Did I mention that I'm taking a cooking class?

You are probably used to me mentioning that cooking is not my specialty.  It just does not come naturally to me.  I can follow a basic recipe, but I have no natural instincts in the kitchen.  Well, this year I decided to do something about it.  I like to try new things every year, and I usually try to work in a class or two so this year I signed up for a cooking class; The Fine Art of Cooking Series at Orson Gygi, to be precise.  It's a six week series covering all the basics: knife skills & sauces, starches, fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish, beef & serving.  

I was on the Gygi website preparing to write a Salt Lake City Spotlight post, when I checked the class schedule and noticed the series started the next day and had one spot left.  They aren't offering the class again until June and we might move before then so it seemed meant to be.  I knew the class was great because my friend Jeff took it and has become a wonderful cook so I signed myself right up.  So every Tuesday night you can find me here in the class room located in the middle of the store (have you ever seen such a big island?).

 This is the teacher Chef Shawn Bucher, author of The First-Timer's Cookbook.

He stands at the head of the class and talks about the subject of the night while demonstrating.

 Then at the end of class we always get to try out making something while Chef Shawn and several volunteers are there to help (which I really like because I'm not very confident at times, and it's nice to have people to consult with. It's also fun to try out the different ways classmates season things).  All the food is prepped before we arrive and we each have our own work station.

 This particular night was fruits and vegetables night so at the end of class we were steaming asparagus and making hollandaise sauce or salad dressing and putting together a salad with the fruit and veggies we'd practiced making garnishes with.  Here's one of my orange peel roses.  Fancy, no?

 And not only does every class end with a meal from the things we make and the things Chef Shawn demonstrated making, but they don't let you help clean-up!  We all leave with a smile!

I'd like to be clear that I have no affiliation with Gygi, but I can't recommend the classes enough.  And if you're not a beginner cook, like me, there are a lot of other cool options.  I really want to sign up for the French Macaroon class.  Want to take it with me?