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.

Chef: Adam D’Sylva, Coda & Tonka Bar
Adam’s food has Asian influences even though his mother is Italian, his father Sri Lankan. These soups borrow from both cultures and double as main meals with everything from a crab and corn soup and a chicken vegetable and rice Mulligatawny, to a Tuscan bean Ribollita.

Chef: Chris Chee Ong
Thai curries vary so much from Indian and Malaysian, they have a refined sense of region and season, with dishes such as yellow duck curry, some curried wok fried noodles and an unusual curry in a betel leaf parcel. You will book your flights immediately!

Chef: Peter Gunn & Lindsay Fush, IDES Catering & Events
Take one table, 50 dessert components and gather around to build the most amazing
mega dessert. If you are fascinated by molecular gastronomy and ultra modern
techniques, this is your class. Peter even accommodates the cheese lovers with a section just for you. So if you love the sound of vanilla hazelnuts, macadamia puree, feijoa jam, orange oil, licorice, rosewater granite, pickled blueberries, dark chocolate tansy fudge sauce, candied cocao nibs, Davidson plum jam, pumpkin wafer, toffee apple and balsamic syrup then you must be part of this incredible experience!

Chef: Travis McAuley, Hellenic Republic
George Calombaris made the Greek dessert Loukamathes famous on SBS Food Safari
and it features on the menu at his Hellenic Republic - clever Head Chef Travis McAuley
shows us these classic Greek dishes served in the modern style including those delicious buttery Kourambiethes bikkies, sticky nutty multilayered baklava and more.

Chef: Antonio Catania, Antonio’s Fine Cuisine
Winter is the best time to be in the kitchen making goodies for the whole week, from breads and rolls, to the dough for chef quality pizza bases and some weekend pastries. Then we share in some of the warm breads for an early lunch while Mum shops.

Chef: Antonio Catania, Antonio’s Fine Cuisine
Today when everyone else is shopping the lucky Teens get to learn some great dishes and Italian techniques while enjoying brunch. Including arancini balls, their own hand made pasta and a creamy layered dessert.

Chef: Julie Thai
Kids crave puddings, it’s the gooey, yummy, runny centre and the warmth of a winter
dessert that catches them - today they will help make the puddings then sit and eat them before Mum returns, puddings include caramel sticky date pudding, chocolate mania pudding and tangy lemon delicious.

Chef: Julie Thai
Teens sit down to lunch while the parents shop! With great Mexican flavoured and inspired recipes that have an authentic edge, including tacos, nachos and stringy cheese quesadillas.

Chef: Keshav Kadel, Marpha
Thali is the complete Indian dinner for the family it’s usually served in small bowls for everyone to share, a type of build-your-own dinner; Eggplant pakoda (fritters), Bhuna chicken (panfried Chicken) Konkan coconut fish (fish in coconut sauce), and Daal Aaloo paratha (bread with an unusual potato filling).

Chef: Emma Mackay
From ‘Vampira’s Molle’ chicken burrito to tostadas, tacos and Aroz con Leche, then sweet corn ‘on a stick’ and delicious Mojito, Emma has it covered. Street food is the authentic food, it’s unrivalled for showing us the heart of a city.

Chef: Pierre Petrucelli
The first dish Pierre covers is really about learning two dishes at the same time, because it starts with risotto and ends in an filled calamari, ‘pouched’ with a seafood risotto, and served on a tomato basil sauce and delicious versatile Lamb ‘shanks’ that are slow cooked and served on a soft parsnip mash.

Chef: John Savage, Hotel Sofitel
This time beef is the star and truffles are the side-kick when we learn to handle everything from a beef consommé with shin of beef filled ravioli to Wagyu beef bresaola with celeriac, crispy quail egg and truffle dressing to braised ribs of Victorian beef, with truffle creamed potato and Madeira jus.

Chef: Travis McAuley, Hellenic Republic
Greek dishes that celebrate the cold nights in delicious, steaming shared pots from a
braised lamb, to peppers stuffed with beef and tomato (Gemista) and a seafood kakavia
(Fisherman’s Soup). There’s no formality with these delicious winter favourites from the restaurant that reminded us how brilliant Greek food can be.

Chef: Andre DeLaine
Having worked with Tobie Puttock and Adam D’Sylva after years spent cooking in Canada,
Andre will show us an art he picked up overseas. It’s about the fundamentals of both hot and cold smoking through brining and curing fish and meats, cold smoked salmon with globe artichoke and crème fraiche. A ‘smoke roasted’ pork loin with raisin puree and marinated black mussel and smoked tomato blinis.

Chef: Jerome Tremoulet, The Prep Kitchen
Jerome now cooks for people to dine in their own homes, what better step to take after
time spent at The Grange and The Windsor Restaurants. In this class it’s all about cooking at home in the French style with dishes including a corn veloute, duck confit with braised savoy cabbage and delicious pear pastry - clafoutis.

Chef: Chris Chee Ong
From caramelised pork to lotus wrapped sticky rice, claypot chicken with shiitake
mushrooms and vermicelli noodle beef stirfry these dishes evoke the world that is
Vietnam with its aromas, colours and textures all bundled into four dishes.

Chef: Tony Pham, George The Fishmonger at Queen Victoria Market
Tony is a long way from home these days, but he ensures the fire burns brightly through the food. In this class it’s through barbecue pork, rice noodles, hand made
spring rolls with all their sides and Tony’s very own Fish sauce. It’s a great way to get that authentic taste of Vietnam into your own dishes.

Chef: James Smythe, Bouzy Rouge
Bouzy Rouge has always led the field of modern gastro pubs with the funkiest décor
around and a very contemporary menu to match! James will cook duck in the most varied ways, from a confit with celeriac remoulade, to a parfait with Pedro Ximenes jelly, a home smoked breast with spiced quince paste and he will even give us an extraordinary opportunity to see and taste foie gras!

Chef: John Savage, Hotel Sofitel
From Moroccan braised lamb with cous cous and Middle Eastern koftas, to French style lamb shanks with boulangere potato and curried lamb saag with biryani rice. John demonstrates the versatility of Lamb and how to use our imagination to create inspirational dishes for entrée or main course.

Chef: Stephen Ives, Garden Organics Store at Queen Victoria Market
Stephen was the grand final winner of the Market’s annual Trader Cook-Off. The modest former chef was a hit so we invited him back to show us his favourite risottos and their ultimate versatility. Stephen hails from the Garden Organics stall, so it’s all about the produce. He cooks a mussel, tomato, pea and goat’s cheese risotto, Duck and quince risotto and a mushroom and creamy blue cheese risotto.

Chef: Robert Wooller
Robert has traveled the world cooking and he’s fascinated by the food of the Middle East. He makes three variations of Hummus, a traditional ‘Fesenjan’ stew combining fruits with various meats, Cous cous that can be served as main course or a side and
either hot or cold, aromatic grilled lamb skewers with tabouleh and to finish seasonal
poached fruits in rose water.

Chef: Richard Cornish, Features Journalist & Author
You’ve all seen the fabulous Movida books that Richard co-authored with Frank Camorra. We can literally taste his words, he writes with such passion. After an intense period studying the roots of Mexican Food with top chefs and the people of the villages Richard returns with beautiful stories about corn, its importance to the Mexican people and its precarious future. With stories, stunning photographic presentations and a hands on tortilla class you too can make the perfect quesadlilla.

Chef: Adam D’Sylva, Coda & Tonka Bar
Curry is a global favourite from Beef Vindaloo, an English take on Chicken Tikka and
biryani rice to a twelve spices Sri Lankan goat curry. Adam shows us the diversity of his heritage and his menu, with the full spectrum of flavours featured in one class.

Chef: Jerry Mai
Jerry has convinced her Mother - a brilliant cook in her own right, to share her secret family Pho recipe….Beef Pho was possibly the first dish many Australians experienced when the Vietnamese people first migrated and it varies according to region. Jerry cooks Pho and the delicious Pork wonton egg noodle soup.

Chef: Johnny Di Francesco, 400 Gradi
Having competed in the World Pizza Olympics in Naples and presented at Ceasars Palace in Vegas, Johnny is perfectly placed to teach us everything we need to know about the
base dough’s and the toppings. It’s about getting the dough as light as air, cooking at high temperatures and authentic Napoletana toppings.

Chef: Tina & Cristos Partsioglou, Xocolatl Chocolatiers
From chocolate appreciation, chocolate tasting and chocolate tempering Cristos and Tina who are the masters of the chocolate world will teach you three delicious chocolate recipes. They will unravel the ‘crystallisation’ curve and you will be hands-on making a luscious raspberry ganache and hazelnut truffle, a Venezuelan origin enrobed ganache and a delicious Grand Marnier molded chocolate.

Chef: Riccardo Momesso, Sarti
Riccardo is the champion of game cooking in Melbourne, where local produce meets
Calabrian flavours in dishes including Calabrian sweet and sour rabbit, wild duck polpetti with pistachio and lemon myrtle, risotto with pigeon and ‘crushed’ peas and tartare of wallaby with quail eggs and puffed grains.

Chef: Dan Szwarc, Fenix
Dan is running the kitchen at the beautiful Fenix in Richmond these days, but it’s his
homeland that inspires him in this class with dishes that embrace offal, from crispy sweetbreads and grilled kidneys to pickled tongue, a liver pate, lambs fry and finally a traditional Argentinean tripe stew - Mondongo.