Romancing the Stove in Every Class
In-Home Cooking Classes

Welcome! I'm Rico Mandel. I've combined my
passion for photography, food, wine and travel
into exciting adventures and workshops.  

I'm a trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu program at the
California School of Culinary arts. I worked at the
Saddle Peak Lodge as well as other restaurants
and caterers in Southern California.
I want to share my  knowledge and
passion for great food with you.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Oy do we have menus for you or you can create your own.

• Ladies get the girls together for a great night in,
   fun cooking, eating and wine flowing

• What about a couples cooking night at your house

• Guys Let's cook man food, drink some wine and then enjoy
   a great scotch or whiskey at the end, cigars are always a
perfect pairing for this night

What ever you decide, you'll learn about
cooking, have a phenomenal time and
leave with some more ideas and techniques.

Learn in your home with your equipment
using tools that you are already familiar with so
you can acquire the techniques that
go with what you already have to make great food.

You and your friends or partners will heat up the kitchen as you learn
cooking techniques, while preparing one of our menus with hands-on
instruction. Feel free to bring wine to go with the meal.

We'll supply a recommended wine list.

At this fun and hands-on cooking class, you'll enjoy a lively introductory
cooking lesson featuring tips such as the fastest way to dice an onion or
the proper way to sautee mushrooms. After the cooking is over,
we'll sit down and enjoy the fantastic meal that we've just created.

Choose from one of the menus below or we design your own-

Menu 1 - The Chocolate Delight

Fennel, arugula grapefruit salad with cocoa nibs
Fennel, wild arugula, red onion, cucumber, grapefruit,
cocoa nibs with a grapefruit vinaigrette
New York Steak with Spiced chocolate cabernet sauce
         Broccoli Raab with lemon and garlic
         Roasted mixed potatoes
Cocoa Brownies with Vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce

Menu 2 - Chocolate Delight #2

Panchetta Goat Cheese Crostini with orange cocoa nib relish
Coffee/Cocoa Rubbed Lamb with greens and sunchokes
Chocolate Lava cakes with Strawberries

Menu 3 - On the lighter side

Shepards Salad - Mixed greens with proscuitto, warm potatoes,
tomatoes, arugula, cucumbers and topped
with baked apple slice and caramelized goat cheese
Seared Halibut with roasted asparagus, Quinoa with leeks and
pine nuts and a blood orange nage
Chianti Poached Pears with
Chocolate almond zabaglione and cocoa nibs

Menu 4 - A Taste of Italy

Crostini with Prosciutto, spiced burratta and arugula
Seafood Risotto with leeks and asparagus
Cannoli Dipped in Chocolate

Here's what's included in your Cooking adventure -

All classes take place in the Home of the host of the class

• You'll learn some cooking techniques.
• How to cook the specific menu that we have created
• Tips and tricks of the trade
• How to overcome your fears in the kitchen
• And most of all have a great time doing it

• Choose one of the menus from above or we'll make one together
• I’ll make a shopping list for you
• If you’d like we can go shopping together
• I’ll arrive an hour early to get set up
• I’ll provide the recipes with some tips and plenty of room for notes
• Then we’ll cut, chop, mix, drink some wine, cut, chop and mix some more
• Then we’ll boil, sauteé, grill, steam, roast, reduce and what ever else
  is necessary to make each dish.
• After that it’s time to eat and enjoy.
• We'll make sure your kitchen is left clean the way it was when we showed up.

Sign up below to reserve your class. Host reserves
class first and sets the date with us. Let us know
who will be in the class so we can look for them.

Don't have a group, let us know and we'll find one for you.
You'll meet new people and it'll be fun.

 
To sign up simply hit the paypal button and let me know
the dates that you are considering.

Pricing is per person

6-9 people $90.0010- 12 People $85.00

Optional Video Taping of the class to deliver a finished,
edited DVD $60 per person It's a great keepsake and
Reference for each of the recipes.

In addition to our cooking classes we also offer Wine Tours,
Photographic Workshops and photo/culinary tours.