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Category Archives: Class News

October High-Top Seating Now Available!

Above: Vetri Ristorante GM Bobby Domenick pours wine for COOK guests seated at our high-tops during a dinner last year.

Sixteen seats. As an intimate demonstration space, that is the typical maximum capacity for our classes and dinners at COOK. We love the environment that creates — it gives our guests the chance to develop a close relationship with the chefs who join us every night to share their delicious expertise with us. But every so often, we’re able to add to the group — and, as a result, amp up the dinner party!

Chef and class style permitting, we sometimes get the opportunity to open up our high-top table seating to COOK guests. Situated in front of the windows along 20th Street, these slightly elevated tables (think stadium seating) are just a few feet from the demo counter. You’re still right up in all the action, with access to the full food and drink experience. And the best part? Each seat is $25 less than the listed class price. We typically add high-tops to the most popular, fast-selling classes to try our best to accommodate demand — meaning these are some hot seats indeed! Check after the jump to find out which October classes will feature discounted high-top seating. Click the class name to get your tix!

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COOK CLASS RECAP: Marshall Green of Jerry’s Bar

This past Tuesday, COOK was thrilled to welcome for the first time, Marshall Green, Executive Chef of the Northern Liberties eatery, Jerry’s Bar, for a fall feast.

Jerry’s Bar is essentially the perfect neighborhood restaurant. The beautifully renovated space (run by father and daughter William and Christie Proud) has a timeless feel, and everything is done the way it should be. The local, seasonal dishes are always fresh and flavorful, and the brunch menu is arguably the best in town. There are cocktails to match the food – classics and new creations, but never too fussy.

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COOK Restaurant Sneak Peek: coZara

Last week, COOK was thrilled to host a sneak peek of Hiroyuki “Zama” Tanaka’s soon-to-open University City restaurant, coZara (meaning “small plates” in Japanese).

Zama has come far in his three-plus years on 19th Street on Rittenhouse Square, and his Zama is one of the city’s go-to spots for sushi. Now,  Zama is on the move with a second restaurant. This December, he is set to open a 140-seat, two-story Japanese restaurant whose menu will include yakitori, noodles and dumplings.

The lucky 16 guests at Zama’s class last week got a special, early taste of the menu which was not only beautiful but delicious as well. Below are the menu as well as photos by Yoni Nimrod for COOK.

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New Instructors Coming to COOK in September

This September, COOK is featuring a number of first-time instructors who are all bringing something new (and delicious) to the table. Here are some of COOK’s not-to-be-missed fall newbies:

Thursday 9/5 7PM Summer Corn Dinner with Jason Hook of H20 Kitchen
Local chef Jason Hook is making his COOK debut by partnering with Blue Moon Acres Farm to present a cornucopia of corn dishes. After years working in the elite kitchens of Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges, Christian Delouvier and Philip Legendre, Hook has returned to the Berks County region, bringing with him his style of avant-garde fine dining. His H2O Kitchen special tasting events provide a full spectrum experience for local residents, with a taste of both the local and fresh and the international and rare. In September, each of the courses on Hook’s menu will include organic corn from Blue Moon Acres Farm in Pennington, NJ. Other local ingredients will be included on the menu, which also fuses exotic tastes and ingredients. Please note: this class is not vegetarian.

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Cheese-101 at Home

Missed Saturday’s Cheese-101 class at COOK? Well, here are the “deets” on how you can recreate the 10-cheese tasting in your own home.

This past Saturday, Di Bruno Bros.’ Emilio Mignucci was joined by cheese blogger and now author, Tenaya Darlington (AKA Madame Fromage), for an exceptional tutorial in cheese tasting and pairing. Emilio and Tenaya, who wrote the new Di Bruno’s textbook on cheese, “Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese: A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings“, have been out promoting the amazing cheese tome and doing special tastings across the region.

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Open Stove XIV: Winner’s Circle

COOK’s Open Stove prides itself on being a stage for Philly’s as-yet-untested kitchen talent, but once in awhile the crew likes to throw some proven winners into the mix to see what the heck’s going to happen. They’ve achieved this in the past by pitting executive chefs against each other in an unpredictable battle usually reserved for sous chefs and line cooks. For the 14th installment in the series, however, COOK tapped two reigning Open Stove champions — Zahav‘s Yehuda Sichel (above, left) and Sola BYOB‘s Steve Stryjewski — to see who’d get the better of their fellow victor.

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COOK MASTERS PROGRAM: Butchery with Chef Andrew Wood of Russet

This little piggy went to COOK… and so did a bunch of his chicken friends.

Yesterday, Andrew Wood, Chef-Owner of Center City’s Russet, brought his butchery A-game to COOK for a Masters Program tutorial in butchery.

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Roof To Table: An Edible Oasis Atop The Four Seasons Hotel

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to revisit the rooftop garden of the Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia. I went about 3 years ago when the “edible landscape” was first installed by my old friend Grace Wicks of Graceful Gardens.

Over the past 3 years, Executive Chef Rafael Gonzalez (who took me up there yesterday) has worked with a new gardening pro to double the garden’s size and capacity. And while we are still weeks out from really seeing major growth up there, there were plenty of signs of a fruitful season to come.

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New Chefs Coming to COOK This June

Next month at COOK, there are a number of first timers coming to lead their own classes. Below are a couple of the newbies not to be missed in June (seats can be purchased online by clicking on the class titles):

Sun 6/9, 6pm: A Good For You Drive Thru with Ryan Sulikowski of Farmers Road Drive Thru
Chef Ryan Sulikowski began his culinary career as a high school freshman in a neighbor’s Mediterranean-style restaurant. From there he attended Drexel University with a major in Biology and then went to pursue a formal culinary education at Le Cordon Bleu at the Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover, New Hampshire.

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COOK Masters Program: Back In Session For Semester 2

Yesterday marked the first class of the new session of the COOK Masters Program, an instructional cooking series taught by some of the city’s biggest culinary names, for students who are truly passionate about pursuing a professional career in the restaurant industry.  For the next 8 weeks, 9 students will get to spend 3 hours with 10 of some of the best chefs in town to learn advanced techniques and maybe even gain future employment.

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