PETIT JEAN MOUNTAIN — A new season of the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s series of hands-on cooking classes will begin in October with a new format for the popular culinary arts program.
The Saturday Chef’s Series now features an expanded schedule of two half-day classes per day on two Saturdays a month. The new format will provide recreational cooks with more opportunities to participate in the workshops.
Class I will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and Class II will take place from 2-5 p.m. While these half-day classes will have the same theme each month, they will focus on a different aspect of the theme. Both classes will be repeated on another Saturday in the month.
An additional change to the Saturday Chef’s Series is that a different professional chef will teach the classes each month, rather than the same chef teaching all classes in the series. The classes and instructors for the 2010-2011 series are as follows:
• Back to the Basics, featuring Chef Will Hutchison of Pulaski Technical College, Saturday and Oct. 23.
• All Appetizers, featuring Chef John Leonardis of the Gourmand Guru Group, Nov. 6 and Nov. 20.
• Dessert First, featuring chefs from the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s River Rock Grill; Dec. 4 and Dec. 11. The class on Dec. 11 is kid-friendly and ideal for children 10 and older.
• Soup Du Jour, featuring Chef Jason Neidhardt of Boulevard Bread Co., Jan. 8 and Jan. 22.
• Dinner Times Two, featuring chefs from the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute’s River Rock Grill, Feb. 5 and Feb. 19.
• Rolling in the Dough, featuring Chef Sonia Schaefer of Boulevard Bread Co., March 5 and March 12.
Space is limited, and participation requires advance registration. Registration is available online at LiveTheLegacy.org or by calling (501) 727-5435. Each half-day class in the Saturday Chef’s Series is $69, which includes the cost of food items prepared in class. For those interested in taking both the morning class and the afternoon class on the same day, the cost is $125. Participants must register by phone to receive the same-day discount or package deals. Packages include overnight lodging at the Rockefeller Institute’s Lodge and Conference Center.