My Day In Paradise At The Park City Culinary Institute
My conversion happened May 18, a day I mark as one of the greatest of my life, third only to the births of my two children. May 18 was the day the Park City Culinary Institute generously let me sit in on a class.
Over the past month I’ve become a completely insufferable human being. “Oh, you’re steaming broccoli?” I’ll ask, then, at no one’s request, demonstrate how to sear the vegetable. “Did you know beef carpaccio is best served with olive oil?” I’ll volunteer in a conversation about politics. “Mushroom duxelle is the only acceptable wellington filling,” I murmur in my sleep. I just can’t help myself. Once you’ve seen the light, you have to spread the good word.
My conversion happened May 18, a day I mark as one of the greatest of my life, third only to the births of my two children. May 18 was the day the Park City Culinary Institute generously let me sit in on a class.
Before May 18 I expected culinary school to mean spending an entire day learning to chop an onion or mince garlic or perfect some other monotonous, albeit necessary kitchen task. My expectation could not have been further from reality. In the six hours of class, Chef Gregory Neville butchered an entire side of beef, prepared filet mignons, chateaubriand, beef crudo, beef carpaccio, sirloin, and beef wellington plus sides. He also whipped up some fresh pasta with bolegnese sauce, and grilled chicken cause why not? I sampled all that food and by sampled I mean ate entire plates full. I weigh five pounds more than I did May 17.
I thought culinary school students were strictly aspiring chefs and while the particular class I joined for a day did include some, others were enrolled simply to learn how to cook better. I don’t think those others are disappointed, because in my six hours of instruction my culinary know-how expanded about eight-fold.
I learned not only the steps for preparing the aforementioned dishes, but I learned the proper technique for preparing the ingredients the went into those dishes. I learned that instinct makes better food than exact recipes, so long as a cook knows the basics. And I learned that the best ingredients make the best food.
While my friends and family are praying that I knock it off with the kitchen “help” already, they sure aren’t complaining about the results of my one day of attendance at the Park City Culinary Institute.
I covered the history of the institute a while back and in that story you can learn more about the details of enrollment. Or you can visit their website. Obviously.
Published 6/16/2016
