Cooking with Cheese

A love for cheese inspired this class. We will have a platter of cheeses for you to sample with wine while we cook together. We will start by making our own ricotta cheese and then turn it into the classic Involtini.  We will make a tasty cheese stuffed crepe like the ones sold in the market in Barcelona, Spain. Students will pipe and bake Cheese Gougeres, a little puff of warm, savory deliciousness.  For dessert we will have some homemade creole cream cheese already made up so that you can add your own flavors.  Come and spend a “cheesy” evening with us in the café.

Class: Demo
Instructors: Café Director, Anita Nobles Arguelles & Assistant Director, Lolly Barnes
Dates: May 16
Day & Time: Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Member Fee: $59 (Non-Member Fee: $69) per person

Girls Night Out – Provence

Do you smell the lavender? Meet you in the café for a relaxed evening with your friends. We will start our evening together making our own Black Olive Tapenade to have with country bread. We will sip some wine and cook a flavorful rustic meal that we might have together if we were to visit the olive groves in Provence. We will make Poulet Provencal, served with Lemon Aioli. You will whip up a Pecan Pesto for tossing with Green Beans. Our evening will end as you chat over your own Tiramisu and our own lemon cello.

Class: Demo & Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director, Anita Nobles Arguelles & Assistant Director, Lolly Barnes
Dates: May 17
Day & Time: Thursday, 6:00 pm –  8:00 pm
Member Fee: $59 (Non-Member Fee: $69) per person

The Basics of Asian Cooking

We will take a culinary trip and sample some recipes and learn techniques from different parts of Asia. Students will learn about the tradition of Hong Kong Dim Sum as we construct our own steamed and fried dumplings, complete with sauces.  Thai Spring Rolls will add a flavorful as well as colorful addition to our menu. We will delve into ancient China for Dai Chicken on the grill. Students will un-wrap the mysteries of the perfect fried rice in a wok. We will end our evening with café favorite, fried pineapple.

Class: Demo & Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director, Anita Nobles Arguelles & Assistant Director, Lolly Barnes
Dates: May 23
Day & Time: Wednesday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $69 (Non-Member Fee: $79) per person

Eat Local

New Chef to the Culinary Arts Cafe

This is a "don't miss" class in the Culinary Arts Cafe. Chef Patrick Heim, who was an integral part of the Mary C. Chocolate Ball thisyear and the author and Chef for the legendary "TitanicDinner" earlier this year is teaching his first culinary class at the Mary C.

Chef Patrick has designed his menu for the evening to be focused on our local bounty of regionally loved foods, prepared with a coastal vintage flavor.

This is a chance to get your "chef-on" with Chef Patrick Heim, one of our favorite Chefs to have in the Culinary Arts Cafe. Chef Patrick isa fun and easy going in the cafe and he has designed this class so that you will be involved in the cooking and then of course...the feasting. The menu for the evening features locally caught Flounder, stuffed with local Blue Crab Meat. Chef will teach participants how to create your own Grilled Pizza with Chisesi Ham, Creole Cream Cheese and Roasted Garlic. Participants will make Grilled Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette. Chef has a surprise sweet ending for dessert. Evening includes wine and beer.

Class: Hands On and Demonstration
Instructor: Chef Patrick Heim
Date: May 25th
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Member Fee: $79 (Non-Member Fee: $89) per person

From the Chocolate Ball and Beyond

Learn the secrets of the recipes from this year’s Le Bal au Chocolat. We will share the recipes that we offered at the chocolate ball for the savory dishes. Learn how to make your own Orange Chili Shrimp with White Chocolate Mayo. Make Coco, Coffee Crusted Beef Tenderloin with our Pinot Noir Aioli and learn how to make Rosemary and Bittersweet Chocolate Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree. Make the winning chocolate dessert from Torta Dolce, chocolate truffles.

Class: Demo & Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director, Anita Nobles Arguelles & Assistant Director, Lolly Barnes
Dates: May 30
Day & Time: Wednesday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $69 (Non-Member Fee: $79) per person

Feelin’ Crabby

Come and have some fun in the café learning how to prepare the Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus (beautiful swimmer) that represents one of the natural bounties in our local waters. We will make our café version of Crab Cakes, sure to be one of your favorites, Crab Towers with Avocado and Gazpacho Salsa and Crab Stuffed Flounder. We will end on a sweet note with Summery Lemon Curd Tartlets.

Class: Demo & Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director, Anita Nobles Arguelles & Kitchen Assistant, Cheri Shannon
Dates: May 31
Day & Time: Thursday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $69 (Non-Member Fee: $79) per person

Lunch and Learn - Hi Honey, What’s For Lunch?

Join us for this fun lunch as we explore the delicious health benefits of honey.  Students will taste several regional honeys before digging in to a lunch of Vidalia Onion Tart with Bacon, Thyme and Honey, Watercress Salad with Marjoram Honey Vinaigrette and Lavender Honey Ice Cream.  Hope you can bee there.

Class: Demonstration
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Café Assistant Peggy Stowers
Date: June 7
Day & Time: Thursday, 12:00 noon - 12:45pm
Member Fee:  $15 (Non-Member Fee: $20) per person

Date Night - Buena Paella

Join us in the café as we cook together to create the magnificent Spanish dish Paella de Marisco, or Seafood Paella.  After enjoying fruity and refreshing Sangria with some light tapas such as Warm Olives with Lemon, Goat Cheese Toasts with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Empanadillas, students will head outside to turn up the heat.  Dinner will end with Barcelona Crepes filled with Chocolate and Figs.

Class: Hands On and Demonstration
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 8
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $69 (Non-Member Fee: $79) per person

Young Ladies Night Out at the Cafe - Rome, Italy

Class for Young Ladies 9-14 years old

Come and show off your cooking skills in the cafe with your BFFs :)
Young ladies 9-14 are invited to the cafe for an Italian night of cookery. Class participants will focus on the Rome, Italy, creating a menu featuring two pasta dishes, Pasta Carbonara and Fresh Herb Pesto Pasta and a fresh garden salad topped with their own vinaigrette. We will have ingredients handy to create your own flavored Italian Sodas. For a sweet ending to a fun evening, assemble your own chocolate trifles and we will photograph them and post them on the Cafe Facebook Page.

Class: Hands On and Demonstration
Instructor: Cafe Instructor, Carol Messer
Date: June 11
Day & Time: Monday, 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Member Fee: $35.00 (Non-Member Fee: $40) per person

Coffee & Tea First

We are hooked on coffee. It is the first thing we want in the morning. Join Rich Serpe, a Master Coffee Roaster and his wife Rene in the Cafe for a class on coffee and tea. We will travel through time looking at the history and characteristics of this sippable plant extract. Join us for the class on the beverage that changed travel and commerce worldwide. Coffee is a third world product that has always been coveted by royalty. Come with us to discover how a Moca Pot and a French press can make one variety of coffee taste totally different, yet that same French press can make tea that resonates your taste buds. Class will include roasting, cupping, blending, serving and storing coffee. Rich and Rene will offer tea and coffee items for sale including French presses, infusers, tea pots and much more. The Cafe staff will prepare small, yet heart dishes to enjoy while you sip the topic of the class. Menu for class: Coffees and then to eat, Crawfish Macaroni & Cheese, Coffee & Chile Pork Tenderloin, Green Salad with Coffee Praline Pecans, and Espresso Pots de Creme. Have your coffee and eat it too!

Class: Demo
Instructors: Rich Serpe, Master Coffee Roaster and Rene Serpe
Date: June 13th
Day & Time: Wednesday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Member Fee: $39.00 (Non-Member Fee $49.00) per person

Dinner and a Movie - Julie and Julia (rated PG 13)

Aspiring cooks everywhere take heart!  The charming movie Julie and Julia chronicles the career of Julia Child and the attempts of amateur chef Julie Powell to cook every recipe in Julia’s seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  Their successes in the kitchen are an inspiration to us all.

We will have live cooking stations in the café where we will offer a selection of wonderful movie-inspired dishes, including Julia’s famous Boeuf Bourguingnon.  After the film, enjoy a delectable array of French desserts.

Class: Live Cooking Stations with Dinner and a Movie
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 15
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm – 9:30pm
Member Fee:  $29 (Non-Member Fee: $39) per person

Gourmet Camp Fire Cooking

Learn the secrets of hosting a great beach party complete with your own gourmet camp fire cooked meal and beach inspired cocktails. It is easier than you thought to "get your cook on" at the beach over a campfire. Come learn some handy secrets for cooking under the stars.

Menu for class: Ginger-Peach Juleps, Spiced Roasted Nuts, Farmhouse Grits Cakes with Roasted Veggies, Green Salad (and yes, we will try our hand at foraging for some additions to our greens) with Walnut Cranberry Vinaigrette, Black Skillet Enchiladas and Grilled Bananas Foster.

Class: Hands-On
Date: June 18
Day & Time: Monday, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.

Member Fee: $39.00 (Non-Member Fee $49.00) per person

Picnic Pizzazz!

The combination of sun and water inspire a hearty appetite. Packing a beautiful gourmet picnic for a day out on the islands is easy. We will teach you how to make your own delicious granola for snacking and we have included ceviche just in case someone in your party catches a speck or flounder on the way.

Class menu: Ginger Margaritas, Cat Island Granola, Fresh Ceviche, Round Island Roast Beef Salad (Named Round because it is served in a Mason Jar), Mascarpone Cheese Smoked Salmon Pasta and Trifle in a jar.

Class: Hands-On
Date: June 19
Day & Time: Tuesday, 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Member Fee: $39.00 (Non-Member Fee $49.00) per person

Girl’s Night Out - Istanbul

It’s off to Istanbul for the ladies this June.  Participants will make feta cheese rolls to snack on as we cook a traditional meal of Lamb Kebabs with Chickpea and Raison Rice Pilaf, Tomato and Mint Salad with Pomegranate Dressing and Tadoori Bread.  We will finish our delightful Turkish meal with Nightingale’s Nests, a crunchy confection filled with pistachios.

Class: Hands On
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 21
Day & Time: Thursday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $49 (Non-Member Fee: $59) per person

Young Chefs in the Café Summer Camp

It is never too early to introduce children to the art of cooking. Carol Messer joins us in the café to teach your children how to become Young Chefs. Carol takes them on a week-long culinary curriculum teaching basic culinary skills to your children. They will learn and practice sanitation basics in the kitchen, knife skills and knife safety. All week our chefs will practice: basic cuts, how read and follow a recipe. They will learn how to set up mis en place and learn and practice some easy clean-as-they-go techniques. Each day they will prepare and serve their own lunch. It will be a busy and fun class teaching culinary skills that will last a lifetime. We are offering two different topics this year, June: Cooking Around the World where they will take a culinary trip preparing different dishes from countries around the world using different ingredients, spices and techniques. July: Master Chef focuses on learning more of the basic culinary skills like making emulsions, mother sauces, handcrafting pasta. Children enjoy putting the techniques they see on cooking shows into action at the Culinary Arts Café at the Mary C.

June Class Topic: Cooking Around the World
Class: Lecture, Demo & Hands-On
Instructor: Carol Messer

Ages: 5 to 8
June 25-29
Day & Time: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – noon

Ages 9-14
June 18-22
Day & Time: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – noon

Member Fee:  $225 (Non-Member Fee: $275) per child

July Class Topic: Master Chef
Class: Lecture, Demo & Hands-On
Instructor: Carol Messer

Ages: 5-8
July 9-13
Day & Time: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – noon

Ages 9-14
July 16-20
Day & Time: Monday through Friday, 8:00am – noon

Member Fee:  $225 (Non-Member Fee: $275) per child

Cooks and Books - Bell’s Best

Growing up, whose family didn’t have a copy of Bell’s Best cookbook?  Let’s take a culinary road trip through Mississippi and rediscover this old classic from 1981. With a cup of Bourbon Punch in hand, students will nibble on Cheese Hooies while creating a meal of Fried Quail, Corn Pudding, Zucchini Bread and Tomatoes with Kum-Back-Sauce.  For dessert, what else but Mississippi Mud Cake? 

Class: Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 27
Day & Time: Wednesday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $49 (Non-Member Fee: $59) per person

Too Many Crabs

This time of the year, we have crabs coming out of our ears!  What is a person to do with all this bounty from the gulf?  Well, make Crab Bisque of course.  Students will work to clean freshly caught blue crabs, then create a lovely meal of Crabmeat Maison and Saffron Shrimp Crab Cakes.  A cool Lemon Meringue Pie will finish off this summer feast.

Class: Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 28
Day & Time: Thursday, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $59 (Non-Member Fee: $69) per person

You’ll Need a Lobster Bib!

In the café, we love lobster. Come and learn interesting information about lobsters, how to cook and clean lobster and some great ways to prepare tasty dishes with lobster. You will be well equipped to hold your own lobster feast when you are done with this class.  Students will work together to steam and clean these delicious guys, then whip them up into a feast of Lobster and Corn Chowder, Lobster, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad and Savory Lobster Bread Pudding with Vanilla Chive Sauce.  For dessert, enjoy a decadent Peach, Cassis and Champagne Float.

Class: Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: June 29
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $79 (Non-Member Fee: $89) per person

Lunch and Learn - It’s Cheesy!

Join us for an old time favorite: Tomato basil Soup and Sourdough Toasted Pimento Cheese Sandwiches. Learn to make these tasty sandwiches five different ways. We will add another Southern favorite, olive nut spread just to be thorough. Dessert: coffee with coffee cream brownies. 

Class:  Demonstration
Instructors:  Café Director Anita Arguelles and Café Assistant Peggy Stowers
Date:  July 5
Day & Time:  Thursday, 12:00 noon – 12:45pm
Member Fee:  $15 (Non-Member Fee: $20) per person

Date Night - Steaks on the Barbie!

Join us in the café for perfecting our ability to serve up our best summer steaks. We will learn how to grill with finesse and how to tell just where we are with relation to medium, medium rare etc.  Join us for Rib eyes marinated in smoky arrabbiata sauce, crabmeat stuffed potatoes, asparagus with lemon cream and a finale` of fresh fruit tarts topped with lemon curd.

Class:  Hands on Demonstration
Instructors:  Café Director Anita Arguelles, Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date:  July 6
Day & Time:  Friday, 6:00pm –  8:00pm
Member Fee:  $69 (Non-Member Fee: $79) per person

A Cheesy Spread

Nothing beats the taste of freshly made cheese.  For the past few months, we have been perfecting our cheese-making skills in the Café and one of our favorites is ricotta.  For this class, we will make up a big batch and use it to create a delicious meal of Bruschetta with Tomato and Ricotta, Watermelon Salad with Ricotta Salata and Mint, Arugula with Bruleed Figs and Ricotta Cream, Eggplant Involtini Stuffed with Ricotta and Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Crepes.  

Class: Hands-On

Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: July 12
Day & Time: Thursday. 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $39 (Non-Member Fee: $49) per person

Dinner and a Movie - Under the Tuscan Sun

It is the perfect time of the year to head to Italy for a quick trip using our theatre as a transporter. We will have live cooking stations in the café where we will offer a Tuscan inspired menu of Kabobs (chicken, pork and vegetable), Spanish rice stuffed peppers. After the movie, we will have a short reception in the lobby with a variety of light summer desserts.

Class:  Live Cooking Stations with dinner and movie
Instructors:  Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date:  July 13
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $29 (Non-Member Fee: $39) per person

Girls Night Out - Swinging in the Breezes

Sit back in the breezes with South of the Border cuisine.  Ladies will cook and enjoy gazpacho, red snapper tacos, seafood enchiladas and key lime tart all while sipping frozen pineapple margaritas.

Class:  Demo & Hands-On
Instructors:  Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date:  July 19
Day & Time:  Thursday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $49 (Non-Member Fee: $59) per person

Summer Salads Make the Perfect Cool Dinner

Come prepare several delicious summer salads, light, yet filling enough for dinner anytime throughout the hot summer months.  Participants will cook Grilled California Style-Chopped Salad with Shrimp, Black and Blue Salad, Fennel Orange Salad, Cold Crabmeat Salad while finishing the evening with Grand Marnier Crepes.

Class:  Demo & Hands-On
Instructors:  Café Director Anita Arguelles, Assistant Director Lolly Barnes and Café Assistant Peggy Stowers
Date:  July 25
Day & Time:  Wednesday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $39 (Non-Member Fee: $49) per person

Don’t Skimp on the Shrimp

We are so lucky to live in a place where fresh, delicious seafood is always close at hand.  As we head into shrimp season, let’s make the most of what the coast has to offer.  Students will work together to cook an Asian-inspired meal of Shrimp and Sesame Sticks with Apricot Dipping Sauce, Shrimp, Mango and Avocado Salad with Sweet Chili-Ginger Dressing and Thai Shrimp Curry.  For dessert, savor Mango Sorbet with Sesame Crunch while sipping the Café’s famous Ginger Margaritas.

Class: Hands-On
Instructors: Café Director Anita Arguelles and Assistant Director Lolly Barnes
Date: July 27
Day & Time: Friday, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Member Fee:  $59 (Non-Member Fee: $69) per person