Southern sizzle: foodies flock to gourmet classes at the Viking Cooking School in downtown Greenwood.

"Add a pinch of sage to your next batch of pimento cheese," advises Martha Foose, the vivacious executive chef at Greenwood's Viking Cooking School. Martha passes fresh sage, rosemary, and parsley to our gourmet club of 20 Jacksonians to smell before she steeps the herbs in milk and cream. She is making Herbed Cheese Flan, the first course for our culinary class and dinner. All ingredients are arranged in classic mise en place--chopped, measured, and ready to use. Martha adds them in order while chatting about food topics such as the current popularity of rosemary in desserts.

After the flan has been prepared, waiters place individual servings on the semi-circular bars facing the instructor, which serve as tables. While the smooth custard dissolves on our tongues, we survey our surroundings. Cooking demonstrations are held in a theater-like setting elevated seats accommodating 42 people. The instructor prepares dishes on a row of cooktops interspersed with workspace. A dazzling array of state-of-the-art Viking ovens forms the backdrop for the large teaching area.

Foose moves on to the salad, continuing to add helpful comments.

"Saigon cinnamon is the best," she says, passing a bottle of fragrant McCormick's for us to smell.

As she mixes the salad, Foose tosses out useful information on where to buy ingredients and practical tips on everyday kitchen problems like the best way to ripen pears. "Place them in a paper sack with an apple," she suggests.

As we nibble our greens, we read Martha's credentials in the instruction booklet. A Mississippi native, she started her career as a pastry chef at the famous La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles. Desiring more study, she attended Ecole Lenotre in Plaisir, France, then returned to Mississippi to found Bottletree Bakery in Oxford. Other career highlights include cooking in restaurants in Austin, Texas, and Aspen, Colorado, and a stint as an editor and cookbook writer at the Pillsbury Company in Minneapolis. She returned to the Delta when Viking opened its cooking school, and she lives on Pluto Plantation with her husband, Donald, and baby, Joe.

Foose gives class attendees their money's worth and more in practical advice. While preparing our entree, Grilled Veal Chops with Fresh Fennel and Tomato Sauce, she tells us to use canned tomatoes if fresh are unavailable. "Red Gold canned tomatoes can be found at many groceries, or you may buy Pomi tomatoes at Jackson's Everyday Gourmet."

Foose does not always suggest expensive ingredients. For example, she does not think it necessary to use virgin olive oil in cooking, but she insists on top-of-the-line balsamic vinegar. She does recommend virgin olive oil for dipping bread. Our decadent dessert, Molten Chocolate Cake, is a chocoholic's dream. For this incredibly rich delicacy, Martha recommends Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate, available at gourmet stores.

Throughout the demonstration, our group has been noticing Foose's efficient kitchen tools. When class is dismissed, Martha lures us to the Viking Gourmet store with a promise of a discount on our purchases, an added benefit of attending a class.

There are many options for attending the Viking Cooking School. Foodies may enroll their supper clubs or other groups for a demo and dinner, as we did, or attend a wide choice of hands-on or demo classes. You may even plan a special birthday celebration or bridal party.

Elizabeth Burgess, cooking school director, says several classes offered here are unique to Mississippi, including "Cooking the Blues," "Dining in the Delta," "Down on Martha's Farm," and "Gospel Brunch."

Although Martha Foose, Vicki Leach, and Lynda Posey teach most classes, visiting chefs also conduct courses. John Fleer of Blackberry Farm in Tennessee is coming in May, and Tory McPhail, chef at Commander's Palace in New Orleans, is scheduled for July.

Carol Puckett Daily, owner of Jackson's Everyday Gourmet store, is president of Viking Hospitality Group, which includes the Alluvian Hotel and Viking Cooking School. New ventures for 200S include a spa and the Mockingbird Bakery, operated by Martha and Donald Foose.

For those who haven't yet experienced the Viking Cooking School's offerings, enjoy the following sampling of recipes from my recent visit.

To register for classes, call 662/451-1072 or see www.vikingrange.com. Arrangements may be made for packages to attend special Cooking School events by calling the Alluvian Hotel at 662/453-2114. The chic boutique hotel also offers special rates for culinary school students attending regular classes.