Richard Bennett Executive Chef, Downtown 140
Rick got his start working in kitchens washing dishes at the age of 14. His working experience is quite eclectic, having worked in fast food, casual dining, and fine dining settings. His training has been extensive having schooled under Jim Mucciarone and worked under such renowned chefs as Ben Erjavec, Brandt Evans, Shawn Monday, Derek Clayton, Michael Symon, Cory Barret, and Joe Swan. He claims that the abundance of his knowledge has been amassed by working with an amazing array of line cooks throughout the years that are too innumerable to list. He describes his culinary style as Minimalist New American with a penchant for surprises.
Click on class title to register
The Art of Making Sausage: Wednesday, September 11
Chef Bennett brings years of experience of sausage making to the table. Learn the secrets of making great sausage at home or in a professional kitchen. Chef Bennett with review ingredients and equipment needed to turn out your own homemade sausage. While the focus is on the sausage making, we will be using the sausage to make some great dishes as well. Merguez (lamb sausage) used in a Moroccan chick pea stew; boudin blanc (white sausage) served with French bread, pickled onions and mustard; sweet Italian sausage (pork) served with pasta and seasonal greens.
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $70.
Brandt Evans Executive Chef/Partner, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern
Chef Brandt Evans is one of Ohio’s top chefs. He has received numerous accolades since 2002 following the opening of his first restaurant, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern in Twinsburg, Ohio. His love for the culinary arts began at age 16, as he entered into his first job at Starboard Tack. He went on to train at the Culinary Institute of America, and with a fresh diploma, tackled the stove at Charlie Palmer’s Manhattan restaurant, Alva. There he perfected his technique and waited for the perfect opportunity to break free from convention. Returning home to Cleveland, Evans began creating the menu for Kosta’s, a newly opened restaurant, where he combined the ethnic flavors of Manhattan with the cold winter comfort foods of Northeast Ohio. Following Kosta’s he opened Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern where his new signature Creative American Cuisine grew exponentially. Evans currently owns restaurants in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Missoula and Kalispell, Montana. He was recently one of eight chefs nationwide chosen to be a Chef Ambassador for The Wisconsin Cheese Board. In 2009 and 2010, he won Grand Champion, Akron Canton Super Bowl Chef, which allowed him to showcase his recipes as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s representative at the 2010 and 2011 Taste of the NFL event. In addition, Evans was acknowledged as being the “Top Chef” at St John West Shore Festival of the Arts 2008 and 2009. He launched his new company, BKM Hospitality LLC, in June of 2010. This restaurant management company launched its first of many projects in downtown Cleveland in the former May Co. Building. Opened in June of 2011, named Pura Vida, (translate to Pure Life, the motto of the restaurant) and ready to introduce Public Square to gourmet breakfast, distinctive lunch and coining the name “Urban Picnic” which introduced a new style of dining for Northeast Ohio.
Click on class title to register
Fall Favorites from the Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern:Monday, September 23
Join Chef Evans as he cooks his way through some of his favorite dishes. Brandt will demonstrate all the techniques needed to pull off this great fall menu from his restaurant. Fall winter drink; wheat berry, black kale chili; acorn squash and crispy mushroom risotto; milk braised pork shoulder with popcorn grits. 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $80.
Becca Ritterspach Pastry Chef, Luxe Kitchen & Lounge
Becca Ritterspach has a true passion for pastry and began her career in sweets working as an apprentice at a wedding cake and dessert boutique in Medina, Ohio before attending The Western Reserve School of Cooking in Hudson, Ohio, where she received her pastry certification. From 2010-2013 she worked as the manager of pastry for Bonbon Pastry & Cafe in Ohio City, where she and Bonbon’s owner participated in both regional and national food events, including Dinner in the Dark, The Fabulous Food Show, and a win on The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. Becca currently works as the pastry chef at Luxe Kitchen & Lounge in the Gordon Square Arts District and enthusiastically calls Cleveland her home.
Click on class title to register
The Power of the Egg White (A Pastry Chefs Secrets Revealed):Monday, October 21
Harness the power of the incredible edible egg white! As mighty as it is diverse, the egg white serves as the foundation to many a pastry indulgence. This beginner class will take students through a range of the egg white’s capabilities, from the fiery torched meringue to the light and heavenly angel food cake. This demonstration will cover the following techniques. Swiss buttercream; joconde technique used for assembling an opera cake; basic angel food cake served with whipped cream and fresh fruit; lemon meringue tarts and homemade marshmallows with killer hot chocolate. 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $70.
Carla Snyder
Carla has spent the past 30 years in the food world as a caterer, artisan baker, cooking school teacher, culinary team building company owner, freelance food writer and co-author of six cook books including the 2007 James Beard nominated The Big Book of Appetizers (Chronicle Books 2006) and Good Morning America’s top ten pick of 2008, 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008), Carla’s newest book is titled One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete One Pan Dinners for Two (Chronicle Books). Look for Carla on Facebook, Twitter (carlacooks), Pinterest and at ravenouskitchen.com where she blogs about everything from cooking for two to easy weekend entertaining for a crowd.
Click on class title to register
One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two:Friday, November 1
Carla can’t help you with your laundry or bills, but her latest book, One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two, can help you get a healthy meal on the table in less time and with less clean-up. All the dishes in One Pan, Two Plates are complete made-from-scratch-meals, with one pan clean-up and ready to eat in 45 minutes or less. How is this possible? Carla has condensed 25 years of knowledge as a cooking school instructor, caterer and recipe developer and paired courses with similar cooking techniques, to make a complete meal in one pan. Learn to make lamb kebabs with harissa, chick peas and summer squash, herbed chicken paillards with zucchini pancakes and cherry tomato pan sauce, pad Thai, panko fried crab cakes with heirloom tomato, nectarine and avocado salad.
Join us early for a book signing from 5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $80.
Becky Holden Rink
Becky Rink, CSA, is an award winning decorator and author of The Top Shelf Baker – Sweet Treats From a Well Stocked Bar. Becky has spent the last ten years honing her craft, expanding on her skills and sharing her love of decorating through teaching. She has competed on nationally televised programs such as We TV’s Wedding Cake Wars, TLC’s Ultimate Cake Off and Halloween Wars on the Food Network, making her the only baker in Cleveland to be on all three major networks.
Click on the class title to register
The Art of the Buche de Noel : Wednesday, December 11
Learn a new way to make a bûche de noël. Becky will take you through the step by step process of making this holiday favorite. Sponge cake technique will create a wooden texture to the outside of your bûche! Chocolate sponge cake filled with Bailey’s cream and topped with meringue mushrooms.
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $70.
