Kitchen Conservatory

🥐 Few things in the kitchen are as rewarding as pulling a tray of golden, buttery puff pastry from the oven.

A Day in the Kitchen: Puff the Magic Pastry • August 16 with Barry Marcus

Students spent the day immersed in one of pastry's greatest triumphs, learning the time-honored techniques behind both quick puff and classic puff pastry. Barry Marcus guided this small, hands-on class through every fold, turn, and roll, revealing how simple ingredients transform into hundreds of delicate, flaky layers. Along the way, students created an impressive collection of savory and sweet pastries—and headed home with their own homemade puff pastry, ready for future baking adventures.

On the menu:
🥧 Tarragon chicken vol-au-vent
🍕 Individual margherita pizza appetizers
🧀 Parmesan palmiers
🍎 Apple and caramel twists
🫐 Blueberry cream cheese Danish
🍓 Fresh fruit dartois with lightened pastry cream
🥐 Plus more homemade puff pastry creations

The confidence that comes from mastering a classic technique is something every baker can enjoy long after class has ended.

Upcoming A Day in the Kitchen classes:
🥐 French Pastry — September 19
🥩 Beef — October 2
🍝 Pasta — October 10
🥐 Puff the Magic Pastry — October 20
🍞 Bread Basket — October 31

Learn more:
https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?title=a%20day%20in%20the%20kitchen

🥩 A beautifully cooked steak has a way of turning dinner into an occasion worth savoring.

Date Night for Couples: Strip Tease • August 15 with Matt Sassman and Jan Reid

Our sold-out Date Night class treated couples to an evening of classic steakhouse flavors with a gourmet twist. Working side by side in two kitchens, they mixed cocktails, built vibrant salads, mastered perfectly cooked New York strip steaks, and discovered how rich compound butter and indulgent sides can elevate an already memorable meal. The sweet finale of mini cheesecakes with blueberry topping and boozy whipped cream was the perfect ending to an evening filled with laughter, teamwork, and exceptional food.

On the menu:
🍸 French martini — vodka-Chambord cocktail with pineapple juice
🥗 Layered avocado-bacon cobb salad with tomatoes and blue cheese vinaigrette
🥩 New York strip steak with caper-olive compound butter
🥔 Butter-poached lobster mashed potatoes
🥓 Balsamic braised Brussels sprouts with crisp bacon
🍰 Mini cheesecakes with blueberry topping and boozy whipped cream

The finest meals are even more rewarding when they're prepared together, one delicious course at a time.

Available Date Night classes:
🌶️ Enchanting New Mexico — August 30

Learn more:
https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?title=date%20night%20for%20couples

🌿 Eating well doesn't have to mean giving up the foods you love—it just means discovering creative new ways to make them.

Healthy Food Hacks • August 15 with Sharon Tutko

Students rolled up their sleeves for a hands-on class that proved wholesome cooking can be every bit as satisfying as traditional favorites. Health and wellness coach Sharon Tutko shared practical ingredient swaps and cooking techniques designed to help navigate common food sensitivities without sacrificing flavor. From a creamy dairy-free Alfredo sauce to gluten-free pizza and naturally inspired desserts, every recipe offered fresh ideas that participants could easily bring into their own kitchens.

On the menu:
🍪 Thrive Magazine-inspired peppermint-chocolate crinkle cookie
🥦 Vegan Alfredo sauce used as a béchamel for roasted vegetables
🍕 Gluten-free tomato-arugula-Alfredo pizza with grilled grass-fed steak
🥗 Mediterranean salad of grilled purple onions-sweet bell peppers-cucumbers-arugula with parsley-mint-lemon vinaigrette
🍯 East-West spiced honey cake using Einkorn flour and warm spices

Simple changes in the kitchen can open the door to fresh flavors and renewed confidence at the table.

Chef Sharon Tutko's upcoming classes:
🌮 The Vibrant Vegan: Southwest Street Tacos — August 26
🌿 Weeknight Wellness: Everyday Nourishment — September 3

Learn more:
https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?chef=sharon%20tutko

🔥 The grill isn't just for burgers and steaks—it also brings bold new life to the vibrant flavors of India.

Date Night for Couples: India on the Grill • August 14

Couples turned up the heat as they explored the smoky side of Indian cooking in this hands-on Date Night class. Working together over the grill, they mastered homemade naan, layered fragrant spices, and discovered how fire enhances everything from chicken tikka masala to tender shrimp simmered in a rich chile-coconut milk sauce. Between shared tasks, colorful dishes, and a refreshing mango sorbet finale, it was an evening made for cooking—and enjoying—together.

On the menu:
🫓 Grilled homemade naan with garlic butter and cilantro-mint chutney
🍤 Goan shrimp in chile-coconut milk sauce
🍗 Grilled chicken tikka masala on basmati rice with grilled garlic-chile eggplant and cucumber raita
🥗 Kachumber salad with tomatoes and onions
🥭 Mango sorbet

Some of the best date nights begin with cooking side by side and end around a table filled with great food.

Upcoming Date Night classes:
🔥 Grilling Grate-ness — August 23
🥩 Crust Me, It's Wellington — August 29
🌶️ Enchanting New Mexico — August 30

Learn more:
https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?title=date%20night%20for%20couples

🥖 There's nothing quite like pulling a beautifully baked loaf of sourdough from the oven—especially when you've made it from scratch.

Sourdough Bread with Joey Vitale • August 14

Our sold-out hands-on sourdough class welcomed beginners and bread enthusiasts alike for an immersive introduction to artisan baking. Trained through the San Francisco Baking Institute and experienced in some of San Francisco's top bakeries, Joey Vitale guided students through every step of the sourdough process, from understanding a healthy starter to mixing, shaping, scoring, and baking beautiful loaves.

Each participant also headed home with live sourdough starter from one of San Francisco's premier bakeries, ready to continue their bread-baking journey long after class ended.

On the menu:
🥖 Artisan sourdough bread made from scratch

There's something deeply satisfying about learning a timeless craft and sharing fresh bread with family and friends.

Available sourdough bread classes:
🍞 Get Started with Sourdough • September 25 with Dani Lake
🥖 Sourdough Bread • October 13 with Melissa Clendenin

https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?title=sourdough%20bread

🍕 Watching pizza dough fly through the air is impressive—learning to do it yourself is even better.

The Art of Pizza Throwing • August 14 with Jeff Friesen

Our sold-out class was filled with spinning dough, smiling faces, and plenty of hands-on fun as Jeff Friesen showed students the techniques behind one of the most iconic skills in the kitchen. From stretching and tossing dough with confidence to baking crisp, hot-from-the-oven pizzas with simple ingredients, everyone discovered that great pizza is equal parts technique and practice. The evening ended on a sweet note with the chef's choice of homemade ice cream.

On the menu:
🍕 Hot-from-the-oven pizza
🍨 Chef's choice homemade ice cream

The best recipes don't just fill your plate—they leave you with a new skill to enjoy for years to come.

Join us for an upcoming class:
🍕 September 16
🍕 October 11

Learn more:
https://kitchenconservatory.com/Cooking-Classes.aspx?title=pizza%20throwing