edible notables
CLASS DYNAMICS
Program incorporates farmers’ bounty.
WRITTEN BY AMY HARRIS
PHOTO BY SHEA EVANS
D ouglas Dale has a whistle from the days he used to coach football. Now, instead of using it on the field he uses it in the kitchen. During his summer Farmers’ Market Cooking Classes the kitchen gets hectic. A total of 12 participants, plus Dale and a few other chefs, fill the small space, chopping, cooking, mixing, and prepping a four-course lunch meal.
“I blow a whistle to control them all,” Dale says, laughing. “No one can hear me when they start working.”
Three years ago Dale, head chef and owner of Wolfdale’s Cuisine Unique in Tahoe City, started teaching cooking classes in his restaurant kitchen. From June through September, his students show up at 9 a.m. to learn professional cooking techniques that highlight seasonal farmers’ market produce. Participants break up into teams depending on which course they want to make.
“We encourage people to make new friends,” Dale says. “Husbands and wives and mothers and daughters tend to argue so we try to get them on different teams.”
Once the teams are established, and the arguing pairs separated, the crew takes a short walk from the restaurant to the Foothill Farmers’ Market. For 45 minutes the group shops for ingredients, filling their wagons with fresh local produce and talking to farmers. Then the group heads back to the kitchen where they start prepping.
“When they come back to the kitchen they know what they’re doing,” Dale says. “For about an hour and 15 minutes it’s pure madness. I just try to make sure everyone is safe.”
Dale and one or two other Wolfdale’s chefs coach and monitor the group. This is where the real learning takes place. From chopping vegetables to emulsifying vinaigrette to cooking and plating enough food for 20 people, the students learn how to professionally serve large groups.
When the food is prepared, team members present and serve their course. Significant others and family members come in for lunch. Team members talk about the farmers from whom they bought their ingredients, what they learned from the farmers, and what they learned in the kitchen. The Wolfdale’s sommelier pairs wine with each course. And at the end of the meal a guest speaker addresses the group.
The class is an intimate experience, both for the students and chefs. Dale prefers the interactive atmosphere of his classes to chef demos. At demos, he stands in front of a crowd, makes food, audiences taste the food, clap, and then go home.
“Here people get an apron, a towel, knife, cutting stations, and it’s time to go to work,” Dale says. “I like giving them a little pressure, too. I’ll say OK, you’re feeding 20 people in 45 minutes. Get your act together!”
Dale says the class also is a summer celebration. Participants eat lunch outside, enjoying views of the lake while consuming food and wine that express the season.
“I love teaching people how to cook and I’m really supportive of the farmers’ markets and the farmers, whom I adore,” Dale says. “You really learn about fresh food, health, and how to ask the right questions of a farmer. The class has brought us great customers and allowed us to really connect to the community.”
Amy Harris is a Lake Tahoe local and writer. Wolfdale’s and the Foothills Farmers’ Market are two of her favorite foodie venues in Tahoe City. She looks forward to participating in a cooking class in the future.
RESOURCES
Douglas Dale’s Farmers’ Market Cooking Classes are offered every Thursday from late June to September. To reserve your spot, call Wolfdale’s at 530-583-5700. Nothing To It Culinary Center is helping organize the June 28 class. For details on that class, visit www.Nothingtoit.com.
