cooking class – Travels With Tricia

Armenia, a Land of Lavash

We took the night train from Tbilisi to Yerevan. Arriving in Armenia 11 hours later, we were feeling disoriented, groggy, and ravenous. When Shawn and I chanced upon some ladies baking lavash flatbread inside a restaurant next to our apartment, we immediately perked up. Sensing our curiosity about the baking process, an employee motioned forContinue reading “Armenia, a Land of Lavash”

Mouth-Watering Modena: A Cooking Class in Italy

A chef, wearing a green hat and uniform, holds a tray of bright yellow souffles, preparing to put them in an oven.

“Secrets, especially with cooking, are best shared so that the cuisine lives on.” Bo Songvisava Having just thrown back a rich shot of espresso, we slipped into black ‘Chef for a Day’ aprons. Our cooking class in Modena, Italy had officially begun. In strolled our instructor, Chef Massimiliano ‘Max’ Telloli of the Osteria Stallo del PomodoroContinue reading “Mouth-Watering Modena: A Cooking Class in Italy”

Fresh Delights: A Cooking Class in Split, Croatia

Jakša Bedalov’s earliest winemaking memory was when he was just five years old. Tasked with cleaning his family’s fermentation room near the coastal Croatian city of Split, Jakša remembers his father pushing him so that he could squeeze into the small space. It was a challenging feat since he was a broad-shouldered child. “It was like beingContinue reading “Fresh Delights: A Cooking Class in Split, Croatia”

Cooking with Class in Santorini: Discovering the Greek Island’s Unique Gastronomy

As we bid farewell to our charismatic Greek cooking class Sous-Chef, Daniel, he shared parting culinary wisdom with a twinkle in his eye: “Use your imagination and everything is possible. And remember – you needn’t measure – you must feel the taste.” We’d come to the elegant, highly-acclaimed Selene restaurant on sun-drenched Santorini, Greece. We wouldContinue reading “Cooking with Class in Santorini: Discovering the Greek Island’s Unique Gastronomy”

A Lesson in Cooking Peka, the Signature Dish of Croatia’s Dalmatia Region

One of the most popular meals in Croatia’s Dalmatia region is peka, a blend of vegetables and meat drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with herbs, and then baked to perfection under a bell-like dome, or ispod čripnje. You’ll see it listed on menus throughout the region, and if you are lucky enough to be invitedContinue reading “A Lesson in Cooking Peka, the Signature Dish of Croatia’s Dalmatia Region”

Cooking Class in Bangkok: Our Foray Into a Thai Kitchen

Lemongrass, shallots, and Kaffir lime leaves cook in boiling water on a gas stovetop in a cooking class kitchen in Bangkok, Thailand.

We followed our cooking class instructor, Carole, down a dimly-lit Bangkok passageway that opening into a large marketplace. Walking among mounds of fresh cabbage, beansprouts, Thai eggplants, mushrooms, dried shrimp and fish, Carole showed us how to select the best ingredients for the dishes we would be cooking that morning: Kang Khiao Wan Gai (Green CurryContinue reading “Cooking Class in Bangkok: Our Foray Into a Thai Kitchen”