Chef Kathy

Have you ever seen a recipe in a cookbook, magazine, or online and thought “this looks delicious, but the instructions are not clear?” Or maybe you would like to improve your knife skills so you can mince onions with ease and chop broccoli with confidence.  A great way to try out new recipes, improve your cooking skills, and learn tricks to make meal preparation easier is through cooking classes.

In the Central New Jersey area there are a number of opportunities and venues to sign up for cooking classes, either private or in a group setting.

Chef Kathy Rana, a local personal chef and caterer, teaches cooking classes via community education programs in West Windsor, Monroe Township, and South Brunswick.  She also partners with several 55+ communities to bring cooking classes to in-house.

“With the 55+ communities, I have found that cooking classes are a great way to meet your neighbors.  I have the students introduce themselves and say which street they live on.  In a class at Stonebridge in Monroe I had two ladies who are neighbors now, and were actually neighbors when they both lived in South Brunswick!  They had never met until our class,” says Chef Kathy.

“Cooking classes are also a nice way for couples, families, and friends to get out for a fun evening.  I had a father-daughter team join my sushi making class and it was really nice seeing them work together making California and Spicy Tuna rolls. I think they will remember that class they took together for a long time.”

Chef Kathy also offers in-home private lessons for people wishing to learn how to use equipment they may already have, but find that they don’t use either because they are unsure how to use it or they just don’t have recipes for that equipment.  “Newlyweds can really benefit from a private class.  They get to use their new kitchen tools that they have received as wedding or bridal shower gifts, and we review what might be missing from their kitchen so they can be ready to cook just about anything,” explains Chef Kathy.

Is their anything that really can’t be taught in a cooking class?  “A class on using a slow cooker or Crock Pot would be challenging, but other than that I think we can teach just about anything.”

Before you register, Chef Kathy recommends you find out if the class is demonstration or hands-on participation, so it meets your expectations.  Chef Kathy says, “I prefer to teach all hands-on classes, I think people get more out of it, but in demonstration classes you get to relax while the instructor does the work.”

If you would like to try a cooking class, the following resources can help you find a class that is perfect for you:

•    Chef Kathy Rana’s online cooking class calendar – http://www.madelinestable.com/
•    Whole Foods focuses on healthy living and eating – http://wholefoodsmarket.com/storesbeta/princeton/
•    Chambers Walk offers demonstration classes – http://www.chamberswalk.com/
•    Princeton Living Well lists a community calendar of classes -http://www.princetonlivingwell.com
•    Princeton Adult School offers multi-session classes – http://www.ssreg.com/princeton/
•    Mercer County College has both non-credit and for credit classes for the serious student – http://www.mccc.edu/

Contact Chef Kathy at 908-421-6434 or go to www.madelinestable.com for more details on her personal chef service.