Press Releases
The Professional Culinary Institute of the Silicon Valley Offering Hobby Classes
Wine Tasting, Indian Cuisine, Fundamentals of Cooking, Italian Pizza Classes and More!
September 26, 2007
CAMPBELL, Calif. - September 26, 2007 - The Professional Culinary Institute of the Silicon Valley (PCI) located in Campbell, California invites amateur and novice chefs to experience learning from world-class chefs in exclusive weekend cooking programs. Participants can enjoy a variety of classes from wine tasting and Indian cuisine to cake baking and fundamentals of cooking.
PCI's weekend curriculum is designed to bring the revolutionary Artisense method for culinary instruction used in professional courses, to the amateur chef. Every technique is explained and demonstrated by PCI's award-winning instructors in state-of-the-art demonstration kitchens before the cooking begins.
To register for a hobby class, call 408-370-9190 or send an email to info@pcichef.com for more information. The cost of the class includes an apron and recipe packet. Weekend hobby classes are offered year round. The maximum number of students per class is 16, and the deadline to register is 72 hours prior to the class or based on space availability. Hobby classes scheduled for October include:
Saturday, October 6
Baking Fundamentals II
Instructor: Chef Stephany Buswell
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Anyone who has ever said, "I can't bake a cake from scratch," needs to take this class. As an introductory course to cake baking, this class offers students the skills and experience needed to bake a cake with confidence. Students will learn to create delicious European style buttercreams to both ice and decorate cakes, which will impress friends and family when they take home their scratch baked, fully iced cake. Items on the menu include: sponge cakes, creamed butter cakes and European style buttercreams.
Classic Italian Pizza I
Instructor: Chef Evelyne Slomon
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Let the pizza tour of Italy begin as Evelyne Slomon, one of the country's leading experts on pizza, explores the tradition and techniques of classic Italian pizzas such as the Neapolitan pizza Margherita and Quattro Stagione; Ligurian Sardinaira and the hearty Sicilian Scacciata pan pizza. Learn how to create impressive pizzas using authentic Italian 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzerella di Bufala and Fior di Latte.
Southeast Asian Curry
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Instructor: Chef Chat Mingkwan
The culinary influence of India has paved the way for a variety of curries in Southeast Asia. Each country has developed unique curry dishes with its own personality and local ingredients. In this hands-on class, students will learn to make different curries with the distinct flavors of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Students use these curries in all applications, served with rice, noodles, breads, and pancakes. Items on the menu include: Cambodian banana blossom salad, Indonesian assorted satay, Malaysian dried lamb curry, Myanmar curry egg noodles, Singaporean noodle curry, Thai steamed curry fish in banana bowl and Vietnamese vegetarian curry.
Saturday, October 20
Fundamental Cooking Techniques III
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Instructor: Chef Peter Maguire
Students will learn basic cooking techniques including: en paillote, en croute, plate presentations, garnishing and side dishes. Additionally, students will learn the fundamentals of food and wine pairing.
Indian Curry Sauces
Instructor: Chef Smitha Haneef
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
In this fun, Indian inspired course, students will learn to create basic Indian sauces. The variety of sauces students will prepare include: basic curry sauce, korma sauce, and makhani sauce. Items on the menu to pair with the sauces will include: chicken curry, vegetable korma, paneer makhani, channa masala, poories, peas pulao, and mango lassi.
Light Vietnamese
Instructor: Chef Chat Mingkwan
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
With influences from China and France, Vietnamese cuisine has the perfect east meets west combination of subtle tastes and flavors. Students will explore the ingredients that make Vietnamese cuisine so popular. Vietnamese food is renowned for its healthy ingredients, especially in this hands-on class, where the cooking focuses on healthy and fresh ingredients. Students will learn to use fresh herbs, such as Vietnamese mint-rau ram, basil-rau que, ngo gai and simple techniques used in preparing popular Vietnamese dishes. Items on the menu include: hot and sour seafood soup, lemongrass chicken, mango and pumpkin pie, papaya and green mango salad, shrimp fresh spring rolls, vegetable clay pot, sauces nouc cham and dressings, and steamed rice.
Introduction to Champagne and Sparkling Wine
Instructor: Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis
12:30pm-2:00pm
$75 per person
In this 90-minute workshop, students will be introduced to the world's most seductive beverage, Champagne. Students will learn about its climate, soil, grape varieties, history, production methods, styles, as well as be exposed to other sparkling wines from around the world. This program includes a tasting of nine bubblies. For many students, this will be the beginning of a beautiful and long-lasting relationship with one of the most pleasing of all palate pleasures on the planet.###
About The Professional Culinary Institute
Founded by Chef Richard Battista in 2005, The Professional Culinary Institute of the Silicon Valley (PCI) is a premiere chef-owned culinary school located in the heart of the Silicon Valley in Campbell, California. Offering full and part time programs in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, a certified sommelier program, and a hospitality management program, PCI offers small class sizes, renowned instructors, state-of-the-art equipment and facility, a required paid externship and an Artisense method of teaching that is unique to PCI. Degrees and diplomas offered at PCI include: Diploma of Essential Professional Culinary Skills, Diploma of Essential Professional Baking and Pastry Skills, Certified Sommelier, and Associates of Occupational Science in Hospitality Management. To learn more about PCI, visit www.pcichef.com or call toll free, 1-888-PCI-LEARN.
PCI's weekend curriculum is designed to bring the revolutionary Artisense method for culinary instruction used in professional courses, to the amateur chef. Every technique is explained and demonstrated by PCI's award-winning instructors in state-of-the-art demonstration kitchens before the cooking begins.
To register for a hobby class, call 408-370-9190 or send an email to info@pcichef.com for more information. The cost of the class includes an apron and recipe packet. Weekend hobby classes are offered year round. The maximum number of students per class is 16, and the deadline to register is 72 hours prior to the class or based on space availability. Hobby classes scheduled for October include:
Saturday, October 6
Baking Fundamentals II
Instructor: Chef Stephany Buswell
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Anyone who has ever said, "I can't bake a cake from scratch," needs to take this class. As an introductory course to cake baking, this class offers students the skills and experience needed to bake a cake with confidence. Students will learn to create delicious European style buttercreams to both ice and decorate cakes, which will impress friends and family when they take home their scratch baked, fully iced cake. Items on the menu include: sponge cakes, creamed butter cakes and European style buttercreams.
Classic Italian Pizza I
Instructor: Chef Evelyne Slomon
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Let the pizza tour of Italy begin as Evelyne Slomon, one of the country's leading experts on pizza, explores the tradition and techniques of classic Italian pizzas such as the Neapolitan pizza Margherita and Quattro Stagione; Ligurian Sardinaira and the hearty Sicilian Scacciata pan pizza. Learn how to create impressive pizzas using authentic Italian 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Mozzerella di Bufala and Fior di Latte.
Southeast Asian Curry
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Instructor: Chef Chat Mingkwan
The culinary influence of India has paved the way for a variety of curries in Southeast Asia. Each country has developed unique curry dishes with its own personality and local ingredients. In this hands-on class, students will learn to make different curries with the distinct flavors of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Students use these curries in all applications, served with rice, noodles, breads, and pancakes. Items on the menu include: Cambodian banana blossom salad, Indonesian assorted satay, Malaysian dried lamb curry, Myanmar curry egg noodles, Singaporean noodle curry, Thai steamed curry fish in banana bowl and Vietnamese vegetarian curry.
Saturday, October 20
Fundamental Cooking Techniques III
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
Instructor: Chef Peter Maguire
Students will learn basic cooking techniques including: en paillote, en croute, plate presentations, garnishing and side dishes. Additionally, students will learn the fundamentals of food and wine pairing.
Indian Curry Sauces
Instructor: Chef Smitha Haneef
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
In this fun, Indian inspired course, students will learn to create basic Indian sauces. The variety of sauces students will prepare include: basic curry sauce, korma sauce, and makhani sauce. Items on the menu to pair with the sauces will include: chicken curry, vegetable korma, paneer makhani, channa masala, poories, peas pulao, and mango lassi.
Light Vietnamese
Instructor: Chef Chat Mingkwan
10am-2:30pm
$150 per person
With influences from China and France, Vietnamese cuisine has the perfect east meets west combination of subtle tastes and flavors. Students will explore the ingredients that make Vietnamese cuisine so popular. Vietnamese food is renowned for its healthy ingredients, especially in this hands-on class, where the cooking focuses on healthy and fresh ingredients. Students will learn to use fresh herbs, such as Vietnamese mint-rau ram, basil-rau que, ngo gai and simple techniques used in preparing popular Vietnamese dishes. Items on the menu include: hot and sour seafood soup, lemongrass chicken, mango and pumpkin pie, papaya and green mango salad, shrimp fresh spring rolls, vegetable clay pot, sauces nouc cham and dressings, and steamed rice.
Introduction to Champagne and Sparkling Wine
Instructor: Master Sommelier Catherine Fallis
12:30pm-2:00pm
$75 per person
In this 90-minute workshop, students will be introduced to the world's most seductive beverage, Champagne. Students will learn about its climate, soil, grape varieties, history, production methods, styles, as well as be exposed to other sparkling wines from around the world. This program includes a tasting of nine bubblies. For many students, this will be the beginning of a beautiful and long-lasting relationship with one of the most pleasing of all palate pleasures on the planet.
About The Professional Culinary Institute
Founded by Chef Richard Battista in 2005, The Professional Culinary Institute of the Silicon Valley (PCI) is a premiere chef-owned culinary school located in the heart of the Silicon Valley in Campbell, California. Offering full and part time programs in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, a certified sommelier program, and a hospitality management program, PCI offers small class sizes, renowned instructors, state-of-the-art equipment and facility, a required paid externship and an Artisense method of teaching that is unique to PCI. Degrees and diplomas offered at PCI include: Diploma of Essential Professional Culinary Skills, Diploma of Essential Professional Baking and Pastry Skills, Certified Sommelier, and Associates of Occupational Science in Hospitality Management. To learn more about PCI, visit www.pcichef.com or call toll free, 1-888-PCI-LEARN.