Lunch Pop-Up:
The Chef’s Kitchen offers a new culinary experience every few weeks and is open for lunch Monday-Friday from 11am-3pm during fall and spring semesters. 'Taste of South Carolina' is the current pop-up where you can savor the rich flavors of the Low Country with delicious dishes like Southern Smothered Chicken, Fried Flounder Basket, Soft Shell Crab Sandwich, Country Fried Steak, Jackfruit Jambalaya, and the classic Low Country Boil! Be sure to try the Island Hushpuppies and end your meal on a sweet note with a warm bowl of Peach Cobbler!
Cooking Classes:
Get Cooking:
Offered fall semester.
*Only students that have not taken this class will be admitted to allow for new attendees.
Get Cooking is a culinary essentials cooking that provides the hands-on foundation of knowledge and skills needed to be confident in cooking meals and entertaining on your own. In this course, you’ll develop knowledge of culinary methods techniques and the basics of cooking. This course is a five-consecutive week class and will cover cooking topics including kitchen safety, knife skills, flavor profiling, meal composition, stocks, soup, and sauce making.
Keep Cooking:
Offered spring semester.
*Only students that have not taken this class will be admitted to allow for new attendees.
Keep Cooking is a follow up class to our 'Get Cooking' class that takes place over five-consecutive weeks and focuses on specific recipes, meal types and baking, taught by Professional Chef John Eisensmith!
About the Instructor:
John Eisensmith
John’s love of food began watching his grandfather cook meals at their family’s farm in Virginia. In high school, he started his professional cooking career at a local diner in his hometown of York Haven, Pennsylvania before attending The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. For the next 20 years, he honed his knowledge and skills working primarily in 4 star/fine dining restaurants in the Outer Banks, Miami, Nantucket, and Durham; even getting to cook at the James Beard House in NYC. From 2010-2017, John was Executive Chef and eventually Partner at Six Plates Wine Bar, before opening Mattie B’s Public House and Black Twig Cider House with his then business partner, until he was ready for his first solo venture. After taking time off to travel, he began building Season to Taste to utilize his food knowledge and skills to help home cooks feel comfortable, confident, and excited in the kitchen, learning beyond recipes.
John has taught cooking classes at Southern Season, the Art Institute of RaleighDurham, and the UNC Wellness Center and those classes introduced him to teaching non-professional cooks, as well as planted the seed for the next phase of his career. He created Season to Taste for all who love food, want to be more comfortable and confident in the kitchen, and want to learn to cook the way a chef does, at home. He is excited to partner with Duke to continue expanding his ability to improve the lives (and food) of home cooks through sharing his knowledge, skills, excitement, and ideologies with the Duke community!
Chef Demos:
Students: Join us for a hands-on chef's demo!
Upcoming Classes:
4/9: Lisa Fouladbash
Cooking with Dandelions
Registration will open for this class on 3/24 at noon Duke Groups.
4/17: Stage at Swift
Registration will open for this class on 3/31 at noon Duke Groups.
4/22: James Cundiff
Registration will open for this class on 4/6 at noon Duke Groups.