Gochi Grill Cooking Class

One of my favorite new eateries, Gochi Grill, launched a series of cooking classes last month.  I was fortunate to have been invited to one of their classes - Sous Vide 101, led by Chefs John Iha and Sean Uyehara.

For $75, not only do you get a fantastic meal (a portion of which you helped to make yourself), but you get hands-on experience creating a dish.

It's an intimate affair, and you're not merely watching the chefs do all the work - you actually get to interact with them in the kitchen and get involved in the process as well.

In this specific class, I learned a lot about Sous Vide (primarily that you don't need one of those fancy immersion circulators!), cooking fish and beef, the use of specific ingredients to give dishes certain flavors, and so much more.

At the end of the lesson, we enjoyed a 4-course meal consisting of Sous Vide of Snapper (which we helped make), Hamachi Carpaccio, Sous Vide of New York Steak, and Mini Andagi (the latter three which were made by the chefs).

It was a fun and informative class!

If you're interesting in signing up for the next Sous Vide 101 class, or other future classes, be sure to follow Gochi Grill on Instagram.

Read More

Pounders Restauant's Keiki Culinary Academy

If you have a budding chef in the family, sign him or her up for Pounders Restaurant's Keiki Culinary Academy!

Taught by Chef Felix Tai, kiddos ages 4 to 12 create a culinary delight while learning all about ingredients and techniques in an hour-long class.

My kids were enrolled in a class last month, during which they learned how to make puff pastry.

Yes, that's right - puff pastry!  Something even I wouldn't attempt to make!

But Chef Felix was up for the challenge, teaching the kids how to make a really quick puff pastry dessert.

All the ingredients were set out for 22 kids, and after taking everyone to the kitchen to wash their hands, the kids started pouring, mixing, kneading, and shaping all of the ingredients to make a cookies and cream puff pastry dessert.

Chef Felix, along with team members Mark and Frances, were amazing with the kids.  They were so helpful and patient with every single one of them.

There were some kids who obviously were skilled in the kitchen, and those (like my kids), who had very little experience in the kitchen.  Regardless of skill level, all kids were treated with kindness, and they all seemed to enjoy themselves.

The class went about 40 minutes longer than expected.  A lot of that may have been to the large turnout of kids, as well as all the time it took for the kids to wash their hands throughout the process (they took at least three hand-washing breaks).  Because the class went overtime, and the restaurant was about to open to regular customers, the puff pastry did not have enough time to bake, so Chef Felix advised we needed to take the pastries home and finish it off in the oven.

Although the kids' pastries may have not looked too pretty, they sure tasted delicious!

I didn't mind that the class went well over the 1-hour time period, but I thought the biggest room for improvement was with identifying each child's creation.

When the puff pastry was done baking, there was no way to identify which pastry belonged to which kid, and the children randomly took home whatever looked the most appealing.

Hopefully in future classes there is a better way of making sure each child takes home (and eats!) his or her own creation.

Also - it would've been great if each child took home a copy of the recipe so they could recreate it at home!

All of my kids had a blast, and they were so proud of their desserts!  The Keiki Culinary Academy was such a fun experience for them!

The Keiki Culinary Academy classes continue on February 10, 17, and 24 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Classes are available on a first-come first-served basis. Courses can be booked individually for $22. Hawaii residents can purchase tickets for just $15 per class by joining the Ohana Club.

For more information or to make reservations, call Hukilau Marketplace at (808) 293-3142, visit http://www.hukilaumarketplace.com/events or facebook.com/hukilaumarketplace. To receive updates, event invitations and promotions, join the Ohana Club for free at www.PCCOhana.com.

My kids' classes were hosted.

Read More