My home economist mom taught me how to make mouthwatering midwestern meals with garden-fresh veggies, Norwegian salmon, and Scandinavian cookies. I never knew why people made such a big deal about French cooking until I worked at a French restaurant staffed almost entirely by chefs who never spoke a word of English. Besides improving my French, I discovered a whole new world of spices and sauces.
If you want to learn how to pan sear tuna or grill a rack of lamb sesame style without leaving the US, check out the EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School on the Oregon coast. No passport required.
Chef Robert Neroni leads the classes. The school offers a wide variety of classes. A 2-day Vegetarian Fundamental class in June where students learn to plan menus and create vegetarian meals is $125/day. The Dinner Show class featuring coriander seared wild salmon, halibut and grilled prosciutto, garlic seared lamb chop, and strawberry sorbet shortcake with whipped creme fraiche is a festive three course format--2 1/2 hours of dinner, entertainment, and lively interactive educational banter--$89 per person.
