This immersive, skills-first series is built for home cooks who are ready to move beyond the basics and take their culinary abilities to a genuinely higher level.
Each session is structured around a specific cooking technique, reinforced through multiple recipes so that you leave with real hands-on confidence in that skill, not just theoretical familiarity.
Prior completion of our Culinary Boot Camp for Beginners is not required if you already feel comfortable and capable in the kitchen.
Every class ends with a full sit-down meal shared with your fellow students, where you enjoy everything you prepared together.
Week 1: Knife Skills and Seasoning Techniques
Skills Covered: Advanced Knife Skills, Seasoning Techniques including balancing salt, fat, and acid, making fresh herb sauces, building a salad, roasting garlic
Recipes Include: Classic Minestrone with Fresh Herb Pistou, Seasonal Salad, Roasted Garlic Bread
Week 2: Chicken Techniques
Skills Covered: Breaking down a whole chicken, making chicken stock, roasting and carving chicken, braising legs and thighs, working with sweet potatoes
Recipes Include: Whole Roasted Chicken Breasts with Onion Pan Gravy, Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Mushroom Ragout, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Sauteed Peas
Week 3: Braising Techniques
Skills Covered: Braising meats, understanding different cuts, searing, and brown braising
Recipes Include: Beef Bourguignon, Marinara-Braised Meatballs, Roasted Garlicky Broccoli Rabe, Mashed Potatoes
Week 4: Fish and Shellfish Techniques
Skills Covered: Working with mussels and clams, crisping fish skin, steaming fish in parchment, working with squid
Recipes Include: Steamed Mussels Provencale, Crispy-Skinned Fish with Fresh Green Herb Sauce, Parchment-Steamed Fish, Herb-Baked Squid and Potatoes
Week 5: Legume Techniques
Skills Covered: Cooking lentils, cooking dried beans from scratch, making cornbread
Recipes Include: Stewed Black Beans with Dried Ancho Chiles, Buttermilk Skillet Cornbread, Red Lentil Dal with Tomato Tadka, Whole Spiced Basmati Rice, Warm French Lentil Salad
Week 6: Pasta Techniques
Skills Covered: Making fresh pasta dough, making stuffed pastas, browning butter, working with fresh clams
Recipes Include: Linguine with Fresh Clam Sauce, Handmade Ravioli and Tortellini with Sage Brown Butter, Bitter Green Salad with Roasted Beets
