Our hand-on culinary classroom gives participants an opportunity to cook with some of the most talented chefs around. Not only will you prepare a great meal, but you’ll have a chance to learn from experts about fresh ingredients and the abundance of NY State products, food and wine parings; and how they’ve developed their careers in the food and hospitality industry. After a brief introduction to the night’s menu, recipes and cooking techniques, the chef of the evening with work with you to prepare the four course feast. Nothing can be more social than cooking and eating together. Enjoy!

Monday June 26 Chef John Freezee The Renaissance at the Delmonte Lodge

Monday July 3 Chef Debbie Maruke The Highlands at Pittsford

Monday July 10 Chef Renee Nastri-Windisch Cassis Catering

Monday July 17 Chef Debra Whiting Red Newt Winery & Bistro

Monday July 24 Chef Mark Cupola Max’s Chop House

Monday July 31 Chef Dan Eaton "Cooking At Home" Time Warner Cable

Monday August 7 Chef Michael Redmond Genesee Valley Club

Monday August 21 Chef Paul Maytan Mario’s Via Abruzzi

Monday August 28 Chef Ziad Wehbe Oasis Mediterranean Bistro

No matter which come first, here’s the perfect way to spend an evening with great food and delightful wine. Learn how the components of wine and food can ultimately complement each other, and why certain combinations work better than others. You’ll taste a wide variety of wine styles, accompanied by a specially chosen food to match. Our chefs will prepare a variety of menu items that will pair perfectly with wines from these great wineries.

Tuesday June 27 The Seasonal Kitchen with the Howells SOLD OUT

Tuesday July 11 Brown Hound Bistro and Arbor Hill Winery

Tuesday July 18 Jason and Bill Merritt of Merritt Estate Vineyards

Tuesday July 25 Frank Caravita and Scott Osborn of Fox Run Vineyards

Tuesday August 1 Morten and Lisa Halgren of Ravines Winery

Tuesday August 8 Debra and Dave Whiting of Red Newt Winery & Bistro

Tuesday August 29 Holly Wilson of The Cheese Shop and Kristen VandenBrul of Winesense

Fred Forsburg (aka The Garlic Man) will educate on the various forms of garlic not typically found in the supermarket and Chef Mike will demonstrate how to make it taste great! Pestos, gremolata, aioli, bruschetta, etc.-it’s all here. Did you know there’s more to garlic that just the bulb? Learn how to use y green spring garlic, garlic scapes and more. What’s a scape? Let the Garlic Guys explain!

Participants will sample all of Chef Mike’s creations.

What can be more delicious than an organic chicken raised in a pasture? Fred Forsburg will explain how he raises chickens while Chef Mike will demonstrate some unique chicken recipes. From roasting to making superior stock for soup and sauces, participants will learn how to use the whole chicken and make fabulous meals from just one bird. Sharpen your knife skills and prepare Chicken French, Coq au Vin, Soup du jour; all paired with a wonderful NY State wine.

Farmer Fred Forsburg is your guide to understanding the bounty and depth of tomatoes – from Cerokee Purple to Green Zebras – grown at Honeyhill Farms. Participants will cook along with Chef Mike to prepare a festive, multicolored Salsa, Mahogany of Cherokee Purple Chutney, Gazpacho of many flavors and colors, and use Amish Paste tomatoes to make a fresh sauce. Also learn the secret to Honeyhill’s own No-Cook Summer Pasta Sauce. No jars or cans will be opened after this class! Enjoy!

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If you’ve always wanted to make wine but you don’t have a clue how to begin then this class is for you. Paul is a gold-medal winning amateur winemaker who has made hybrid, vinifera and fruit wines at home. He’s a graduate student at Cornell studying enology and viticulture. Paul will simplify the winemaking process, show you the equipment you’ll need to make your own wine, and give you sources for materials. You’ll also get to try some of Paul’s wines made from grapes, juice and concentrate.

Famous for his original apple cider molasses, John Loveland from Allen’s Hill Farm will amaze you with the history and flavors of this region. Learn about the pioneer pantry (cornmeal, salt, wild foods), the frontier pantry (wheat flour, spices, leavening), the rural pantry (sugars, yeast, better flours), and one pot cooking. Not to mention baked goods galore (gingerbread, cornbread, apple cake, molasses cookies!)

Finally there’s a phenomenal raw milk artisan cheese made in New York. Nancy Taber Richards from Finger Lakes Farmstead Cheeses spent a year on a farm in Switzerland and has since converted her 600 acre family farm in town a magical "cheesery". Having recently partnered with Dutch cheese-maker Jan Beuzekon, Nancy is releasing some incredible, aged goudas. If you’re a cheese lover, you’ll be in heaven when you bite into these delectable cheeses.

Miss Betty Smith was born and raised in Georgia. She learned the down home traditions of Southern cooking while working the fields. Miss Betty brought her cooking style with her when she moved to New York and began working at a glass factory. She continued to cook for church functions where the demand for her sauces was overwhelming. In this class participants will work with Miss Betty’s Sauces in using her sauces with some favorite summer foods. You’ll learn and taste that these sauces are slammin’!

The story of the Black Currant in New York is worth hearing. Once banned from the entire region, this little berry is making a huge comeback, thanks to the folks like RH Rhodes. Watch a demonstration on how to cook with black currants and you’ll taste it all.

On Winemaker Wednesdays, get an inside look at the best wineries in New York State.  Winemakers from all corners of New York are coming to the Center to reveal their winemaking secrets and let you taste the results.  Don’t miss this chance to learn about the secret life of your favorite wine!

Wednesday July 5 Dave Peterson of Goose Watch Winery, Cayuga Lake

Wednesday July 19 Vincent Aliperti of Atwater Estate Vineyards, Seneca Lake

Wednesday July 26 Mike Countryman of Casa Larga Vineyards, Fairport

Wednesday August 2 Johannes Reinhardt of Anthony Road Wine Co., Seneca Lake

Wednesday August 9 Randy Biehl of Eveningside Vineyards and Dominic Carisetti of Niagara

Landing and the Winery at Marjim Manor, Niagara Escarpment

Wednesday August 30 Sayre Fulkerson and John Iszard of Fulkerson’s Winery, Seneca Lake and Juice Plant and John Brahm of Arbor Hill Grapery, Canandaigua Lake

Wednesday September 6 Peter Bell of Fox Run

Come experience the diversity of New York State wines. This class is designed to not only teach you about wine, but to explain how the different growing regions in NY State impact the final product. You’ll tour our gardens to understand how the grapes are grown and then compare wines of the Hudson River Region, the Niagara Escarpment, the Finger Lakes, Long Island and Lake Erie. Each week, Lorraine will guide you through tasting of many wines. You’ll learn the proper way to taste so that all your senses will be engaged.

Session 1: Introduction to NY State Wines Session 6: Roses

Session 2: Sparklers Session 7: Reds

Session 3: Whites Session 8: Cabernet Franc

Session 4: Rieslings Session 9: Pinot Noir

Session 5: Chardonnay Session 10: Ports and Ice Wine

Jim Schleich is a sales representative from Lauber Imports and has a palate for Riesling! Join Jim and become a Riesling afficianado as you taste Rieslings in many different styles from a variety of different "terriors". This food-friendly wine has become one of New York State’s signatures. Come find out why.

Have you ever wanted to describe wine the way the experts do? How do flavors of peach, vanilla, cherry, citrus, hazelnut, coffee and butterscotch get into a glass of wine? Here’s your chance to taste like the pros. Thomas will teach you to understand the true nature of wine, its makeup, its relationship to culture and its wonderful affinity to food. You’ll also learn how to store wine, order wine in a restaurant, and most importantly, how to decipher a wine label. An ideal class for beginners as well as experienced wine drinkers.

Thursday July 13 The Beginning

(An overview of wine history, and wine components)

Thursday July 20 How to Taste Wine

(From choosing glassware to appearance, temperature, aroma, & taste)

Thursday July 27 Cool and Warm Climates

(Affects on winemaking methods, NY appellations and tasting with food)

Thursday August 3 Reading Labels

(Appellation systems, label information, obfuscation technique, the sulfite story,

varietal tastings paired with food)

Thursday August 10 Sparkling Wines

(History and methods of NY’s sparkling wine production)

Thursday August 17 Dessert Wines

(types, climate, sugar, acids, late harvest, ice and fortified)

In this class, wines regions of Oregon, France, California, New Zealand, Chile and Italy will be measured against the wines of New York State. How are our counterparts from around the world similar or different to wines produced here? You’ll experience some side-by-side tastings of varietals from other growing regions to see just how New York State’s "sense of place" really makes a difference.

Thursday August 11 Whites

Thursday August 18 Reds

Thursday August 25 Sparklings

Thursday September Dessert Wines

Sandy Waters is the sales director for NYS wines with Eber Brothers Wine & Liquor Corporation, a leading distributor. If you’ve never experienced a "Sandy" seminar, you’re in for a treat! Known as the cruise director of the New York Wine Fleet, Sandy will take you on a trip through the state that you’ll not soon forget. Taste 10 wines on the tour, and experience the rich history of New York. Enjoyable, Educational and Extremely Engaging!

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We can’t think of a better activity for your children than to come to our Culinary Kid’s classes. Mom and Dad can take turns bringing their future chef to our hands-on classroom for a morning of entertainment, cooking and good eats. The chef of the week will demonstrate safe and easy recipes for children from ages 6 through 12 (one parent must accompany every 2 children.) Cost: $40.00 per child (parents come free!)

Time: 10:00-12:00 pm

Saturday July 7 Revolting Recipes with Chef Jennifer Matteson

Saturday July 15 Fruit Pizza Extravaganza with Chef Tia Dickson

Saturday July 22 Sweet Summer Snacks with Chef Debbie Maruke

Saturday August 12 Fresh from the Garden Pizza with Chef Debbie Maruke

Saturday August 19 Funky, Fruity, Frozen Treats with Chef Jennifer Matteson

Saturday August 26 Pasta Mania with Chef Dale Atilli and sons, Joseph and Jared

With harvest season beginning, Michael will introduce the incredible variety of Farm Markets in the Finger Lakes. Anyone who eats 4 ears of corn, seven nights a week for the entire season, must know something about the subject. Farm Markets offer much more than fresh produce, and are a tremendous variety of specialty foods.

Don’t have dessert this evening, because Michael will be bringing some of the best pies and desserts produced in the Rochester and Finger Lakes areas for you to enjoy. Scheduled during the harvest season, and the range of pies alone could occupy the entire evening, However, you’ll also sample great breads and ethnic treats.