Core Classes

Make everyone’s favorite cheese for yourself*.

We’ll start with a discussion on sourcing and selecting the cheese curd, then dive right into the hot water, literally. You’ll melt the curd in 170-degree salty water and learn how to retrieve it, pull it, stretch it, squeeze it and form it into the perfect ball. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll make the delicate stuffed version, Burrata. The favorite variety of the favorite cheese.

Just to keep the hands-on Italian experience going, you’ll make a beautiful tomato basil salad, the perfect accompaniment.

*The 2016 US per capita consumption of mozzarella is reported at 11.27 pounds; cheddar came in second at 9.6 pounds.

Mix, Kneed, Rest, Roll, Cut, Chop, Dice, Crisp, Sautee, Season, Boil, Shave. Eat.

Make your own semolina pasta dough from scratch, roll out with a hand crank pasta machine, and cut it into wide noodles that will grab any sauce.

You’ll prepare the shrooms, Italian bacon and any other ingredients the chef may have sourced at the market-some tomatoes for color, some peppers for bite, some fresh herbs for aromatics, some garlic for garlic’s sake. Then you’ll put it all together and enjoy!!

Unlock your inner sushi chef…and don’t worry if you don’t like fish, it’s all about the rice and roll.

First learn how the rice is selected and prepared, from rinsing the raw grains to perfectly seasoning the fluffy cooked final product.

Get a little knife skills lesson so nobody hurts themselves. Then choose your ingredients to prepare from the variety of fish and vegetables the chef has selected for the day.

The chef will demonstrate techniques for four rolls-a traditional maki roll, an inside-out roll, a hand roll, and even a soy paper roll, then guide you through making your own.

Class will also include discussions on the sourcing quality fish, accompaniments such as wasabi, ginger, soy, unagi sauce and spicy mayo. Proper slicing and serving techniques of course, as well as use of specialty equipment like the bamboo matt. We’ll even cover the use of chopsticks. No forks, but fingers are ok!

You cannot live on wine alone, add some chocolate. Or, you cannot live on chocolate alone, add some wine. Either way is acceptable.

Red wine dark chocolate truffles.

White wine white chocolate truffles.

And a few milk chocolate dipped strawberries just for fun.

You’ll learn to make them all.

Need we say more?

Ravioli don’t make you fat, YOU make fat ravioli!

Learn to make traditional semolina dough from scratch with just a few ingredients, let it rest, then expertly roll it into sheets ready for your filling.

Make your cheesy filling with a blend of ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan. You decide how much of each. Be creative. Add some fresh herbs or sundried tomatoes. Like spicy, ok. How about prosciutto? Roasted Garlic, yes please. You’re the ravioli maker. And no experience necessary.

Then learn how to fill and seal your delicate pillows. Finally cook them to perfection and toss with simple, yet delicious sage browned butter sauce.

Being half Irish and half Italian, this little ridged dumpling represents the best of both worlds-PASTA MADE FROM POTATOES!!

First boil the potatoes to make the dough, save that water. Next you’ll form this delicate dough with just the potatoes, flour, egg, some of that water and a pinch of salt…then roll it into ropes…then you’ll cut the snakes [they call them snakes too] into ¾ inch pieces…then you’ll roll the pieces across a special board to form the distinctive ridges…then you’ll drop you dumplings into boiling salted water to cook…finally, once they are ready you’ll drain and toss with the pesto that you just made [you’ll make traditional pesto too by the way, in the traditional manner, with a mortar and pestle, that’s where the name comes from, see, you’re learning already].

Yeah, we all know thin crust NY pizza is the best, but we’ll make some Chicago deep dish too, because it’s still pizza.

You’ll make the dough from scratch. Only 5 basic ingredients-flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar, creates your canvas.

Just for fun we will make the cheese. You’ll select and cut your toppings. All sorts of fresh vegetables like vine-ripened tomatoes, sweet onions, portobellos, peppers, or broccoli. Proteins from bacon to grilled chicken, pepperoni of course. Add a few artisan touches like truffle oil, black olives, or roasted garlic. Finally tear up some fresh basil and/or oregano leaves and shave some Parmesan Reggiano as a finishing touch.

You’ll fashion a one of a kind masterpiece. Two actually, and it will definitely take more than 30 minutes to deliver, but that’s the beauty of it!

Make the Spanish classic- slowly simmered goodness of rice, seafood, chicken, sausage and vegetables. Don’t forget the saffron. The perfect match to the red wines slowly aging in the barrels that surround you at wineUdesign.

Working in teams of dos, you’ll follow the steps to creating this traditional seaside dish. While your Paella is doing its thing, the chef will discuss accompanying dishes. The class will share in samples of Spanish cheeses, olives, flatbread, Gazpacho and of course, red wine. Once the final shells relent and open-up in your pot, you’re ready to eat! 

However you feel about the border wall, I think we can all agree, that empanadas, make your kitchen great again!

Learn how to make the flakey dough for this beloved street food. While it is resting, create your filling for the pocket. You’ll get to be imaginative with a variety of ingredients. Roll out the dough, put it all together, then crimp them closed. We’ll fry some. We’ll bake some. Then we’ll vote on which is best. You will also produce three different sauces to go with your creations. As spicy or not spicy as you prefer. Viva empanadas!!!

Sunday sauce and easy cheesy ravioli, like grandma used to make… sort of.

Beef, pork and chicken is the basis for this Italian classic. You’ll learn the proper steps of searing, sweating, sautéing, and simmering to create a hearty tomato sauce. And it’s sauce, not gravy!!

While your ragu is slowly cooking to perfection, we’ll put together homemade ravioli faster than you ever thought possible. Finally pair them together for a picture-perfect Mambo Italiano meal. Don’t worry, there will be plenty of crusty semolina bread for dunking. #Mangiare!!

Thai the knot with these two dishes.

Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand, a lofty title for street food. Created in the 1930s by order of the prime minister in an effort to westernize Siam, now called Thailand. The literal translation of Pad Thai is fried Thai. There are clear influences from China but with a flavor profile all its own. Ok, enough with the history lesson, let’s chop chop some ginger, lemongrass, cilantro, shallots, mint, cilantro, etc…and start cooking!

We’ll fill out the class by making delicate rice paper summer rolls, which include some of the same ingredients. Cross utilization of prep, we chefs love that. And of course, we’ll share in that famous peanut dipping sauce.

No need for delivery, but it may take more than 10 minutes, probably 120.

You’ll make the dough from scratch, then the filling-chicken, pork or vegetable. Roll, fill, seal and steam in a traditional wok bamboo steamer, lined with cabbage leaves. We’ll also make the tangy salty sweet dipping sauce. Extra please! Once your dumplings are steamed to perfection, we’ll turn up the heat on the wok and make some fried rice. Can’t you already smell the sesame oil?

You’ll go to culinary church for this lesson-The Cajun holy trinity is onions, peppers and celery. However we may add some other vegetable, so they all can Coexist.

This Louisiana “one-pot” dish has a deep history with influences from Spain, Africa and France. Hearty yet light, aromatically aggressive yet subtle, homestyle yet refined, classic yet timeless. Easy to make once you master the steps, yet hard to resist once it’s done. The perfect combination of rice, spice, veg, meat and shellfish. Almost no need for any accompaniments, maybe some cornbread. While your Jambalaya is cooking the chef will demonstrate a classic southern dessert-Bread Pudding, for everyone to enjoy after they eat. Or before. No rules on the Bayou.

Variety isn’t the spice of life…a variety of spices is the life of spice.

Naan bread isn’t a keto-gluten-free-bread-substitute, it’s a simple flatbread. You’ll first make the naan dough and let it rise. While that is happening, you’ll grind you spices for the dish the old fashion way, by hand in a mortar & pestle. Toast them to perfection, then start our curry. Sear your chicken and vegetables, maybe add some chick peas, and heat levels to your liking. Coconut milk will round out the dish, then finish with yogurt and fresh cilantro. There are many traditional curry dishes-Korma, Tikka Masala, Biryani, Vindaloo, just to name a few. This one will be of your own creation! You can even name it. We’ll work to understand methods and procedure, spices and seasoning to make a perfectly balanced curry, rather than just follow a recipe. Anyone can do that.

Lastly we’ll cook the naan and use it to grab up our namesake curry as if we were sitting on the street of Bangladesh.

1.5-2 hours

Offered periodically according to season, availability and demand. Class includes a tasting of wine specially selected by the vintner to compliment the evening’s dishes.