# 65 Chinatown: A Food-and-Culture Field Trip (NEW CLASS)
tour of Chinatown; vegetarian dim sum lunch

Of all New York City’s great neighborhoods, none is more captivating than our bustling Chinatown. These colorful and lively streets offer rare opportunities to experience new foods, new products, and an endlessly fascinating culture. With Richard as our guide, we’ll explore: Dragon Land Bakery (pastry); Mahayana Buddhist Temple; Deluxe Market andAsian Food Market (exotic foods); Kan Man Products (Asian kitchen items); Ten Ren Tea and Ginseng Co.; Vegetarian Dim Sum House (dim sum lunch); Aji Ichaban Munchie’s Paradise (dried foods of all types); and Green Tea Café (bubble tea). Meet at 10:30 am at the Chinatown Tourist Kiosk, a red landmark on the little triangle on Canal St. between Centre and Baxter Streets. The class ends at approximately 3:00 pm. (Please note: The dim sum lunch is included in the price of the class, but bring a little “mad money” for snacking or shopping at our other stops!)

Saturday, May 22, 10:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Instructor: Richard LaMarita
Fee: $85

 

# 66 Lunching and Learning in Little India
tour of Indian markets; lunch at vegetarian Indian restaurant

Until now, the sights, sounds and smells of India may only have flitted about in your imagination. Now you can join Geetha Ghai, our culinary interpreter, right here in Manhattan as she guides you through the shops that are the bustling bazaar of Little India. She will discuss the variety of kitchenware, spices, dhals, grains, condiments and other truly unique ingredients that are used by traditional Indian cooks. We will then walk two blocks to Saravanaa Bhavan, a vegetarian restaurant, to savor the delicate and richly spiced food of this cuisine. Geetha will explain the nuances and health benefits of the spices and how our meal achieves balance in terms of texture, taste, and nutritional content. If you are passionate about Indian food but yearn to know more about what you’re eating, why not come to this unique lunch-and-learn opportunity. Students meet in front of Kalustyan’s at 123 Lexington Avenue (at 28th St.) at 10:30 a.m. and then walk to Saravanaa Bhavan at 81 Lexington Avenue (at 26th St.). Price-fixed lunch included in class fee.

Saturday, June 5, 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Instructor: Geetha Ghai
Fee: $85

 

# 67 Chef for a Day at Palo Santo Restaurant
market tour and hands-on

Is your inner chef longing for an outing in a professional restaurant kitchen? Treat yourself to this exciting experience at Palo Santo, Park Slope’s popular eclectic Latin American restaurant, where acclaimed Chef Jacques Gautier will guide students in creating an unforgettable meal from local, seasonal ingredients. You’ll meet Jacques at the Grand Army Plaza Greenmarket in Brooklyn for a guided tour of the market where he will introduce you to the farmers and show you how to select the very freshest produce, fish, and other market offerings; walk several blocks to Palo Santo for a menu-planning session; then with Jacques’s instruction – as he encourages you to use your own unique creativity – you will transform your market purchases into a delicious, seasonal, ethnic dinner and settle down to enjoy it with parings of local wines. And, when the day becomes a memory, the new techniques and professional secrets you acquired will enliven your cooking for years to come. (Menu depends on market offerings.) Students meet at the Grand Army Plaza Gazebo, SE Corner of Union Street and Prospect Park West, at 1 pm.

Saturday, August 21, 1:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Jacques Gautier
Fee: $150

 

# 68 Calling All Locavores: Homemade Bread & Market Menu Live From Union Square!
market tour and partial participation

Join chef instructor and cookbook author Jay Weinstein for a true market-to-table culinary adventure. You’ll start this 6-hour class by preparing dough for focaccia. Then, while it’s rising, Jay will lead the way to the Union Square Greenmarket where you’ll learn to shop the way market- driven chefs do – by choosing what’s fresh and seasonal. The ingredients you select will determine the menu. You’ll learn to improvise rather than solely rely on recipes. Market purchases might include freshly-caught fish, farm- fresh eggs, healthfully-raised grass-fed meat, dairy, wine, and a bounty of locally-grown produce. When you return to the classroom, you’ll focus on technique as you help Jay prepare a balanced seasonal meal with dessert, and bake the bread off to perfection. Then you’ll sit down to savor everything with a glass of wine, feeling content with the knowledge that you have just supported your local farmers.

Saturday, August 28, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Instructor: Jay Weinstein
Fee: $150