(Sort of) Learning how to cook at the Public Market

When I was offered the chance to come for a cooking class at the Milwaukee Public Market last week, I was psyched for a lot of reasons.

First, I love food. I think it's one of the greatest pleasures in life, and I really want to learn how to cook food well.

Secondly, I love the Public Market. And on many a visit (here, here, among many others!), I've gazed longingly at the upstairs demonstration area, wondering if I'd ever get around to signing up for a class. Plus, I've always wanted to take a cooking class. To take one at the Public Market, I thought, would be especially cool.

And thirdly, I've become a bit addicted to The Food Network. I don't watch much TV, and when I do, one of the channels I automatically check on is The Food Network. The Secret Life Of …, Good Eats, Unwrapped, $40 A Day … it's some great programming!

I'm fascinated by the personalities on that channel, and with the scrumptious things they cook and eat and describe. So when a coworker told me that she'd been to a class at the Public Market and that it was "like watching The Food Network – only in person" - I was so there.

It's for all these reasons that I'm extremely bummed to report that the class did not meet my expectations.

Let me back up …

Tuesday night, Dave and I both cut out of work a bit early so that we could make it downtown to the Public Market in time for our class, which was scheduled to run from 5:30 until 7:00 p.m. The class we chose was a Spanish tapas class taught by John Reiss, a chef and instructor from the culinary program at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).

After we found street parking, we scurried into the Market, fearing we'd be late. (Ok, I feared we'd be late. Dave was cool as a cucumber.) We slid into two chairs near the back at 5:28 p.m. – cutting it pretty close, in my opinion.

However, the class didn't actually start for probably 10 or 15 more minutes. The instructor and his assistant, plus two Public Market employees, were preparing things and waiting for everyone to arrive. When the class finally did start, I counted 35 attendees, which was way more than I expected to be there.

The instructor's assistant came around almost immediately with a tray filled with small glasses of white sangria for everyone. It was cool and refreshing and had peaches and pineapple floating in it. I thought, hey, I like this already.

I sat upright in my chair, ready to be dazzled by the sautéing and frying and flipping and sizzling. I expected the instructor to explain everything he was doing, and make some friendly banter in between, the way that chefs do on cooking shows.

(I snapped pictures when I could, but I didn't use the flash - so they turned out a bit blurry. Better than nothing though, right?)

John Reiss was a very nice guy and really seemed to know what he was talking about – when he actually talked. There was a lot going on but not a lot of description – and as I looked around the room, I realized that people were chit-chatting in small groups, flipping the pages of their handouts, and generally just not paying attention to what was going on in front of them.

Then there were the technical difficulties. First the microphone didn't work. Then the food processor didn't work. Then it took three people to figure out the oven. A half hour into the class, Dave and I started to look at each other like "are you seeing what I'm seeing?" and "does anyone else here care that we're not really learning anything?"

We learned several recipes – and they were detailed in the handout we received – but we only saw bits and pieces of each one. The instructor jumped around from recipe to recipe, and it got confusing. Everything just seemed …  a bit disorganized.

What got to me most was that this class cost $40 per person. For an hour and a half. And for a class that was just a demonstration rather than a hands-on class. A couple could go out to a fairly good dinner for $80.

The audience was a lot of middle-aged woman whom I'd venture to guess were stay-at-home rich women who have a lot of time on their hands. So fine – they can afford it. But had I actually paid for this class, I dare say I may have demanded my money back!

It pains me to have to review it badly, but it was just a very big disappointment, and when 7:15 rolled around and it was time to go, we were relieved, to say the least. We had waited until the end where we got to sample the appetizers that had been made – and that was certainly the highlight of the night.



We sampled sautéed shrimp dipped in a Romesco vegetable sauce and avocado vinaigrette. We had a few spicy meat empanadas, and we had some coca (flatbread) with caramelized onions, anchovies and Manchego cheese. The flatbread was definitely the best – it was awesome, and we might even try to make it in the near future.

We did come away with some valuable tips – how to score an avocado so it comes out of its skin easily, how to roast and puree vegetables, and why lard makes empanada dough taste so good.

Dave and I made the most of our experience and learned what we could. We goofed off a bit but did so respectfully – unlike the gaggle of ladies next to us who were talking almost the entire time, or the woman on the other side of us who actually answered her cell phone in the middle of the class.

I'm glad I got to take the class and I would definitely still go back and take another. Why, you ask? Because EVEN THOUGH this one was disappointing, each class the Market offers covers different food and is taught by different instructors. I have a very strong feeling that I caught them on a bad night, when they were having power issues, and when they had an instructor who wasn't exactly the talkative type.

In my humble (very humble) opinion, the class would have been more effective had they stuck to one or two recipes and explained them in more detail, and had the instructor talked the whole time (or at least a good part of it) and demanded the audience's attention a little better.

A food critic visits a restaurant more than once before he reviews it. Perhaps I should have waited to post this until I tried another class … but God only knows how long that could be. Honestly, I'd like to go back, and I have the utmost confidence that if and when I do, it'll be more like what I was expecting all along. 

Comments

[monnie halberg]

Sorry your class wasn't all it was cracked up to be...
Wanted to tell you though that I think you'd enjoy a book I just read; it's call "Garlic and Sapphires." The author is Ruth Reichl and she used to be the New York Times food critic. I believe now, she's the editor of Gourmet magazine. Anyway, I'm a big fan of cooking myself and I learned a lot by reading her book, (she has others as well) because I had to look a lot of stuff up! Also gives you that food critic perspective you referred to!

[Elizabeth (aka 'goldy' from the Knot.) : )]

Great post! I have a gift certificate to use at the Market and I was debating using it for a class. Now I'm thinking maybe I'll just use it to buy some yummy food, instead. If you take another class, be sure to post about it so you can help me make up my mind. : )

[Michelle]

Hi Erin,

I was glad to read that you're willing to the cooking classes another chance! Next time, try calling Kathy DeCarlo at the market (she oversees the kitchen), and ask her for a reccommendation on which class to take. She even gave me a few suggestions on which chefs are easy on the eyes ;)

Good luck and keep up the great work :)

Michelle

[WittyGuy]

This spring my nephew and I went to one of these style of classes at a local cook's store. I learned very little and thought they may have been doing some things incorrectly, but that had more to do with taste than anything. My nephew, 7, and I had a blast just spending time together, and the food was pretty good. The thing we liked best of all was the people we met. There were a lot of kids who were great, and thier parents were pretty interesting too.

[Amanda]

I have always wanted to take a cooking class. Of all classes that I've ever taken or wish to take, I think that a cooking class would be so fun. But, like you mentioned, cost is a big thing for me when choosing a class. Cooking classes are so often just one night, and they cost upwards of $60 for that one class!

Anyways, I think you should go back again and check out a different one. Each chef is very different, and maybe your style will work better with a different chef.

[Mandy]

Erin,
This makes me so sad. Every time I'm in town I think of going there to take one of those classes (sigh). I got a gift certificate for a cooking class for my birthday and am going to take one up here in Appleton. I'll let you know how it goes.

[shane]

Good Eats rocks. It is a pretty good channel

michele sent me on an empty stomach