The Essential Ingredient

This year’s preview offers an exciting snapshot of the 2012 Cooking School year, with the complete Schedule to be available February 2012. Classes fill quickly so book now to avoid disappointment.

Download and email the Booking Form or contact our retail store on (03) 9827 9047.

For information our past classes, click here to view the complete 2011 Schedule.

To view our location details and full booking conditions, please click here

Contact

Hilary Duns

Cooking School Coordinator

Phone: (03) 9827 9047

Email: cookingschool@essentialingredientvic.com.au

To get knives sharpened, bring them into the Prahran store (safely wrapped, of course!), anytime before 4pm on the first and third Tuesday of the month, then collect them after 12pm on Wednesday.

Cooks knife up to 20cm – $8.50

Cooks Knife 20cm+ – $10.50

Serrated Knife – $12.50

Paring Knife – $5.50

We also offer services such as chip removal & retipping for an additional cost.

10am – 11:30am

Interactive tutorial

Prahran store

$65 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 1pm

Hands-on workshop

Prahran store

$175 per person. Bookings essential.

9:30am – 2pm

Hands-on workshop

Prahran store

$225 per person. Bookings essential.

7pm – 9:30pm

Demonstration class

Prahran store

$95 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 2pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$275 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 3pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$275 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 2pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$225 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 2pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$195 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 2pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$225 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 2pm

Hands-on class

Prahran store

$195 per person. Bookings essential.

For more information, or to book any of these classes, call (02) 9555 8300

7am – 1pm

Rozelle store

Join us on a very special guided culinary tour of Pyrmont Growers Market, meeting local farmers and producers. Take part in private tastings of fresh produce, talk to the growers and return to The Essential Kitchen for a hands-on cooking class.

Your Market Guide is Tawnya Bahr, member of the Slow Food Movement, and passionate advocate of good food and creative cooking.

Meet at The Essential Café, Rozelle at 7:30am
Private bus to Pyrmont Growers Market
Return to The Essential Ingredient
Cooking class from 10am – 1pm
Enjoy a fabulous lunch, sourced and cooked by you.

Please notify us at the time of booking if you have any food allergies.

$195 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1pm

Rozelle store

Sausage making at its very finest – Tony Jenkins, owner of TJ’s Quality Meats in Balmain will be your expert guide in this hands-on class. Discover the secrets for creating your very own sausages, including mincing, filling and linking of several types of sausages. Take home recipes with you.

This is a very interactive small class and you will take home the skills to be a Sausage Maestro in your own home.

$125 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1:30pm

Rozelle store

Just in time for Valentines Day! Learn the secrets of perfect macarons with Ike Malada, then construct a mini macaron tower to take home. Ike Malada is a culinary specialist with over 20 years experience staying ahead of food trends and creating amazing food. When Ike turned her hand to macarons this year, she also turned heads with her amazing flavours and infusions. She will share with you the tips and tricks to ensure a successful macaron at home.

$130 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1pm

Rozelle store

Kim Terakes, the king of the Australian barbecue, shares recipes and ideas to get blokes being creative in the kitchen or around the grill. Learn recipes from some of Kim’s fantastic books, get hands-on and enjoy a glass of wine with a delicious meal.

$135 per person. Bookings essential.

6pm – 8pm

Rozelle store

Chef Travis Harvey will cover all the important aspects of caring for your knife, maintaining an edge, safety, and of course different cuts.

Join this excellent knife skills class to receive a Kasumi utility knife valued at $149. You will dice, julienne, chiffonade and more, and watch a demonstration of jointing a chicken and filleting fish.

Your skillfully prepared food will be transformed into a wonderful meal at the end of the class.

$175 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 12:30pm

Rozelle store

Jacky Davidson Presents a special class focused on more advanced modelling of flowers and similar garnishes. The classes are small and everyone leaves with three cup cakes decorated using their newly found skills, as well as a small decorating kit to take home. Aprons are recommended.

Jacky Davidson, our cake decorating teacher, has been decorating cakes for approximately 30 years, winning numerous awards in that time. She is a member of the Cake Decorators’ Guild of NSW and has conducted cake decorating classes for many years, both for the Guild and within Community Colleges. Jacky is also a qualified cake decorating judge.

$89 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1pm

Rozelle store

Take perfect potatoes, free range eggs, some special seasoning plus a little know-how, and create one of the worlds most delectable little dumplings. This class will teach you how to make fluffy, beautiful potato gnocci (both baked and poached), herb-infused ricotta gnocci, and three classic sauces to accompany including a pork ragu, burnt butter sauce and gorgonzola cream.

Travis Harvey completed his apprentiship at the Canberra institution of Tuscan cooking Tosolini’s, cooked Italian at Canberra’s two hatted Mezalira Restaurant, then moved to Vancouver and working at the acclaimed La Buca in Kitsilano.

$110 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1pm

Rozelle store

If you have a food blog this class is a must. This class will focus on creating the ideal settings for a perfect food shoot. Choosing angles, lighting, composition and styling will be covered by Ray Jarratt, assisted by chef Travis Harvey. A full digital setup with laptop viewing and lighting lighting will be used, and no equipment is required by attendees. A great class for all skill levels, for those wanting better shots of the beautiful food they cook.

Ray has worked as food photographer with Australia’s leading publications and with authors like Margaret Fulton (Ray produced all of Margaret’s food photography for a period of 12 years), Suzanne Gibbs, Elise Pascoe and others. The publications in which his work has appeared include New Idea, Gourmet Traveller, Epicurean, Gourmet and Murdoch Magazines.

$160 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 12:30pm

Rozelle store

The Essential Ingredient’s very popular cup cake decorating workshops are a fun way to learn the basics of cake decorating, from icing to piping to sugar flowers and more. The classes are small and everyone leaves with three cup cakes decorated using their newly found skills, as well as a small decorating kit to take home. Aprons are recommended.

Jacky Davidson, our cake decorating teacher, has been decorating cakes for approximately 30 years, winning numerous awards in that time. She is a member of the Cake Decorators’ Guild of NSW and has conducted cake decorating classes for many years, both for the Guild and within Community Colleges. Jacky is also a qualified cake decorating judge.

$79 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1:30pm

Rozelle store

Anna brings her special touch to this class, as she explores the dishes of Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Expect fantastic food, family stories, cooking secrets and a lot of fun.

Food education is something Anna is very passionate about, hosting classes for children and adults throughout the year, and traveling widely in NSW to teach in regional towns and schools. Whilst teaching, Anna and her husband travel NSW speaking with producers to learn about the food they produce. Anna Peters, is the founder and Creator of Anna’s Cuisina -based in Orange, NSW- a producer of hand-made gourmet foods.

$140 per person. Bookings essential.

10:30am – 1pm

Rozelle store

Somer Sivrioglu’s Efendy restuarant has garnered a reputation as Sydney’s finest Turkish, with elegant dishes that represent the diversity and imagination of Turkish food. Join Somer in this special class, and learn the secrets of the this wonderful cuisine.

$145 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 1pm

Rozelle store

What do a Malaysian satay and a Mexican mole have in common? How does the role of chile change in Indian or Guatemalan food? Some of the keys to creating and exploring the worlds most fascinating and delicious meals are revealed in this unique class.

Growing up in Penang, Wanitha moved to Australia in 1982, started a restaurant and founded a cooking school. She learned the art of cooking at her father’s side – he was the Head Chef for the Kedah Royal Family in Malaysia. Her passion and enthusiasm for food and cooking soon saw her appearing at public events, leading to invitations to appear on morning television (Ch 7) and cable TV (In the Kitchen) as a regular Asian chef.

Travis has had 12 years experience working as an international chef across six different countries. In Mexico, he ran the De La Tierra cooking school in Oaxaca. Travis’ recipes and knowledge of Mexican cuisine come from years of living in Central America and a lifelong fascination with Mexican food and culture.

$185 per person. Bookings essential.

10am – 1:30pm

Rozelle store

Chef and author Peter Kuravita provides hands-on instruction and recipes for a range of stunning dishes. This is an intimate group with limited spaces so book now.

Peter is the Chef and co-owner of Flying Fish and presenter of SBS’ My Sri Lanka. He has a reputation in the Australian culinary circles as an expert on seafood and he has a strong stance on seafood sustainability. He continues to develop the Flying Fish brand and in 2008 launched a range of products along with his cookbook “Serendip” and the continuing SBS series My Sri Lanka.

$195 per person. Bookings essential.

Knives left by Wednesday will be available for collection on Thursday.

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Rozelle store

The Essential Ingredient is pleased to offer our customers a weekly knife sharpening service. Your knives will be sharpened by Chef’s Armoury, a specialist Sydney-based knife importer. Knives dropped in to our Rozelle store before Wednesday, will be available for collection on Thursday of each week.

We keep the blade cool using specialized water cooled rotary stones and all knives are hand finished on Japanese waterstones following traditional methods from the knife making districts in Japan.

Results:

• Knives sharper than when you first bought them
• Blades that stay sharper for longer
• A minimal amount of metal removed from your blade so your knives will last a whole lot longer