It was COOK’s first ever Valentine’s Day class – and we wanted to do it up big. So who did we enlist as our culinary cupid? Why, the lovely and extremely talented Jennifer Carroll of Top Chef and 10 Arts fame.

Jen arrived at COOK extra early on 2/14 to prep with her sous-chef, Aaron, and her cousin Patty. As guests arrived, Jen was putting the final touches on her Valentine’s Day-themed menu that went a little something like this:

• Amuse-bouche: Aphrodisiac – Kusshi oyster, champagne, pomegranate, chervil, caviar
• First course: Get Layered – Scallop carpaccio, mangalica ham, arugula, parmesan brioche crumbs, sherry reduction
• Second course: Time for Some Tail – Butter roasted lobster tail, fennel, blood orange, smoked salt
• Third course: Get Ducked – Duck confit ravioli, Asian pear, almonds, honey-ginger jus
• Fourth course: Pop Your Cherry – Cherry-vanilla ice cream, bourbon, Coca-Cola, cacao nibs

For those of you who know her by her TV fame alone, Jen is a very funny (as evidenced by her menu above) and talented chef, and you can count on COOK to be there cheering her on when she opens the doors on her own restaurant, Concrete Blonde, opening in the fall.