Private California Cooking Class in the Heart of Napa Valley

This is a unique opportunity to visit the home of a local and explore traditional culture and cuisine. Ray, a gentle soul with a big personality will welcome you into his rustic, somewhat cluttered home with a refreshing drink. Start off with a tour of Ray’s garden, where you get to sniff a few herbs (from the exotic rau ram to sage and peppermint) and explore several varieties of chilies and tomatoes. Join him in the kitchen to learn to cook 2-3 dishes. Get your hands dirty as you learn to chop, blanch and sauté seasonal vegetables and market-fresh ingredients. Ray is a professional chef who has trained several shipboard crews to serve hundreds of guests on cruise ships. Be prepared to pick up a few tricks of the trade, from how to perfectly caramelize ingredients to how to add moisture and deglaze with homemade chicken stock. Ray’s calm demeanor will put you at ease as he teaches you the basic elements of cookery and he will demonstrates just how easy it can be to put together a gourmet meal. Depending on your interests you will cook together for up to 1.5 hours in his utilitarian kitchen before sitting down to share the meal together.

Sample Menu

• Baby lettuce salad with grilled strawberries and a balsamic-cilantro dressing
• Butternut squash noodles and baby asparagus in a shallot and herb sauce
• Grilled pork loin with herb roasted peppers in a maple-mustard glaze
• Sliced fresh fruit with a warm white wine, honey, lemon drizzle
• Freshly baked pear and fig galette scented with balsamic vinegar and star anise