Turning up the heat on membership values: offering cooking classes for members.

Golf, tennis, and member dining used to be all that was needed to attract and retain members. These days, managers know that adding membership value is a much more difficult endeavor than in years past. One opportunity to add value and increase usage of your club could be to offer your members cooking classes. However, such classes must be both fun and entertaining to your members as well as your culinary brigade.

Cooking classes can be relatively easy to pull off. When combined with wine seminars and guest chef dinners, an exciting new program can be developed. By targeting a specific group of your membership with these types of events a whole new range of member value added events can be offered at a profit.

One of the cultural trends that makes cooking classes such a strong possibility for clubs is the rise of hobby cooking. This is evident in the rising popularity of the Food Network on television as well as the seemingly endless array of culinary magazines and cookbooks being published. In fact, many well-to-do "foodies" have the same caliber equipment or better in their home kitchens that can be found in many professional kitchens. Independent cooking schools and national chains like Viking are wildly popular with their demonstration and hands-on classes. If you've got a food-savvy membership, you're missing an opportunity if you haven't considered offering cooking classes.

Hands-On, Hands-Off

Cooking classes can be basically divided into two styles: The hands-on class where the members actually cook with the chef and the demo style. The demo style cooking class is much easier to accomplish in the cases where there may be a large audience of members, or if time is short. The hands-on cooking class is, in my experience, a much more realistic way for the student members to actually learn the material. In this type of format the student feels much more confident about going home and replicating a dish he or she has learned from the chef at the club. However, it will be up to the member student to master the techniques through repetitive practice on their own in order to improve their cooking skills.

In these types of classes, cooking techniques are highly emphasized. The proficiency of these techniques is extremely important to the preparation of a good meal. Even though a good recipe is highly significant in developing a successful demonstration class, the techniques used in cooking are perhaps more important. Just as the carpenter must hone the skills of measuring, sawing, and hammering to build a great house, good culinary techniques for the cook are essential in creating a great meal.

Jason Osborne, co-executive chef of the Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta offers hands-on classes as well as demo style classes to club members. Osborne and his partner chef, Jonn Nishiyama, also offer monthly chef's table dinners. At these dinners one of the chefs sits down with the members and explains each of the courses that is served from the kitchen. Well known for the food that they serve at Druid Hills, these chefs purchase goods from many local farmers and cook with herbs grown on the club's grounds. These add to the high culinary standards that are maintained at Druid Hills. According to Chef Osborne's experience with cooking classes, he advises: "Keeping it simple and not trying to do too much." He also stated that chefs must "make sure that all of the ducks are in a row before the guests arrive."

Culinary Arts Center Director and Pastry Chef Instructor Lynn Krause, CEPC, teaches basic techniques for serious home cooks at the Viking Culinary Arts Center in St. Louis, MO. Her school offers many courses both hands-on and demo style culinary training. The Viking Culinary Arts Center has schools in seven major cities and the age and demographic profile of students that come to learn there could very well be close to the average club member.

Chef Krause suggests that "knowing how food reacts and how it cooks in the pot" is a must to be successful in a hands-on style of class. Many of the classes that her school offers run from two to five hours long. These classes, along with the school's "guest chef" classes are very well attended by home cooks and professional chefs alike. Some subjects of classes that do well at the center are Knife Skills, Sushi, and International Flair classes. Variations of these could be taught at your club and may include ethnic as well as previous special dinners that your club may wish to revisit in a teaching format. The Culinary Arts Center also gives "Kids and Teen Camp Classes" which may be a good theme for your club.

Putting On a Show

The demo style of cooking class is different than the hands on cooking class because the student is a spectator and actually does not participate in the cooking. The student watches the chef instructor during this class and samples the dishes. These types of classes are very well suited to large audiences such as members' lunch or maybe an intermission during a fashion show. In these types of classes the chefs presentation skills and eloquence are just as important (if not more) than the actual content of the class. Capturing and holding the audience's attention is indeed a special skill needed in this type of presentation.

Executive Chef Tim Thomas, CEC of the Ocean Forest Golf Club in Sea Island, GA even recites poetry as he demos his dishes for his members' cooking classes. In his classes his members are served each one of the courses after he has demonstrated them. They are plated in kitchen by his culinary staff and served while he is performing and conversing with the members in the cocktail lounge where his classes are offered. The club's sommelier Christy McCarthy also offers advice and serves a wine that pairs up well with each course. Chef Tim also teaches culinary classes at his local community college. This helps him hone his presentation skills, which are evident as many of his cooking classes are sold out right away.

To be successful in culinary demonstrations, mise en place and organization is very important. Smiling, eye contact, hand gestures, as well as humorous dialogue are what must be mastered in order to keep the class fun and entertaining.

In addition to the chef's performance skills the actual recipes and techniques of the class must be well planned out. Bellerive Country Club's executive chef Kevin Storm, CEC offered this advice: "Keep the classes basic and explain where they can buy the ingredients as well as how to handle them." Chef Storm even goes so far as adding a cooking glossary to his recipe packet that he gives out at his classes. He stresses useful information in his classes on how to get more flavors when cooking by utilizing the techniques that he shows. Furthermore, he advocates the use of shallots, wine, herbs, and garlic to enhance the flavor of the dishes that he demonstrates. Chef Storm's club, which is located in a suburb of St Louis, is well known for its golf course, which has hosted the PGA tournament. Bellerive Country Club will also be the site for the 2004 U.S. Senior Open and is well known for its heritage and excellence. Storm and his culinary brigade's dedication to culinary art surely contribute in a big way to the club's continued success and reputation.

If your chef is successful in the hands-on style or demonstration style class, other venues can also be explored such as television shows, conventions, and culinary school classes. Additionally, cooking classes can be a recruitment tool for attracting new members as they create a great motivational atmosphere in your kitchen. Any way you look at it, cooking classes are fast becoming a very popular pastime and should be a part of your chef's culinary repertoire to keep the members coming back.

Daniel Pliska, CEC, is executive chef of the University Club at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He has 25 years of culinary experience. His training has taken him from Washington, DC to Billings, MT, to apprenticeships in Dusseldorf, Germany and New Orleans. Before joining the University Club of Missouri he was employed as executive chef at the Capital City Club in Raleigh, NC and Topeka Country Club in Topeka, KS. He is a gold medal winner in several American Culinary, Federation competitions.

Daniel Pliska's Recipe For a Cooking Class

Average class size: 12 to 18 Cost for members: $35 Length: 2 to 3 hours Popular subjects: "Desserts to Die For," "Sumptuous Soups and Bread," "Seafood Cookery."

1.) Before the class begins, the kitchen is divided into three to five individual stations. At each station a couple of recipes are produced by three to four members.

2.) All recipes are posted at each station, as well as a list of all the ingredients, necessary utensils, and food produCts (except for perishable foods which are kept refrigerated until needed).

3.) The student members meet for coffee in the dining room and are briefed before the class starts and given a short lecture by the chef about the recipes and techniques that will be covered in that day's class,

4.) The chef with one or two assistants coach the members in regards to the recipe and techniques and help them through the cooking process.

5.) At the end of the class (usually about two hours) all of the food is plated or trayed up and the students and chef enjoy eating together and discussing the class. Any additional questions add tips are given during this time.