Feature

Cooking With Class

De Gustibus at Macy's Herald Square
Main ingredients: Over the past twenty years, De Gustibus has seen more than 500 chefs tip their toques in its kitchen. As luck would have it, I got to attend a class taught by Mr. $500-a-Plate himself, Alain Ducasse, and I'm still drooling for his roast veal with vegetables in garlic-shallot butter. (And now, instead of trekking over to the Essex House, I can whip it up at home.) I also took Advanced Knife Skills, Pasta-Making, and Hors d'Oeuvres under the tutelage of less hyped but equally skilled star chefs. All four classes were top-flight, with plenty of attention from the chefs and staff (at least a half-dozen kitchen assistants are constantly buzzing about, organizing, cleaning, and helping to answer questions). Most of the 60-odd courses offered each semester are demonstrations and tastings. But the hands-on classes were my favorites.

Signature dish: Culinary styles vary by chef (recent teachers have included celebrated Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, the dessert king Jacques Torres, and the maestro Italiano Giuliano Bugialli). No matter what cuisine you crave, invariably there will be a class here to sate your palate. Happily, De Gustibus is generous with amuse-bouches to nibble on before class, with vino during meals, and with doggie bags.

Details: 151 West 34th Street, eighth floor (212-439-1714); call for schedule. Prices: $80 to $155 per session. Limit, 24 students per class.

The Sustainable Cuisine Project at the Earth Pledge Foundation
Main ingredients: Academic issues like genetically modified foods and natural-resource depletion may not sound like the sort of thing you'd take up in your spare time. But it doesn't have to be that way. At the Sustainable Cuisine Project, learning about the benefits of supporting local food producers, maximizing the use of ingredients when cooking, and making informed choices regarding what to eat can be fun as well as edifying. If the menu features a fish dish, then the opening discussion might focus on the fishing industry, endangered species, and the debate over farm-raised versus wild fish. The foundation's handsome turn-of-the-century carriage house features a well-equipped, open kitchen that can accommodate eight students.

Signature dish: A few typical courses include butterflied leg of grass-fed lamb, grilled and served with an olive-caper sauce; homemade rosemary pasta; bourride of striped bass with tarragon aïoli; and roasted Comice pears with home-made caramel sauce or ginger tuile cookies. If this is what a sustainable planet tastes like, we're all for it.

Details: 149 East 38th Street (212-573-6968, extension 4); call for schedule. Price: $110, including wine. Limit, eight students.