Mina H.
Yelp
We got to experience a cooking demo (which includes eating the food that was cooked!) with Vivian, the "Culinary Gypsy". This was a fantastic experience! I HIGHLY recommend it! Most of the students in the class were tourists, but there were a few locals too. Even if you live here, unless you're a seasoned New Orleans cook, you will probably learn a lot!
The class lasts about 2 hours, but it's not all cooking. Vivian tells you about herself a little bit, but she also gives you a good dose of local history too. It might be common knowledge for those who grew up in the city, but for a transplant like me, I found it interesting!
For this course, she showed us how to make a:
*Crab and corn bisque
*Chicken etouffee
*Pralines (BTW, I learned that the correct pronunciation is "prah-linhs" not "prah-leens")
The cooking demo itself was fantastic. She prepared a lot of it beforehand (cutting vegetables, preparing the meat, cooking the roux to a darker color, etc.) to cut down on the amount of time it would take to create all 3 items. However, you don't miss much of anything because she still goes over each step and shows you all of the important parts! For example, she pre-made a dark roux to use for the chicken etouffee, but she showed us how to make a blonde roux and explained that it just needs to be cooked for about an hour more to get the darker color. She talks about every step and explains thoroughly on how to best complete each task too while dispensing tons of tips and tricks. I loved that there was an angled mirror on the ceiling, which let you see the counter top. The angled mirror is best seen at the middle of the classroom, so don't sit too close or too far!
Then, the eating. OMGGGGGG everything was SO delicious!!! She sure knows what she's teaching!! Everything was perfectly seasoned and cooked, you didn't really need any of the seasoning/sauces that were available at your table. And, the best part is, they don't skimp on portions here! You'll go home full! There was enough for everyone in the class to have seconds of everything if they wanted.
On my way out, I bought their "Joe's Stuff" seasonings. Believe me, it beats out Tony's by miles! "Joe's Stuff" is packed full of flavor, but it has very little salt content. You can add a ton to your food, and it won't make your dish saltier!