Culinary Boot Camp 2
Dive deeper into advanced culinary techniques | Cost: $2200
Register Now
Culinary Boot Camp 2
Take your cooking beyond the fundamentals in this five-day intensive designed for Culinary Boot Camp 1 graduates and experienced home cooks with equivalent skills. Explore advanced techniques in baking, meat cookery, plant-based cuisine, seafood, sauces, global flavors and plating, then put your skills to the test by creating a collaborative multi-course dinner.
BOOT CAMP
Is Culinary Boot Camp 2 Right for You?
Culinary Boot Camp 2 is designed for graduates of Culinary Boot Camp 1 and experienced home cooks who already have a solid foundation in the kitchen and are ready for a new challenge. You'll build on fundamental cooking skills while exploring more advanced techniques, complex flavor development, global cuisines and creative menu execution.
You should be comfortable with foundational skills such as knife work, basic cooking methods and following multi-step recipes. If you're ready to rely less on recipes, experiment more and push your skills further, Culinary Boot Camp 2 is your next step.
What You'll Learn in Five Days: Advanced Techniques, Global Flavors and Creative Cooking
- Day 1: Sweet and Savory Doughs
- Day 2: Meat Cookery: Proteins, Sides and Sauces
- Day 3: Plant-Based Cuisine from Around the World
- Day 4: Fish and Shellfish: Diverse Cooking Techniques
- Day 5: Flavors Around the World, Plating Techniques and Mystery Basket Dinner Party
Day 1: Sweet and Savory Doughs
Develop an understanding of ingredient functions and master techniques for preparing laminated, short, choux, yeast and pasta doughs.
- Homemade Puff Pastry
- Buttery Dinner Rolls
- Neapolitan Pizza with Oven-Dried Tomato, Mozzarella and Arugula Pizza
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Caramelized Onion, Bacon and Swiss Chard Tart with Homemade Pie Dough
- Ricotta Ravioli with Sauce Bolognese
- Potato Gnocchi with Three Cheese Sauce
- Gougères (Pâte à Choux Dough)
Day 2: Meat Cookery: Proteins, Sides and Sauces
Craft complete meals using advanced techniques such as sous vide, brining, smoking, searing and grilling, while balancing flavors and textures through thoughtful sauce and accompaniment pairings to elevate each dish.
- Veal Scallopini Milanese with Mushroom-Marsala Cream Sauce and Toasted Farro Salad
- Beef Wellington with Homemade Puff Pastry and Bearnaise
- Brined and Smoked Pork Tenderloin with Pancetta Braised Kale and Rosemary-Garlic Cannellini Beans
- Sous Vide and Reversed Seared Duck Breast à l’orange with Ginger and Scallion Jasmine Fried Rice
- Spice-Grilled Lamb Chops with Harissa Sauce and Roasted Cauliflower-Chickpea Salad
Day 3: Plant-Based Cuisine from Around the World
A global immersion in plant-based cooking, highlighting legumes, grains, vegetables, plant-based proteins, herbs and spices, while exploring diverse techniques such as steaming, braising, pickling, roasting, frying and stewing.
- Tamales with Mole-Braised Jackfruit, Portobello Mushrooms and Tomatillo Salsa
- Paella with Zucchini, Green Beans and Artichokes
- Oven Roasted Beet and Pickled Fennel Salad with Oranges and Toasted Pistachio Vinaigrette
- Curry-Spiced Lentil Stew with Potato Samosas and Fresh Herb Chutney
- Tempura Tempeh Bowl with Brown Rice, Cucumber Kimchi and Chili-Peanut Dressing
- Ratatouille with Parisian Gnocchi and Basil Pesto
Day 4: Fish and Shellfish: Diverse Cooking Techniques
Explore flatfish, crustaceans and mollusks while applying them across a range of preparations—from soups and appetizers to salads and entrées—while mastering flavor pairings to create innovative, well-executed dishes.
- Flat Fish Butchery and Fish Stock
- Fish and Shellfish Bouillabaisse with Roasted Red Pepper Rouille
- Sautéed Sole Meunière with Brown Butter Pan Sauce and Sautéed Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts
- Seared Scallops with Rice Noodle-Green Papaya Salad and Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce
- Cured and Hot Smoked Trout Crostini with Whole Grain Mustard and Capers
- Poached Fish and Shrimp Mousseline with Mixed Greens, Citrus Vinaigrette and Fried Shallots
- Oysters Rockefeller (Bacon, Spinach and Parmesan)
Day 5: Flavors Around the World, Plating Techniques and Mystery Basket Dinner Party
Utilizing your knowledge and proficiency from the week to creatively construct and execute a well-balanced and thoughtfully designed menu in collaboration with your teammates.
- Understanding ethnic flavor profiles and ingredients
- Building complex flavor profiles
- Preparing canapes
- Transforming an assortment of surprise ingredients into a multi recipe, plated meal
REGISTER FOR AN UPCOMING CLASS
SEPTEMBER 2026
OCTOBER 2026
APRIL 2027
Culinary Boot Camp 2
Dive deeper into advanced culinary techniques | Cost: $2200
Register NowCulinary Boot Camp 2
Dive deeper into advanced culinary techniques | Cost: $2200
Register NowHear It Straight from Our Grads
Chicagoans, you don’t know how lucky you are to have The Chopping Block in your backyard! We searched the country for a cooking school focused on the home cook, and The Chopping Block’s all-day Culinary Boot Camp experience is totally unique. Eight years after completing Boot Camp 1, we traveled from Texas and Nebraska for Boot Camp 2, and it takes everything to the next level. We learned to make elegant dishes like Beef Wellington and Duck, work with different grains such as farro, and how to make Paella and Tamales! Plus, we spent an entire day focused on sweet and savory doughs, and another day focused on pastry and dessert. We left Boot Camp 2 as more confident cooks with the freedom to experiment and create in our home kitchens.
Bill and Sarah H.
September 2024 graduates
While there are some overlapping topics between CBC1 and CBC2, such as focusing on fish, meats, vegetables and grains, the recipes are different, along with new techniques not covered before. New topics include doughs (both sweet and savory), and pastries - now you've got desserts covered! Perhaps you want to invite your friends over and start with Gougeres, followed by a sauteed Brussels sprout and pancetta salad, a mouth-watering Beef Wellington, and cap the evening off with a triple chocolate turtle cheesecake? You'll learn how to make all of those! But the most valuable takeaway from CBC2 is that you continue to build your confidence in the kitchen. Have all of my cooks been successful since CBC 1 and 2? No! I've burnt things, over-salted things, made butter rather than medium peaks, and had some so-so results, but I have continued to learn and grow. And it's very rewarding when family and friends request certain dishes because they love your creations so much!
Kenji M.
September 2024 graduate
The Culinary Boot Camp 2 experience is intense, inspiring, and very, very satisfying. Boot Camp 1 condenses and puts your hands on the fundamentals in a way that videos and recipes on the web cannot, and Boot Camp 2 adds many more new ideas, new flavors and techniques. I am a much more confident cook and have a much better understanding of the "why" in the kitchen, also "why not." It was absolutely worth the investment.
Gail T.
October 2023 graduate
I took CBC1 the week after my retirement began in order to share household duties. This enabled me to muddle through the years, competent but recipe dependent. I augmented CBC1 with a course here and there, constantly expanding my skills. Finally, I decided that I didn’t want to be held back from trying anything I desired. CBC2 fulfilled that need. The instructors respected what we already knew, and questions sometimes took us beyond the syllabus. I now confidently tackle any recipe that appeals to me, often making substitutions and variations.
Ron B.
September 2024 graduate
FAQ
Do I need to take Culinary Boot Camp 1 before Culinary Boot Camp 2?
Not necessarily. Culinary Boot Camp 2 is designed for Culinary Boot Camp 1 graduates as well as experienced home cooks with equivalent skills. You should already be comfortable with foundational cooking techniques and ready to work at a more advanced level. If you're unsure whether your experience is a good fit, contact us and we'll be happy to help.
What's the difference between Culinary Boot Camp 1 and Culinary Boot Camp 2?
Culinary Boot Camp 1 builds a strong foundation in essential cooking techniques and helps you understand how and why cooking works. Culinary Boot Camp 2 builds on those fundamentals with more advanced techniques, complex dishes, global flavors and greater opportunities for creativity and improvisation. On the final day, you'll put those skills together to collaboratively create and execute a multi-course dinner.
How advanced is Culinary Boot Camp 2?
Culinary Boot Camp 2 is challenging, but it's still designed for home cooks rather than culinary professionals. You'll tackle more complex recipes and techniques while working under the guidance of our chef instructors. The goal is to stretch your skills in a supportive environment, not expect you to arrive cooking like a professional chef.
Is Culinary Boot Camp 2 entirely hands-on?
Yes. You'll spend the week actively cooking, practicing techniques and applying what you learn. Our chef instructors demonstrate and explain techniques before guiding you through them, giving you opportunities to ask questions, experiment and receive personalized feedback.
Can I take Culinary Boot Camp 2 if I don't live in Chicago?
Absolutely. Culinary Boot Camp attracts passionate home cooks from across the country, and students often travel to Chicago specifically for the program. The five-day format makes it possible to immerse yourself in the experience while enjoying Chicago during your downtime. If you're traveling from out of town, our team can provide recommendations for accommodations near The Chopping Block.
Take a Deeper Look at Culinary Boot Camp 2
Discover why we revamped the program, what you'll learn and how each day is designed to push your cooking skills further.
HAVE A QUESTION?
We're here to help! Ask us anything about the program, schedule, or what to expect, and we'll get back to you shortly.
