Cooking "fantasy camp"?

[coffeeroaster]

Hi all,

I wasn't sure where to start with this question, but I'm in SE Michigan so maybe my fellow midwesterners can help me. My husband is turning 40 in December; he's a chef wanna-be with some solid skills, and I want to give him a great birthday gift/celebration. My first choice is CIA advanced bootcamp, but with travel, lodging and missing a week of his real job teaching calculus, it's not really affordable or practical. So, I'm looking for a creative way to give him some hands-on instructional time (beyond the local "meals in minutes" kind of thing) plus a couple of great meals and maybe a wine tasting... Is this ringing any bells for anyone? I'm assuming there's some kind of established 2 or 3 day program I could sign him up for, but I'm not above trying to cobble this together myself. This guy really deserves a great birthday. Any ideas? I'd pretty much consider any location in the eastern or central time zones, but obviously Great Lakes states are ideal. Thanks in advance!!

[elfin]

See if you can hook up with a local chef of note and see if he/she will let hubby work in his/her kitchen for a shift. Some chefs do this for charity auction items so if you approach the chef with a donation to his/her favorite charity you may be able to do this. A really expensive'"I would never buy this for myself'" knife is a great gift to open.

[coffeeroaster]

See if you can hook up with a local chef of note and see if he/she will let hubby work in his/her kitchen for a shift.  Some chefs do this for charity auction items so if you approach the chef with a donation to his/her favorite charity you may be able to do this.  A really expensive'"I would never buy this for myself'" knife is a great gift to open.

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Do you think so? He would love that but I didn't want to be out of line or put anyone on the spot. My husband really could help, though; it would not have to be a mini class or anything. I'd pay for this, or I could donate to charity in the chef's name or something...

Thanks Elfin! Oh, and I love Megan's sandwich recipe, too.

Edited September 10, 2008 by coffeeroaster (log)

[jgm]

Look around for a chef who will do on-demand classes in people's homes. You could schedule the class for him and some friends, or for just him and the chef, and then invite friends over to eat the results. Not every chef would be willing to do it, but I'll bet there are a few in your area who would.

[Marmish]

This might not be at the level you want, but something like a bed and breakfast with cooking classes might work. One example: http://www.wickwoodinn.com/sample_class.htm

[tammylc]

Tapawingo in Ellsworth, MI has had weekend long cooking classes. I've never been, but from the description they might be a great fit for your hubby. Unfortunately, that part of their website is broken right now, but you should give them a call and see what they have available.

http://www.tapawingo.net/

[LuckyGirl]

Tapawingo in Ellsworth, MI has had weekend long cooking classes. I've never been, but from the description they might be a great fit for your hubby. Unfortunately, that part of their website is broken right now, but you should give them a call and see what they have available.

http://www.tapawingo.net/

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Tammy's suggestion of Tapawingo is a great one.

My husband and I have been there for a weekend cooking class and it was so, so wonderful. The class was a good balance of hands on cooking, dining and wine tasting. I really can't recommend it enough.

[Merridith]

I did the CIA advanced boot camp last June and let me tell you it was sooooooooo worth the expense. You could give it to your hubby for that time of year - when perhaps he is off for the summer. It changed me forever. I was a good home cook with plenty of experience before but I learned an incredible amount. The boot camps are limited to 16 people per class and there is also lots of student help available. Most of the learning is "hands on" and the teachers are truly interested in teaching and helping - not just in taking the money and running. The good thing is that the expense is confined to the tuition, transportation and lodging. All food is provided (three meals a day). See if you can find another friend to send her husband and they can stay together and share the rental car - this will keep the expense down. There are good flight deals to LaGuardia. The local hotels in Hyde Park are very cheap - nothing fancy b&b's that give a good discount to the CIA boot campers because they do not eat the breakfasts at the b&b. I would encourage you to try to make this work. By the way, I would take any of the 5 day boot camps - there is much to be learned from all of these. I hope to take the pastry and baking one next summer. Finally, at least half of the 16 students in my class were there because a spouse gave the camp as a gift!