September 12th - Fall & Holiday Cooking & Wine Classes @ PCI September 12, 2009

Secrets of the Ultimate Pizza Party with Chef Tomm
10:00am-2:30pm - $150 per person
Chef Tomm from the cooking show “Culinary Secrets” (www.cheftomm.com) will teach you how to create classic thin and thick crusted pizzas, as well as how to spice things up with exotic toppings. Recipes you will learn are The Gigantic Stuffed Meat Pizza (weighing in at a whopping 12 pounds), The New England Classic Shrimp Scampi Pizza, Taco Pizza and Chicken & Broccoli Stuffed Pizza. You will also learn two dough recipes; Neapolitan and a 30 minute quick dough. Chef Tomm has trained all over the world including Italy, Mexico and Thailand. As an accomplished culinarian, he is now a full time instructor at PCI and believes in the hands on approach with an emphasis on fresh and new products. This belief, as well as his many talents has made him sought after as one of the best Chef Educators in the country.

Cupcakes Galore with Chef Stephany Buswell, CMB
10:00am-2:30pm - $125 per person
Learn classic recipes and decorating techniques to make simple, elegant, expensive-looking tasty treats that you can take pride in saying you made yourself! Chef Stephany is a Certified Master Baker and has worked in the baking industry for over 30 years. During this time she perfected the art of cake decorating, pastry baking, wedding cakes, and bread baking, and is currently a fulltime instructor at PCI. You will take home nearly two dozen fancy cupcakes to share with your loved ones. Bring a snack or bag lunch to balance out all of the good sweets you will be enjoying in class.

Wine Basics – Breaking Down the Barriers with Certified Sommelier Dave Eriksen
12:30pm-2:30pm - $50 per person
Gain the confidence to buy wine at any shop or restaurant without feeling like you don’t know enough. We will cover basic history and wine production, learn where the flavors come from, as well as try eight different wines from around the world to figure out what you like and don’t like. We will talk about tasting techniques, tasting room etiquette, ordering wine at a restaurant and how to use the Sommelier. Make sure to have a bite to eat before class. Instructor Dave Eriksen has worked in the wine industry locally and in Monterey for the last 8 years and after managing restaurants in the bay area as well as Pebble Beach he is now teaching a wine foundations course at PCI. He is a humorous and dynamic instructor sure to make everyone comfortable and more confident in wine decisions after the class.

The Professional Culinary Institutes hands-on Hobby Classes are where you will learn to cook like the pros in the most fun and exciting amateur cooking program in the Bay Area. Each class begins with a detailed demonstration by our expert staff. Then in one of our state-of-the-art professional pastry or culinary kitchens you will be given hands on instruction from our world class Chef Instructors. Not only will you advance your cooking techniques and culinary knowledge, you will also get to enjoy the delicious fruits of your labor. You will be given a souvenir apron and packet of recipes from the day. Classes fill quickly so make your reservations at 408-370-9190

You can check out other great classes that the Professional Culinary Institute offers at: http://www.pcichef.com/hobbyschedule.html

Official Website: http://www.pcichef.com/hobbyschedule.html