As a young boy, John Gonzales lived in an 18th-century tavern—The Blue Bell, to be exact—in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area. Some 250 years ago, this small residence was an “ordinary” where meals were served, news spread and gossip exchanged in a convivial atmosphere. John remembers helping his grandmother bake sugar cookies at The Blue Bell during her holiday visits. It is a fond memory mentioned in the Forward of his book, Holiday Fare, Favorite Williamsburg Recipes. And though he enjoys writing about food, his main focus is on the preparation of it. As co-owner and executive chef of A Chef’s Kitchen in Williamsburg, John Gonzales shares his culinary expertise through nightly dinner “classes,” where about two dozen food lovers can watch the chef whip up a spectacular menu and savor the delicious results.
The process is simple: The evening begins with a half-hour reception, complete with champagne, hors d’oeuvres and background music, followed by the diners settling into their places in a tiered seating arrangement. Down in front is the Chef’s cooking island where Gonzales starts work on the appetizer, often a soup. After dishing this up to his guests, he begins on the next course, teaching as he goes and serving each course as it is completed. “It’s a combination cooking show, cooking class and dining experience all rolled into one,” Gonzales explains. “And the guests receive a full packet of information including the recipes prepared during their visit.” Children are welcome. However, the Chef cautions that dinner classes run about three hours, including the reception. “You know your children best,” he adds. “Some would find this experience boring, but others might be fine with it.”
Seasonal, locally produced ingredients are included in each menu. But Chef Gonzales demands the best from many different sources. “For instance, I specify the breeds,” he explains, “such as organically fed quail from Texas, or organically fed pork from Iowa or venison from New Zealand. And of course I use our terrific local sea scallops.”
A recent menu at A Chef’s Kitchen featured items such as North Atlantic Lobster Bisque with Seared Fennel; Warm Spinach Salad with Caramelized Shallots, Goat Cheese, Grapes and Pumpkin Seed Oil Drizzle; Roast Duck with Root Vegetable Mirepoix; Plum-Glazed Berkshire Pork Ribs; and Smashed Red Bliss Potatoes. And for dessert? Apple Frangipane Tart with Saigon Cinnamon-Dusted Vanilla Ice Cream.
When it comes to his holiday dinner classes, Gonzales opts for traditional fare with a flourish, perhaps Peanut Soup with Cranberry Sauce and Lardoons (crisp country ham to Colonials) to begin a dinner that might feature Roast Filet of Hereford Beef. He emphasizes that excellent wines are paired with each meal—great “finds” that usually range in price from about $8 to $11 a bottle.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Gonzales honed his skills in Washington, D.C., as executive chef at the Watergate Hotel, Jockey Club and Ritz-Carlton. Now he passes along a wealth of experience to cooking enthusiasts.
A Chef’s Kitchen is located at 501 Prince George Street in Williamsburg. Call 757-564-8500 to make reservations or to purchase gift certificates. Cost per person is $84.50 + tax. Learn more at achefskitchen.biz.
Get Chef John Gonzales’ recipe for Frosted Banana & Raspberry Shrubs is found on:
Chefs’ Recipes: Prep School
Cooking 101 offered in Richmond
When you speak with Lynne Just about cooking, you’re in for an enlightening conversation with a real fan of the culinary arts. Lynne is the resident chef at Sur La Table in Richmond, where cooking classes are offered to kids and adults, from cooking newbies and the “somewhat-experienced” to old hands who are simply interested in learning something new.
“We cater to any skill level,” Lynne confirms. “At Sur La Table, our resident chefs are classically trained. All have been to cooking school and all are very experienced. We pride ourselves on being trusted culinary authorities.” And the work environment is designed to allow the chefs to pass along their skills to students with ease and efficiency. The large kitchen, complete with its gleaming professional ovens, is equipped with 8-foot tables that can be positioned to suit the size of any class. Two TV monitors, with cameras mounted above a large chef’s station, provide students with a bird’s-eye view of cooking demonstrations.
Lynne, a former elementary school teacher, decided to change professions about six years ago and enrolled in culinary school. “I grew up in a large family, and I always loved to cook,” she explains. Now she teaches students how to grill perfectly, how to blanch, how to decorate a cake and so much more. “Knife Skills is one of our most popular classes,” she says, because learning how to hold a kitchen knife properly and how to make different kinds of cuts is fundamental to the process of becoming a good cook.
At Sur La Table, a two-hour-plus class consists of a maximum 16 students, divided into groups of four. Once everyone assembles, coffee, tea and water are offered—and wine to the adults in evening classes—while recipes are handed out and the chef preps students on what they’re going to be doing in the session. At the time of our interview, Lynne was preparing to lead a class on grilling gourmet pizza. There would be four varieties: Portabella Mushroom with Smoked Mozzarella, Broccolini, Smoked Salmon with Red Pepper and Arugula, and Italian Sausage with Fennel and Red Onion. While the focus is on grilling, the students also make the pizza dough. “They’ll find out how easy it is to make and how versatile it is,” Lynne says.
In addition to the classes offered for adults 18 and over, Sur La Table hosts camps for kids during the summer, at Christmas vacation and over spring break. “I love these camps,” Lynne says. “The kids get so into cooking. They have these ‘Aha’ moments that are great to see.”
There are afternoon classes where kids learn how to make an entire Sunday dinner featuring roasted chicken. In anticipation of Halloween, Lynne and her kitchen assistants offered a class entitled “Freaky Food,” where kids made silly-sounding dishes such as Kitty Litter Cake. (“Sounds revolting, but it has an amazing taste!”) There’s also a pre-Thanksgiving class during which students assemble pumpkin and apple pies, then take them home to bake. Holiday classes for adults include the “Holiday Truffle & Chocolate Workshop,” “Holiday Hors d’oeuvres” and a session focused on basic holiday baking techniques.
Sur La Table is located at 9200 Stony Point Parkway, 158-A, in Richmond. Call 804-272-7094 to make reservations or to purchase gift certificates. Adult classes are $69-$85 and kids’ classes begin at $59. Learn more at SurLaTable.com/Richmond-VA.
Get Chef Lynne Just’s recipe for Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Sour Cream and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds:
Chefs’ Recipes: Prep School
Close encounter with an executive chef
John Patrick Telfer is the owner of Chef by Design in Virginia Beach. Although known as a premiere catering company with clients that include celebrities and politicians, Chef by Design added another feather to its big, plumy hat earlier this year by introducing intimate, hands-on cooking classes led by Telfer himself.
A veteran of 22 years in the food service industry, John Patrick Telfer was a protégé of European-trained Master Chef Milos Cihelka. Telfer, a restaurateur before launching his catering business, holds certifications as both an executive chef and an executive pastry chef. The decision to offer cooking classes was born when several of Telfer’s catering clients, impressed with his skills, indicated they’d like to learn how to improve their own. The classes, which began in January, are intimate sessions for two to six people at a time. “These aren’t cooking demonstrations,” Telfer explains. “Each class is a hands-on learning experience where we work together to turn out some truly amazing dishes. It’s a lot of fun and people have a great time expanding their culinary know-how.
“I kept hearing ‘Please come to my home,’ so as a result, I often hold a cooking class in the client’s own kitchen,” Telfer says. “But larger groups of five or six sometimes prefer working in the professional kitchen we have at our Virginia Beach location.” The sessions, which normally involve preparing the appetizer and main course topped off by dessert, run between three and four hours. “We get into all the cooking methods,” says Telfer. “We slice, dice, sear and season.” The time goes by quickly but length depends on the Q&A that follows dessert, a one-on-one that usually lasts 30 to 45 minutes during which students can pepper the chef with questions.
A recent menu included Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Key Lime Sauce, Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Asian Barbeque Sauce and a Citrus Pound Cake Parfait with Blackberries and Lemon Curd. Telfer’s holiday classes include basics such as how to roast a turkey. “But I like breaking with tradition a little,” he says, “so we might do turkey stuffed with a variety of ingredients including dried fruits and goat cheese. Then we’d prepare an arugula, cherry tomato, avocado and balsamic salad in addition to some great sides, such as cranberry chutney.”
Telfer uses locally grown ingredients in many of his dishes. “We try to buy local and support area farmers as much as possible,” he explains. “My motto is ‘Let’s keep it here first.’”
Telfer is gratified by the enthusiasm with which his cooking classes are received. But culinary interest isn’t a matter of simple curiosity. “The people who sign up for my classes are individuals who are really serious about learning how to cook, and cook well,” he says.
Chef By Design is located at 5318 Fairfield Shopping Center in Virginia Beach. Call 757-496-3900 to make reservations or to purchase gift certificates. Cost is $65/person plus $250 chef’s fee (includes apron, knives, cutting board, food and recipes). Learn more at chefbydesigncatering.com.
Get Chef John Patrick Telfer’s recipe for Holiday Arugula Salad with Strawberry-Honey Vinaigrette:
Chefs’ Recipes: Prep School