Reviews

Rochelle teaches personalized cooking classes in your kitchen, to groups of one to twelve people. She crafts classes based upon individual needs and schedules, and has taught classes to couples, girls nights out, and more. To the left you can find five examples of classes that she has taught recently, though of course there are many other possibilities. She will work with you to craft a class or a set of classes based upon your individual needs. Contact or call Rochelle and she will work out a time with you that is suitable.

Classes generally cost $100.00 per person for a three-hour session, as long as five or more people are in the class. This includes all ingredients and equipment. Classes are structured for the students to produce a full meal during the class, with multiple courses, so that at the end of the evening you will sit down for a home-cooked gourmet meal. For $100.00, that's quite a deal.

Tapas Party

Take a culinary sojourn to Spain, where small plates of powerfully flavored foods rule the scene. These tapas are great fun to share with friends, and most of them are quick and easy to make. We'll also discuss Spanish ingredients like saffron, pimenton and Serrano ham--the building blocks of the best bar snacks from Europe.

• Tomato Bread
• Breadsticks with Serrano Ham
• Asparagus with Romesco Sauce
• Spinach with Pine Nuts and Currants
• Tortilla Espanola (Potato Omelet)
• Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)
• Manchego Cheese and Quince Paste
• Gazpacho

Pasta from Scratch

Real pasta is one of the most luscious things you can eat. Handmade noodles feel supple before they're cooked, and the fresh egg flavor is unbelievably delicate. We'll learn to make pasta the old-fashioned way--by hand, with love--and we'll practice both filled pasta and cut noodles. You'll be able to produce incomparably silky lasagnas, tortellini and fettuccine by the end of the class.

• Organic green salad with 8-year-old balsamic vinaigrette and shaved parmegiano-reggiano
• Shrimp-filled raviolis in butter-herb sauce
• Braised pork ragu with garlic-pepper tagliatelle
• Chocolate-hazelnut torte

French Bistro Favorites

Get a taste of Paris without the expense of a plane ticket! We'll make a classic bordelaise sauce and learn to work with green vegetables in the French style. Potatoes take a trip across the pond with a rich, creamy gratin. Finally, you'll learn how to make pate a chou--the base for éclairs, gougeres and the ice-cream-filled cream puffs we'll make for dessert.

• Salade Bistro avec Chevre (Bistro Salad with Goat Cheese)
• Bavette Bordelaise, Asperges, Pommes de Terre Gratinee (Steak Bordelaise with Asparagus and Gratin Potatoes)
• Profiteroles

Chocolate Workshop

What are all those numbers on chocolate packaging about? Is there really any difference between a Hershey bar and those expensive imported chocolates you find in gourmet markets? How do you work with chocolate in a recipe? We'll taste over a dozen different chocolates and talk about their composition, and we'll use chocolate in recipes like brownies and chocolate fondue.

How to Give a Dinner Party

Have you ever invited people over for dinner, only to spend the entire evening in the kitchen slaving away? With a little advance planning, you can learn to develop menus and strategize your day so that you become the sort of host who sits down and enjoys dinner with your guests. We'll practice a few ideal recipes in between discussing your plan of attack.

• Sweet 5-spice pecans, marinated olives and sparkling cider
• Salad with pickled onions and goat cheese
• Boeuf Bourguignonne
• Pound cake sandwiches with macerated strawberries