If you have a hard time telling stuffed shells from shallots, there’s some good news: a new cooking school is now open in the Capital Region.
For its grand opening Monday, Capital Cooks, a partnership between the chefs and management of the now-shuttered Stuyvesant Plaza Different Drummer's Kitchen, cut the ribbon with cake instead.
State Senator Jake Ashby, a Republican whose 43rd District includes the new studio and school, says the school and its classes will open people’s eyes to new cuisines.
“Not only do they serve great food, but you learn how to cook great food here and what normally has been kind of family traditions and family secrets of foods that have been recipes that have been passed down, you know, here you can come and get a multicultural experience, and really to develop your own traditions and began to hand them down,” Ashby said.
Cory Nicosia, Senior Marketing Project Manager with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, says the all-electric setup is good for the environment.
“I'm really, really excited that this place is really taken to heart the New York State Climate Act goals which calls for a 100% zero emission electricity sector by 2040. And reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by mid-century,” Nicosia said.
Co-owner Paul Barrett says being all-electric is a safety concern too, as it’s harder to burn yourself.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy says the studio will help area children.
“Not every kid's gonna want to play what we categorize as a sport. But you want to have that team atmosphere, that team, you know, when kids get together on a team, they work together, they learn together, they communicate together,” McCoy said.
The new space is outfitted with all-electric appliances. When you walk in, you’re greeted by a mural of fresh fruit and vegetables plus a hen, and several large tables. For this event, several steel countertops are being used as demonstration stations and which will be used as class tables. A roll-down doorway opens up to racks of pans and all manner of spices, plus an oven on wheels. There’s also a chalkboard calendar on the wall across from the entrance with a class schedule.
Barrett says the vision was based on learning, entertainment, and community.
“We wanted to support, and as several of the speakers have talked about, kind of the next generation of folks that are coming up and learning, you know, you could be an adult and wanting to kind of reeducate yourself about what types of meals are out there, what types of global cooking you're missing out on, or you could be a child that just has an interest in, wants to do something different than what else some of the other kids are doing,” Barrett said.
Barrett says Capital Cooks will pay the community support forward.
“We're going to be letting people lease out part of our kitchen and back. So you're a small business, you're trying to get up at the Farmers Market, but you don't have the money, you don't have the investment, you don't have the knowledge, you need some background, you can come in you can rent our kitchen from us,” Barrett said.
Caroline Barrett, the other co-owner who writes about cooking for the Times Union, says it was now or never to set out on their own.
“If we wanted to do what we love, which is sharing food with people, we had to open our own place,” Barrett said.
Ric Orlando, a frequent WAMC guest and one of the chefs teaching classes, says it’s a continuation of the relationship built at Different Drummers’.
“As soon as that one closed, I said, ‘Paul, what are we going to do? And he kept me in the loop and kept me in the loop. And when he said we're ready to go, I came in and saw when it was raw, and I was waiting,” Orlando said.
Jill Kavanaugh also began teaching with the original school. She says she’s glad to carry on a labor of love.
“I do a pretty decent mix of beginners classes like risotto for beginners, I'm doing soups and chowders. I try and do seasonal, fresh, local, I like to kind of get people to step out of their comfort zone a little bit as well," Kavanaugh said.
Patrick Manatto, an instructor with catering company Sodexo, says his classes at Capital Cooks will help other small businesses.
“Next month I'm going to be doing a cooking with beer class. So we're going to be working with local craft breweries to make beer bread, beer soup, braised chicken in beer, and I’ve got a nice recipe for Bavarian beer cookies,” Manatto said.
Classes range from sushi to macarons to knife sharpening. There’s more information here.
