Cooking With Class

Posted on 09. Sep, 2009 by Administrator in Lifestyle

words by Glenn Johnson

Urban living offers the best of everything in so many ways, but time is often the most precious commodity of which no one seems to have enough. Countless friends of mine scoff at the fact that I cook for myself and ask me where I find the time. It’s become a nightly ritual to stop at my local Gristedes on the way home, shopping in dribs and drabs with just enough to eat and drink to get me through a night of HBO and On Demand viewing. Living in a walk-up with a kitchen that at times feels like an architectural afterthought, shopping for food can be both a necessity and an ambitious exercise in futility.

New Yorkers fall into three distinct categories when it comes to home cooking: those who do it, those who pretend to do it by shopping at gorgeous gourmet shops and buying prepped and prepared treats, and those who make no pretense about using their stove as another shelf of precious real estate by simply ordering in. Falling into the first category, I’ve often fantasized about learning how to do it better. Food Network viewing aside, I found the opportunity to work with Chef Paul Vandewoude at the Miette Culinary Studio–the chance I needed to be just a little bit better at preparing meals that would make my friends and me proud.

Nestled above the kinetic fray of MacDougal Street in the still-vibrant West Village, Chef Paul Vandewoude has created a culinary school that is uniquely New York in its approach to every genre of gastronomy. After I arrived late to my first class, the Chef welcomed me with the curt direction to immediately begin on one of three teams assigned to different dishes in our three-course meal. The studio is divided into three distinct working stations this night, as the generous main kitchen was staffed by a team of four working on a Greek salad, roasted potatoes, and a lamb shank that had been marinating in herbs for several hours.

Quickly understanding that prep time is everything in cooking, I set out for the gazpacho station, where Chef Vandewoude had laid out the easy-to-follow recipe along with all the ingredients colorfully stacked in a mixing bowl, next to the de rigueur Cuisinart. My teammates were two affable fellows who were both charmed by the Chef’s Belgium accent as he rattled off our tasks and slightly overwhelmed by his pinpoint accuracy in direction. It was remarkable to see how quickly cut vegetables could be combined with organic vegetable and tomato juice to become what was later described as a perfect starting course to our meal. Cooking can be tres facile!

While each team of three to four had chosen a station to begin their course, we were all taught what each station was as we went through the steps of preparing a menu of summer gazpacho, roast lamb, roasted potatoes, Greek cherry tomato salad and a mind-blowing panna cotta of fresh fruit. The Chef introduced us to each course with an affable demeanor, inviting questions and providing clear instructions on how to replicate the meal without his watchful eye. At the end of an hour and a half (which flew by), we were seated at a table with a meal that was made all the more delicious by the fact that each of us had contributed to its succulent success. I learned that the couple who created the panna cotta were there as an anniversary gift to each other, and another couple were there just to spend more time together sharing something they loved: good food.

Cooking is clearly Chef Vandewoude’s passion, and the fact that he shares his experience in such a delightful and easy-to-understand way alights that passion in all of those he teaches. In fact, in addition to individual instruction classes in group settings, he often hosts cooking parties at the studio for folks looking to engage their friends in a memorable meal. It got me thinking that maybe next time I’ll invite all those friends who grill me about cooking at home to experience the joy of cooking with me in this charming studio.

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Cooking With Class

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