Photography by Doug Young
We chatted up some local culinary experts on their varied cooking classes, and whether you’re looking to upgrade your family dinners or your entertaining game or are planning a career pivot, know you’ll leave these classes with a smile on your face and authentic recipes in hand.
Boisseaux Cooking School
You might know Paula Croteau as the former owner and co-founder of Croteaux Vineyards, but the entrepreneur’s food background predates her romp in rosé. The daughter of a North Fork farmer, she left a career in fashion to create Paula’s Farmhouse Kitchen Cooking School when her children were young, which segued into her 2010 cookbook, “Farmhouse Kitchen Favorites.” Since selling the vineyard in 2019, she’s back to teaching cooking full-time, hosted at her 1850s farmhouse in Southold, inspiring guests to stir it up in its ample kitchen.
“I just think people have realized that they ate out enough and have had enough takeout and now they’re returning to the table. They’re turning to food, which is love!” says Croteau, whose classes run 90 minutes and focus on world dishes. “I spent three months in India really understanding spices, plus Morocco, China, Europe. I spend a lot of time in my classes discussing the concept of world cooking and layering flavors.”
Menus are highly plant-based with proteins as an accent. Sample classes include: Coq au vin blanc, bistro salade and apple tartin brownie; Moroccan vegetable tagine, apricot and pistachio couscous and orange/date parfait; and vegetable paella, Barcelona ensalada and espresso kahlua brownies. Group classes run July through October, or you can book a private class and have Croteau all to yourself.
Boisseaux Cooking School, 3150 Boisseau Ave., Southold, 917-414-5270, [email protected], boisseaux.com.
Japanese Cooking Studio
If authentic sushi or soba is more your speed, you’ll want to learn from a Japanese chef. Born and raised in Japan, Laurel-based Mamie Nishide started teaching friends Japanese cooking on the side while working at a New York bank. That led to culinary school, restaurant jobs and now private classes and catering on the North Fork and Hamptons. Just don’t call it Japanese-American fusion.
“My cooking is traditional and authentic Japanese, including ramen, dumplings, soba buckwheat noodles and tempura,” says Nishide, who also teaches tofu-making — a nice option for vegetarians and vegans. “But since it’s all private, I can teach clients whatever they want. I have one client who goes to Japan and loves Japanese breakfast, so I teach her that — miso soup, Japanese-style omelet, vegetables and all the condiments with the pickles and cooked seaweeds.” Nishide hits up the local fish markets for the freshest fish, or she might bring in sushi-grade fatty tuna from a Japanese restaurant supplier in New York City. Stay tuned for new options, too: She’s considering growing ginger in her garden to make her own pickled ginger.
While Nishide often hosts private classes in clients’ own homes, she will have people come to hers if they don’t have the space. Regardless, in Japanese tradition, food presentation is part of the experience, as are little things like chopstick technique or dining etiquette, which she teaches as well.
Sample classes: Tempura class — Create some favorite and popular dishes, such as shrimp, kabocha (Japanese squash), renkon (lotus root), scallops and chicken tempura, plus make your own dipping sauce. Ramen class — Make handmade ramen noodle, pork broth, pork chashu, marinated eggs and assemble all together. “And you slurp your ramen noodle!” Japanese Cooking Studio, 516-297-9761, japanesecookingstudio.com.
North Fork Kitchen and Garden
A true foodie, Peter Berley has cooked in restaurants and written for magazines such as Bon Appetit, Saveur and Vegetarian Times. A recipient of the James Beard and International Association of Culinary Professionals awards, the cookbook author has also written cookery tomes like “The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen,” “The Flexitarian Table” and “Fresh Foods Fast.” Having relocated from Brooklyn to the North Fork, he now enjoys spreading his affection for the region’s local bounty. And while Berley slowed down his class calendar, the private chef is happy to arrange intimate cooking lessons for four to eight participants in his home.
Berley is most interested in the process of cooking, so his classes mainly address tradition, tools and techniques. Sourdough bread baking (taught long before it got trendy during COVID-19 lockdowns!) or canning and pickling are the kind of process-intensive classes he likes to dig into, and he’s as keen to grab local produce from his garden as he is to take a class to get milk from Ty Llwyd Farm in Riverhead, he says, “while the bread is rising.” Other classes include Seafood and Fish Technique, Pasta and Risotto, Seasonal Vegetables and more. North Fork Kitchen and Garden, 127 Green St., South Jamesport, 917-887-6487, peterberley.com.
That’s What She Fed
Jessica Kelleher doesn’t host cooking classes per se, but she does host classes about cooking. For example, a recent class held at her home with Dr. Emily Anne McDonald was about meal prep, favorite kitchen and cooking hacks, food sourcing, pantry staples and organizing — that is, all the foundational parts that set you up to be a successful home cook.
“I can cook but I’m not a professional chef with fancy skills and fancy things,” says Kelleher, who notes that sometimes people just need a little inspiration to conquer their fears of cooking, whether that’s a side-by-side lesson with her, or a joint shopping trip or a life coaching session on nutrition. “Sometimes if you just work side by side with someone, they’re like, ‘Oh, this is so easy!’ ” says Kelleher. That’s What She Fed, 617-821-4462, thatswhatshefednofo.com.
CAST Culinary Program
The Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation’s cooking classes are not recreational one-offs like many others offered in town, but rather 10- to 15-week culinary programs aimed to train the next generation of aspiring chefs. Its pro bono programs — taught in English and Spanish — are designed for high school students who plan to enter the hospitality industry following graduation, as well as existing adult cooks seeking training for higher-paying jobs or to break into the business entirely.
“We teach front- and back-of-house skills, plus general skills like interviewing, completing a resume and a job application and professionalism in the workplace,” says Cathy Demeroto, executive director of CAST. Program participants conduct mock interviews with Alexandra Macari of Macari Vineyards. Overall, the list of those who volunteer their hands-on time reads like a who’s who of North Fork fame, like chef Noah Schwartz of Noah’s Restaurant who teaches a butchering class, and fishmonger Charlie Manwaring of Southold Fish Market, who teaches how to fillet fish and make ceviche. Participants take the Suffolk County Food Manager’s exam at CAST, which is paid for by the not-for-profit organization, and receive their Suffolk County food safety certification.
“The program has grown immensely since it started in a church kitchen in Greenport five years ago,” says caterer Tess Wonderling of Timeless Table, who runs the CAST youth culinary program. “Every year the group is so different and it’s great to watch them evolve.” CAST Culinary Program, 53930 Main Road, Southold, 631-477-1717, castnorthfork.org.
