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boot-camp-1

Culinary Boot Camp 1

Our 5-day intensive boot camp covers foundational skills, empowering home cooks to elevate their kitchen confidence and creativity.

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BOOT CAMP

Expect to Chop, Sauté, Roast, Plate—and Cook Better Than Ever

  • Day 1: Knife Skills, Fish Butchery and Cookery, Emulsions
  • Day 2: Chicken and Beef Butchery, Stocks and Meat Cookery
  • Day 3: Soups and Sauces
  • Day 4: Eggs, Vegetable and Grain Cookery
  • Day 5: Tastebud Tutorial, Plating Techniques and Master the Art of a Dinner Party

Day 1: Knife Skills, Fish Butchery and Cookery, Emulsions

  • In-depth lessons in knife skills including how to select and sharpen your knives
  • Whole fish butchery
  • Selecting fish
  • Making fish stock
  • Proper use of cookware and essential kitchen tools
  • Preparing emulsion sauces such as Aioli, Hollandaise and Beurre Blanc
  • Fish cookery including poached fish, whole roasted branzino and sautéed fish

Day 2: Chicken and Beef Butchery, Stocks and Meat Cookery

  • Butchery of whole chicken and beef tenderloin
  • Understanding primal and sub-primal cuts of meat
  • Selecting the proper cuts of meat for the cooking technique
  • How to tell when meat is done
  • Preparing chicken and veal stock
  • Meat cookery including braising, sautéing, stuffing, roasting and grilling
  • Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Herb Butter
  • Coq au Vin
  • Roasted Pork with Prunes and Olives and Balsamic
  • Five-Spice Roasted Chicken
  • Chicken Piccata

Day 3: Soups and Sauces

  • In-depth lessons in soup making including French Onion, Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Gumbo,  Clam Chowder and Avgolemono
  • Understanding the "Mother Sauces" and how to apply them to everyday cooking
  • Sauce Espagnole
  • Tomato Sauce
  • Roux and Velouté
  • Alfredo Sauce, Béchamel Style and Reduction Style
  • Preparing vinaigrettes
  • Bistro Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Homemade Croutons
  • Balancing flavors

Day 4: Eggs, Vegetable and Grain Cookery

  • Egg cookery including omelets, over-easy eggs and soufflés
  • Selecting and working with potatoes
  • Home Fries Skillet
  • Potatoes Anna
  • Vegetable cookery including sautéing, roasting and grilling
  • Sautéed Green Beans with Bacon and Cranberries
  • Oven-Roasted Broccoli
  • Grilled Eggplant and Portobello Mushrooms
  • Roasting peppers and garlic
  • Working with dried beans
  • White Bean Bruschetta
  • Selecting and working with grains
  • Pea and Saffron Risotto
  • Curried Quinoa Pilaf
  • Goat Cheese and Herb Polenta
  • Rice cookery

Day 5: Tastebud Tutorial, Plating Techniques and Master the Art of a Dinner Party

  • Understanding taste vs. flavor and the five basic tastes
  • Building complex flavor profiles
  • Selecting olive oils and vinegars
  • Selecting fresh vs. dried herbs
  • Preparing canapes 
  • Honing and practicing the techniques from the week by preparing a multicourse, plated meal
  • Plating, garnishing and presentation skills

REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING CLASS

JANUARY 2026 FEBRUARY 2026 MARCH 2026 APRIL 2026 MAY 2026 JUNE 2026

Hear It Straight from Our Grads

Amazing experience. I went from a person who defers to the microwave too often to knowing how and having the confidence to cook really amazing meals. The food and instruction, team atmosphere, and overall environment were nothing short of incredible. If you’re thinking about it, It’s worth the time and investment in yourself!

Deanna G.
January 2025 graduate

From the moment I registered for Culinary Boot Camp, I knew this was going to be a very special experience. Every person took excellent care of me and went out of their way answering questions, providing support and encouragement, advice, even pouring drinks. This week was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. I’ve been cooking and baking for decades, and I learned a ton. If you think you’re a bad cook, come to Boot Camp. If you think you’re a great cook, come to Boot Camp. I’m already planning on coming back for Culinary Boot Camp 2. Fangirl for life!

Lisa G.
May 2023 graduate

What a difference Culinary Boot Camp has made in my home food life! It was just what I needed - a kickstart back into real food, using new skills and rekindling old, and the courage to tackle a total cleanout of collected non-useful utensils, cheap plastic crap, and 10x the amount of needed  cookware. I lament over the lack of such beautiful produce and meat/seafood you provided. It all starts there! But thank you ALL so much for a fun time and amazing instruction. You are all rock stars at what you do!

Maria M.
August 2022 graduate

The chef instructor’s presentation was clear and fun. The class was small so we could interact with the other participants. The experience was delightful, and I learned a lot. I took the class with my daughter, and it was a great mother-daughter experience.

Deidre M.
Sauce Boot Camp

The Vegetarian Boot Camp was fantastic! The staff was amazing with the prep, cooking and clean-up. I learned great tips throughout the day, and we prepared very tasty food. Highly recommend!

Kirstin S.
Vegetarian Boot Camp

The Artisanal Breads Boot Camp was amazing!. The chef instructors were kind, thorough, and knowledgeable. There was a little bit of chemistry and a lot of hand-on application. I went home armed with more knowledge and confidence to problem-solve when I'm working with yeast.

Kevin K.
Artisanal Breads Boot Camp

I learned so much, the food was delicious, and the instructors were fun and knowledgeable. I highly recommend the Essential Building Blocks course!

Maggie M.
Essential Building Blocks

We turned the Hands-On Mediterranean Boot Camp into a fun couples weekend away and it was so much better than we anticipated. The chefs were knowledgeable, fun and very helpful. We had a great day eating, enjoying some of their great wines and having so much fun learning new techniques and recipes. Only regret was we didn't drive to the city so we couldn't take home the leftovers! We will definitely be back and highly recommend the experience!

Kate
Mediterranean Boot Camp

The Chopping Blog

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