Chef: Dan Szwarc, Fenix
If you’ve noticed a change these days at Gary ‘Masterchef’ Mehigan’s restaurant Fenix it’s because Dan Szwarc is at the helm. His South American heritage shines through the
classic escabeche, to pickles, slow cooked meats, short ribs with apple salad, patagonian tooth fish with corn humita and Dulce de leche rice pudding with ice cream.

Chef: Robert Wooller
This time Robert slashes the shopping budget on a trip to Italy where no one will realise how little was spent in creating these authentically Euro dishes. Beetroot risotto with braised ham, oven baked polenta and chicken, easy potato gnocchi with a duo of sauces and an oven baked fish with tomatoes and crunchy topping.

Chef: Jerome Tremoulet, The ‘Prep’ Kitchen
Jerome wowed us at The Windsor and this class is about his homeland France with dishes including parfait of chicken, a braised beef cheek for cold Sunday evenings and
sublime chocolate cream.

Chef: Chris Chee Ong
Chris describes this class as “only real Chinese food” and with roasted duck and lychee, a san choi bau wrapped in lettuce Buddha cups, chicken sticky rice steamed in lotus leaf parcels and a classic claypot, ‘Pockmarked’ grandma's soft bean curdchilli bean beef and Szechuan peppercorn, you can see why he wants to separate this cuisine from the rest.

Chef: Matthew Donnelly, Chef/Forager
Forager’s have enjoyed a revival over the last few years, seeking out the unusual, the local and the seasonal. Matthew talks about foraging and shows us how to prepare and preserve many variations of mushroom in dishes such as wild mushroom croquettes with cauliflower purée, wild mushrooms with foraged herbs and white polenta and a crispy skinned cod with clams and ‘Grey Ghost’ mushrooms.

Chef: Riccardo Momesso, Sarti
Take a leaf out of Riccardo’s formidable book when we learn to use and cook ‘freshwater’ seafood …from oven roasted baby Murray cod with pistachio and black olive crust, Spaghetti with yabbies and fresh cherry tomatoes and roasted barramundi fillets with an unusual vinegar, tomato and bread sauce.

Chef: Scott Eddington, Mamasita
Scott continues our love affair with everything Mexican through dishes that have made
Mamasita the hottest Mexican around. “Antojitos” – or street food from Southern Mexico
are the focus including Salsa de Cacahute - Y Arbol (peanut and arbol salsa), Tostadas de Pato con Chipotle (chipotle braised duck tostadas), Chalupas con pollo (corn dough topped with chicken), Gaspacho and finally a mango and jicama dessert.

Chef: Matthew Forbes
Matthew has worked for some of the world’s culinary leaders from Raymond Blanc and
Michele Roux to Shannon Bennett. He will soon have his own Patisserie Bakery, so let him show you the fascinating world of pastries and dough from golden fruit brioche to rough puff pastry, sweet shortcrust and croissant dough.

Chef: Antonio Catania, Antonio’s Fine Cuisine
Annually Italians around the world take to the chopping board and mincer and create the most incredibly moorish salamis that last the whole year. Antonio insists that the only way to really understand this ritual is by being totally hands-on. So we are clearing the decks to prepare for this annual homage to the humble and delicate salami.

Chef: Emma Mackay
Picture this….a street in Northern Africa, a sidewalk overflowing with food sellers and cooks serving everything from Harera (soup), Sardines in tomato and Cilantro, Mint Tea (Granita), Afghans, Lamb Kofta, and golden Chicken Pastilla, an adventure in food.

Chef: John Savage, Hotel Sofitel
John lets you take the reins in this hands-on Euro class covering three courses, showing you techniques as much as recipes. An opportunity to use numerous ingredients with Salad of confit and home cured duck with apple balsamic dressing, seared John Dory with broad beans, lentils, pea shoots and balsamic dressing, and a warm chocolate fondant with Grand Marnier whipped cream.

Chef: Tony Pham, George The Fishmonger at Queen Victoria Market
Tony had an amazing adventure coming to Australia via England where he lived and
studied. Now in Melbourne he is immersed in the food culture of Vietnam, and working at George’s ensures seafood is always the focus of his dishes. In this class he shows us authentic Tom Yum, a dish loved by all, but cooked by few. It’s a step by step class from the base stock to the final multi faceted serving.

Chef: Andre DeLaine
Winter is here but the Autumn produce is still around so Andre really makes the most of ‘both’ seasons with ‘Torn’ poached chicken with apple, radish and cucumber. A blue-eye cod baked “en papillot” in a parcel with green olive and globe artichoke puree, peas and new season brussels and finally chocolate, rhubarb & quince cobbler with chocolate fondant molten topping.

Chef: Gavin Draper, Upon This Rock Café
Gavin has devised creative ways to go gluten free in many nationalities. First up it’s Indian with interesting dishes including a delicious golden onion bhaji, chat marsala dosa, Saag paneer, Dahl rice, butter chicken and pistachio burfi. All of course totally fine if you have a gluten intolerance or even if you just want to cut back.