Shelley has been teaching people to cook since she opened The Chopping Block in 1997. She spent 17 years as a professional chef, working in busy restaurants and private homes but realized her calling was to get other people to cook. Shelley’s unique concept of a recreational cooking school, gourmet kitchen store and private event business provides Chicago with over 300 cooking classes and private events each month. Shelley loves to garden and entertain for family and friends in her Lincoln Square home.
Recent Posts
My Sister's Peanut Brittle
I love peanuts and peanut-y dishes: Kung Pow Chicken, peanut sauce, peanut butter cups, peanut butter cookies, peanut butter pie and of course, peanut brittle. I always loved the taste of peanut ...
Back in the early days of The Chopping Block 20+ years ago, I was working on holiday curriculum with my fellow Chef Instructor Lisa Futterman. We thought a candy class was a no brainer, after all, ...
One of my favorite warming winter recipes is Coq au Vin, or chicken braised in wine. I think Coq au Vin is to chicken what Beef Bourguignon is to beef. It takes an ingredient as simple as chicken and ...
I have had an idea for a book called “Pickled Ginger” for years. No, it’s not a cookbook and nor does it really have much connection with cooking at all. The idea stemmed from my own experience ...
Toward the end of summer, I had a unique opportunity to help a friend who keeps bees harvest their honey. It was a very special day for me as I have a real interest in keeping bees and this was my ...
In my recent blog on how to make dried ginger, I nudged readers to see if there was an interest in learning how to make crystalized ginger. I’m happy to say the answer was yes! You also requested a ...
Before we get into making ghee, let's discuss what it is, what it is not and why we use it. I want to start by saying what ghee is not, which is clarified butter. Ghee is made using different a few ...
Yes, you heard me right, I said sandwich cake. I just recently heard about this Swedish specialty and simply couldn’t wait to have an excuse to try making one. What is a sandwich cake, you might ask? ...
If you have read any of my past blogs you may know I am from a little town in Iowa, Fort Dodge to be exact. Growing up in a rural area, in a small Midwestern town in the 70’s, I had little exposure ...
I love to make jam; I’m sure in part because I used to watch my mom make it as a kid. Thinking about Mom in the kitchen brings back such fond memories. We primarily grew our own food when I was ...
