Many of our favorite dishes from Sonoma County restaurants are available for curbside pickup and delivery as we shelter at home. Ordering takeout remains a great excuse to eat well while supporting local businesses, but chances are you’ve still been spending more time in the kitchen. If you’re looking for ways to up your cooking game and get some meal-planning inspiration, a number of Wine Country chefs are offering free virtual classes. Click through the above gallery for some inspiration.
These Local Chefs Are Offering Free Online Cooking Classes
Tired of preparing and eating the same old dishes? Get some inspiration from the experts.
Big Bottom Market owner and cookbook author Michael Volpatt was one of the first local chefs to take to social media to share a taste of his Guerneville restaurant. (Courtesy of Michael Volpatt)
Now that Big Bottom Market has reopened for takeout, Volpatt intends to keep the virtual cooking classes going. Every Tuesday at 11 a.m. he'll prepare an easily approachable recipe on Big Bottom Market’s Facebook page. (Chris Hardy)
Guerneville’s Big Bottom Market biscuits made Oprah’s annual ‘favorite things’ holiday shopping list in 2016. (Chris Hardy)
Acclaimed Healdsburg chef Charlie Palmer's free cooking classes run through May and feature tips from local winemakers. As part of the Pigs & Pinot tutorial series, Palmer and chef Scott Romano of Dry Creek Kitchen take to social media every Thursday at 1 p.m. for a live cooking demonstration and wine pairing. (Paige Green)
Broadcast live on Instagram from Palmer's home kitchen, the demonstrations typically last 15 to 20 minutes. Winemakers join via a split screen to maintain social distancing. (Alvin Jornada)
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Mike Sullivan of Benovia Winery, Matt Parish from Lula Cellars, and Heidi Bridenhagen of MacRostie Winery are set to take part in this month's Pigs & Pinot tutorial series. Clay Mauritson of Mauritson Wines, pictured here with Palmer, joined in on the fun in early April to talk about the new release Charlie Clay Pinot Noir. (Courtesy of Mauritson Wines)
25 percent of proceeds from all wine sales through the Pigs & Pinot tutorial series will be donated to a relief fund for Chef Charlie Palmer Collective hourly employees. Be sure to use the #pigsandpinot when you check out. More than $3,000 has been raised so far. (Courtesy of Benovia Winery)
Charlie Palmer also organizes the “Weekend Chef Match.” Every Sunday at 1 p.m., he dukes it out with favorite chefs on Instagram Live. Using the challenger’s protein of choice and simple pantry ingredients, chefs get 15 to 20 minutes to create the best dish. Viewers determine the winner and get the chance to win a signed cookbook. Recipes are posted on charliepalmer.com after the competition.
Chef Sheana Davis of The Epicurean Connection is offering a complimentary cooking class every Wednesday at 11 a.m. on Zoom. Visit The Epicurean Connection to find out about the menu Davis has planned, and to sign up for the 30 minute class. Coming up this week: grilled cheese sandwiches, sweet & savory and how to serve up your pantry. Later this month: mocktails, made with fresh fruits, spritzers and more.
The new professional kitchen at Bouchaine Vineyards has a starring role in the winery’s B Together series. The free cooking classes, hosted by Chef Joey Altman on Wednesdays and Chef Scott Warner on Thursdays, are broadcast at 12 p.m. on Bouchaine’s Facebook page. (Courtesy of Bouchaine Vineyards)
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More local chefs are making guest appearances on Bouchaine's B Together series. Aaron Meneghelli from FARM at Carneros is set to make Eggs Benedict on Friday, May 15. See who else will join the show on Bouchaine's Facebook. (Courtesy of Carneros Resort and Spa)
Last week Meneghelli whipped up his famous Boon Fly Café Fried Chicken in the Bouchaine kitchen. (Courtesy of Carneros Resort and Spa)
Vincent Lesage, Executive Chef of The Meritage Resort and Spa and Vista Collina Resort in Napa, will take to Facebook Live on May 23 at 1 p.m. to prepare a Keto-style Memorial Day dish. It’s one of a series of Facebook Live Cooking Classes that are offered by The Meritage Collection of hotels. On June 6 at 1 p.m., the Executive Chef at Ko`a Kea Hotel & Resort in Kauai is bringing Hawaiian fare to kitchens around the world. (Courtesy ofThe Meritage Collection)
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