Two series of culinary classes featuring American and International cuisine are being offered to the general public for the spring semester by Dabney S. Lancaster Community College with Culinary Arts Program Head Ed McArdle as the instructor.
The first series of six classes, "American Regional Cuisine," begins January 16, and will be held every Wednesday from 8:30 am to 3 pm at the DSLCC Rockbridge Regional Center in Buena Vista, through February 20. The second series of six classes, "International Cuisine,” is scheduled March 20 through April 24.
“Learn cooking the fun way, hands-on, without all the homework,” says “Chef Ed”, as he is fondly known by his students. McArdle, who conducted a series of very popular non-credit cooking classes through DSLCC in the mid-2000s, has been the DSLCC Culinary Arts program head since the fall of 2017.
The schedule for the first series of classes on American cuisine is as follows: January 16 - New England (clam chowder, lobster salad and Boston cream pie); January 23 – Floribbean (Cuban braised pork, coconut shrimp and Key Lime pie); January 30 - Cajun/Creole (gumbo, shrimp and crawfish etouffee); February 6 - Tex/Mex (roasted jalapeno chicken enchiladas, mango flan, jicama salad); February 13 – California (ceviche and artichoke, olive pasta with fresh shrimp); February 20 - Pacific Northwest (smoked salmon, mussels and red lentil soup).
The schedule for the second series of six classes, spotlighting International Cuisine: March 20 - Italian; March 27 - German; April 3 - Classic French; April 10 - Thailand; April 17 - Indian; April 24 - Turkish. Menus will be announced at a later date.
Participants should bring an apron and knives, if they have them, to class; lunch will be provided. The DSLCC Rockbridge Center is located at 35 Vista Links Drive, Buena Vista.
Participants may sign up for one or both of the entire series for a discount. The tuition fee is $230 for one six-session series, or $432 for both series. The tuition fee for individual classes is $45 each.
To register, contact Robin Jennings, DSLCC Workforce Solutions and Community Education,at rjennings@dslcc.edu. Registration may also be done online at www.dslcc.edu/workforce.