Education

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EDUCATION: Is Culinary School Worth It?

January 14, 2010 in Education | Comment

COOKSCHOOL

Interest in cooking as a profession has shot through the roof, and culinary schools have seen big surges in enrollment as a result. But in uncertain economic times, and for a field where few go on to earn huge salaries, the $100,000 price tag for tuition is a massive commitment. A culinary degree may seem like a necessity for aspiring cooks, but can you really afford to be saddled with that much debt while slaving your way up the ranks of low-paying restaurant work? Many can’t or won’t take on that burden. But skipping school isn’t a dream-killer. For every famous school-trained chef, there’s a Mario Batali or a Ferran Adria who did just fine without a degree. If you’ve ever considered enrolling in a pricey program, I recommend you first take a look at this report by Atlantic Food Channel writer Paul Wachter.

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CLASSES: Brooklyn Kitchen Fall Schedule

October 15, 2009 in Education | Comment

BKITCHEN

Brooklyn Kitchen have massively expanded their operation with the huge new Brooklyn Kitchen Labs space. Scheduled to open in November, it will feature two giant kitchen classrooms to house their new cooking school program. They’ve just published their new fall class schedule today, and it’s first come, first served, so get on it quick if you’re interested. They’ve got classes on pig butchering, charcuterie, artisanal bread making, knife skills, and a lot more – check here for the full program.

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OPEN: Dickson’s Farmstand Meats

October 14, 2009 in Markets | Comment

DICKSONS

There’s a new purveyor of naturally-raised meats in town: Dickson’s Farmstand Meats has opened in the Chelsea Market. Here’s how they describe their goods:

Heritage breed, grass-fed or organic? These are our farms. We select them based on quality, commitment to sustainable land use, and humane handling practices. All our farms must meet the following baseline criteria :

  • The entire supply chain (farm to slaughterhouse to point-of-sale) must be no more than 400 miles long.
  • Animal based feeds, prophylactic antibiotics or added hormones are not administered at any point of the animal’s life.
  • The animals from which our meat comes must spend their life on the farm – no CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations) or feedlots.

Sounds good to me. They’ll be butchering these quality beasts on-site at the Chelsea Market, behind a big glass window – a sort of peep show for carnivores. So if you consider breaking down a pig into ribs and chops a spectator event, you’ll want to head down asap. In addition to pork, they also carry beef, lamb and poultry. Butchery classes are available, and there’s a lunch counter that will serve a variety of meaty sandwich specials. Check their website for details.

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OPENING: The Meat Hook

September 15, 2009 in Education, Markets | Comment

MYLAN

Brooklyn meat evangelist/celebrity butcher Tom Mylan announces great news for carnivores and herbivores alike (from a post at Brooklyn Based):

“Well, now that we have permits and such I guess I can finally break the silence and spill about our new space. Me and Brent (Young, formerly of Marlow and Daughters) and Harry and Taylor from the Brookyln Kitchen have joined forces to open a food dork megaplex on the north side of Williamsburg on Meeker under the BQE.

Born out of an old bowling supply factory, we are opening a multi-use space we have been referring to as “The Lab.” It will house New York’s first real cooking school for home cooks, featuring a huge 2000-square-ft. teaching kitchen/dining room, a secondary teaching kitchen on the second floor, beer and wine making supplies, a full complement of professional baking goods, a serious selection of cookbooks and how-to manuals, as well as a whole room dedicated to bulk spices and local grains and legumes.

To top it all off the space will be home to The Meat Hook, me and Brent’s full-service butcher shop that will have local, sustainable meat and poultry, amazing sausages and a huge selection of ready to use stocks, sauces and prepared foods. We’ll be doing Wild Turkey wild turkeys, whole fresh and cured hams, glorious beef roasts for Thanksgiving and don’t get me started on the crazy things we have planned for the holidays, New Year’s and the Superbowl! There will also be plenty of butchering, sausage and charcuterie classes as well. Permits, construction and the gods willing we should open ourover-stuffed doors in late October for end of year food mayhem.”

The Meat Hook & Brooklyn Kitchen Labs
100 Frost Street | Brooklyn, NY 11211
Scheduled to open in November



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