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2008-09 Classes

New classes updated August 1

Chef Walter’s Cooking Classes are available to individuals and groups.

Chef Walter has created very special hands-on cooking classes, team building classes and private cooking party programs.  Individuals will learn to capture the art of specialty gourmet cooking.  Groups will experience working together as a team to bond relationships and work more effectively in organizations.

We will begin our 12th year of culinary events in September 2007. Tuesday classes are limited to 6-8 students and Wednesday are reserved for special group programs which you can choose from the additional topics listed below. All classes are hands-on.

Each Hands-on cooking class is $75.00 per class per person, unless otherwise specified. 

Classes run from 6:30 - 8.30 PM followed by dinner

If you have a special Group request, contact us and we will do our best to accommodate you.  We will supply you with recipes, apron, and side towel.  The rest is lots of fun with some good friends and one glass of wine to complement the evening.

October

Essentials of Tuscan Cooking
 

Tuscany is the heartland of Italy with its foods reflecting the very best of Italy's home cooking, it's roots originating from cucina povera, or peasant cookery. The Tuscans are well known for their superior yet simple dishes, which arise from using the freshest available products. They believe in enhancing the purity and natural flavor of ingredients, rather than trying to camouflage with excess sauces and seasonings.

November

Sauce Workshop: The Classics - Hands-on


In this comprehensive back-to-basics sauce class, students will learn the traditional methods of preparing classic "foundation" sauces. We'll provide lots of instruction and personal guidance and will also share ideas for incorporating classic sauces into menus and making some popular variations of the classic sauces. Sauces will be tasted throughout the class. At the conclusion, you will sample a few prepared dishes to highlight some of the sauces.

December

January

The Righteous Rice -  Risotto - - Hands-on
 

These are known as the "Grains of Wisdom." Risotto goes beyond its Italian pedigree.  It has global reach.  Risotto's flexibility - it can take near endless combinations of proteins and vegetables.  These dishes appeal to everyone since they have a smooth, creamy texture and is very versatile.  Adapt seasonal ingredients and multiple flavor combinations for the ultimate Risotto dishes.

February

Sauce Workshop: Contemporary Sauces  - Hands-on
 

 In this comprehensive back-to-basics sauce class, we will tech you the traditional methods of preparing contemporary sauces that may appear difficult to recreate but are, in fact, easy for the home cook to make.  Students will be guided through an impressive assortment of contemporary sauces with lots of instruction and personal guidance. Successful suggestions will be offered for using these sauces in your menus at home. Some sauces will be tasted during the class; others will be enjoyed at the conclusion of class.

March

Ragús and Stews - Hands-on
 

Making ragùs or stews involves three simple steps: browning the vegetables and meats, reducing flavorful liquids over the browned foods to build up layers of taste, then covering them with liquid and simmering gently until the flavors have blended and the meats are tender. Enhance your cooking by learning the fundamentals of searing, braising and stewing.  How to make ragús and stews to add to any pasta dish or to serve alone. We'll show you how to make our famous veal stew, lamb stew, Bolognese sauce and more. This class is not one you want to miss.

April

Abruzzo - Hands-on

 
In this region, the mountains stretch from the Adriatic to the highest point of the Apennines.  The traditional cooking is a more rustic version.  On the Coast, they are famous for their majestic fish stews and soups, which are matters of great local pride and often heated discussions.  This is the section of Italy named the "Garden of Europe" for its green pastures, natural habitat, the largest national park, the Adriatic Sea and the finest food, but most of all my birthplace with a very memorable cuisine of which most are unaware.
 

May

Northern Italian - from Piemonte to Veneto - Hands-on

 
 Some of the most mouth watering dishes come from the north of Italy.  This class is always in high demand!  We will prepare some of the most amazing and authentic northern Italian dishes such as rigatone alla bolognose, stuffed chicken breast, risotto with wild mushrooms, and of course dessert.

Additional Class topics

Customize your own class, maximum 12 guests

Mediterranean Cuisine - from Spain to Greece - Hands-on

To experience the warm sun drenched climate of the North African Coast.  To marvel in the wonders of the excellent cuisine the Mediterranean has to offer.  While the sun may not be shining outside here, it will be in this class.

Pasta Ripiena - Filled Pasta - Hands-on

Learn how to make ravioli like a pasta master.  We will share with you tips on how to make the perfect past and then stuff it with a variety of delectable ingredients.  Ravioli as a Cicchette, an appetizer, an entree and even as dessert.

 Come celebrate this versatile fruit, the olive, in this special demonstration cooking class, lecture and comparative tasting devoted to the olive and olive oil..

Seafood from the Ligurian Coast - Hands-on
   
Italy's Ligurian coast is best known for the luxurious town of Portofino.  Bust just as beguiling as this jewel-like port are the area's seafood offerings, which range from subtle soups to garlicky sautes to sumptuous pastas.  Join Chef Walter for this hands on exploration of the flavors of the Ligurian coast.

Italian Tapas/Cicchette and Wine Party

The Italians have Cicchette which means an introduction and the Spanish have Tapas or "Little Dishes."  This is a centuries-old tradition in Spain and part of the fiber of Spanish life, but have only recently attracted attention in this country. We are obviously just as fond of "little bites" as Spaniards, and tapas take appetizers into a whole new world, placing them squarely at center stage and creating an entirely new style of eating and entertaining.

Baked Italian Pasta Dishes - Hands-on

If the term baked pasta brings to mind just a simple pan of lasagne, it is time to expand your horizons. Baked pastas come in almost any shape and size, from the simple mixing of precooked pasta with sauce in a casserole dish to be popped into the oven, to intricately stuffed or layered pasta dishes. Baked pasta has a very long history in Italian cuisine. A layered pasta dish, similar to lasagne was in fact mentioned in the Roman gastronome Apicius in the first century AD. During the Renaissance, intricately designed layered pasta dishes were commonly served to the wealthy. Today, baked pasta is considered more of a family meal, which is often served to large gatherings due to the ability to prepare them ahead of time.  In this class we will feature secrets to an array of traditional and authentic baked pasta dishes.

Napoli In Cucina - Hands-on
 
Naples is chaotic and fascinating and it has spawned some of the world's greatest foods. Neapolitan cooking makes use of local S. Marzano tomatoes, freshly-caught fish and the kind of quick thinking that only life at the foot of a volcano could inspire.

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Walter's Ristorante d'Italia 286 Atwells Avenue Providence RI / Since 1985