CLASSES

Culinary Boot Camp 1

Have you always wondered what it would be like to go to culinary school? The Chopping Block's Culinary Boot Camp 1 gives you a taste of a professional culinary program without the lengthy time commitment or heavy financial burden. We are the ONLY recreational cooking school that offers this type of culinary foundation and education without attending a year-round culinary academy.

Culinary Boot Camp 1 explores all the fundamental methods of cooking, from basics to advanced techniques. Each day builds on the previous day and on the last day, you'll tie everything together to plan and produce a menu with your classmates that incorporates all of the techniques you've learned throughout the week. After just five sessions, you'll go home with a foundation of fine-tuned cooking skills.

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

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 Salmon, Whole Roasted Branzino and Sautéed Arctic Char

Day Two: 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 Three: 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 vinaigrette
Bistro Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette and Homemade Croutons
Balancing flavors

Day Four: 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 Shrimp Saffron Risotto
Curried Quinoa Pilaf
Goat Cheese and Herb Polenta
Rice cookery

Day Five: Tastebud Tutorial, Plating and Honing Your Skills

Understanding taste vs. flavor and the five basic tastes
Building complex flavor profiles
Selecting olive oils and vinegars
Selecting fresh vs. dried herbs
Honing and practicing the techniques from the week by preparing two dishes of your choice
Plating and presentation skills

This program is suitable for students of all skill levels. Beginners will learn the basics and come away with the confidence to cook independently. Those with some cooking experience will broaden their culinary knowledge, hone their skills, and acquire valuable tips and insight so they can take their culinary ventures to a new level. It’s a great opportunity to improve upon your skills with an experienced chef at your disposal. You’ll learn from a different chef each day so that you get different perspectives and tips from their professional cooking experience.

Each day's session combines the chef's lecture and demonstration with individual hands-on execution of recipes that feature the essential techniques in modern cooking. At the end of the day, you and your fellow students will serve your finished dishes and enjoy a cooking roundtable, engaging in an informal discussion and review of techniques and culinary topics.

Culinary Boot Camp 1 is offered several times each year at The Chopping Block at the Mart and once at Lincoln Square. The course is five consecutive days, Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm. We also offer a Sunday session from 9am-5pm for five consecutive Sundays. Please see below for all week-long Culinary Boot Camp 1 options in 2019-2020.

Upon completing Culinary Boot Camp 1, each student will receive a Certificate of Completion from The Chopping Block. We encourage you to consider Culinary Boot Camp 2 for the next step of your culinary journey.

Please note this class has a 2-week cancellation policy.

Traveling to Chicago for Culinary Boot Camp? We have secured special hotel rates at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza River North located adjacent to the Merchandise Mart. Get more information.

Bestselling author, podcaster, blogger, public speaker, influencer, wife and mother Jen Hatmaker attended Culinary Boot Camp in June 2018. She wanted to "invest in my own creativity for no other reason than the love of it is new territory."