Cooking in Hot 'Lanta

Mix an exciting chef's class with beautiful kitchens for a delicious evening.

I'm a stock snob," says our chef instructor Gena Berry as I walk into the very posh demonstration kitchen area and take a seat. I'm at the Wolf Culinary Center, about 15 minutes north of Atlanta in Duluth, to partake of a three-hour gourmet basics class. It all looks so pretty, but I must admit, I'm not prepared to deal with stocks.

"Tonight, we'll make poached salmon, chicken fricassee, a rack of lamb, risotto, and a yummy chocolate souffle," Gena says while handing out recipes to each of the 16 students. We divide into teams, and I choose to make my favorite comfort food, risotto.

Recipe for Learning

My partner, Tom, and I begin reading the risotto recipe. We set a Dutch oven on the cooktop and start heating Gena's favorite stock. Soon she scurries over with a box of Carnaroli rice to add to our Arborio. "I want you to make two batches," she instructs. "Let's see which rice we like best. The Carnaroli costs three times as much."

We request a second pot and dump a bunch more stock into it. Then we set to work chopping mounds of onions and lots of mushrooms. Around us, the teams, strangers for the most part when they entered the center just 30 minutes before, now have heads together working through their recipes.

Mouthwatering Results

A few minutes before 9, we place our masterpieces on the demonstration counter. We don't need any encouragement to pick up plates and serve ourselves. Back in our original seats, a group of tested comrades now, we face Gena. It's our moment of truth.

Tiptoeing around each dish, she takes a taste. "Very good," she exclaims. When she gets to our two risottos, I hold my breath. "Hmm, needs more salt," she says. "Which risotto tastes better?" We all agree that the inexpensive Arborio rice tastes best. Our entire meal delights each of us, and we believe it's good enough to serve in Atlanta's best restaurants even if the risotto does need salt.

After class breaks up, we sneak around the adjacent Wolf and SubZero showroom and imagine these dream rooms in our own homes, with us in them whipping up fabulous dinners.

ANNETTE THOMPSON

Wolf Culinary Center: 1700 Executive Drive South, Suite 400, Duluth, GA 30096; (770) 921-9373 or 1-888389-1241.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jun 2004
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