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The Company
The New Orleans Cooking Experience is
dedicated to the wonders of the Louisiana kitchen and the pleasures
of the table. We offer cooking vacations, half-day, private
and special event classes to visitors and local New Orleanians. The
highly personalized classes focus on authentic Creole cooking. Regular
classes are limited to ten, and include instruction, recipes, wines
and conclude with a multi-course dinner party. Special event classes
are available for groups of ten to 60+. The cuisine is classic
Creole New Orleans plus a little Cajun, and classes are taught
on residential equipment so that students will be able to reproduce
the recipes at home.
The People
Frank Brigtsen graciously agreed to
create the course curriculum for the New Orleans Cooking Experience
and teaches classes on a regular basis. Brigtsen is at the forefront of a new generation
of New Orleans chefs who are revitalizing Creole/Acadian cooking. Co-owner
of Brigtsen's Restaurant with his wife, Marna, Frank has applied
an inventive personal touch to seven years of training in classic
Louisiana cooking under internationally acclaimed Chef Paul Prudhomme.
Patrons praise his ability to ingeniously incorporate local ingredients
into his unique menu. Brigtsen’s has a long and celebrated
list of honors including:
- 1988, Food & Wine "ONE OF
AMERICA'S TOP TEN NEW CHEFS."
- 1994, "CHEF OF THE YEAR" in New
Orleans magazine's annual poll of local chefs and restaurateurs.
- 1998, James Beard Award for "AMERICAN EXPRESS BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST
- TOP CAJUN RESTAURANT" in the 2000 Zagat survey.
Chiqui Collier,
a native New Orleanian, has owned and operated a catering company
for over 27 years. Additionally her company
specializes in providing desserts, wedding cakes and baked goods
to other area caterers. She also worked as sous chef and
pastry chef for Ristorante Pastore. Chiqui is the author
of “Cookery N’Orleans Style” featuring New Orleans
home cooking, family recipes and reminiscences of New Orleans.
Her book is featured on the Gumbo Pages website, a favorite site
about Louisiana culture and cuisine. Her classes focus on
classic Creole and Cajun and she’s always happy to have help
making the roux.
Guest Teaching Chef Michael DeVidts from House on Bayou Road: Michael
is the teaching chef in residence at the House on Bayou Road B&B,
specializing in hands-on classes. A licensed tour guide as well,
Michael adds historical color to every dish he teaches.
Guest Teaching Chef Susan
Ridgeway: Susan
is a native New Orleanian who comes from generations of acclaimed
home cooks. Her
parents were famous for their food and were in great demand as “unofficial
caterers” for friends and business acquaintances. Susan
began carrying on the family tradition when some friends asked
her to teach them her family recipes. These casual sessions
in Susan’s home lead to regular classes for the general public
until her students began asking her to cater their parties and
events. In 1992 Susan began “Best of Susan” which
grew to become one of the most acclaimed catering services in the
New Orleans area. This was followed by “Gourmet to Go”,
a take-out gourmet store. In 2004 Susan sold Best of
Susan and Gourmet to Go and “retired” to work on her
cookbook and return to her first love, teaching. In
addition to teaching at the New Orleans Cooking Experience, Susan
is often a guest teacher at the Everyday Gourmet in Jackson, Mississippi.
Poppy Tooker: Poppy, is known as New Orleans’ “food
diva”. She heads up the New Orleans Slow
Food Chapter and is a member of the international board of governors. She
is also a mainstay of the Food & Heritage program at the New
Orleans Jazz Festival. Poppy is involved in preservation
of Louisiana’s traditional foods and has been invited to
teach Louisiana cuisine all over the world. Her lively classes
teach students not only how to cook Louisiana regional food, but
also immerses them in the history the cuisine of the area.
Founder: Judy Jurisich is a native New Orleanian
and former television and marketing executive who created the idea
for the New Orleans Cooking Experience. The idea was based on her
belief that visitors have a growing appetite for authentic experiences
to learn about the culture and history of the area, with the premier
example being its heralded cuisine.
Menus
The menus will change on a seasonal
and daily basis, but here are some dishes regularly taught at the
New Orleans Cooking Experience:
STARTERS: Seafood okra gumbo, file gumbo with chicken and
andouille, Oyster Rockefeller soup, shrimp bisque, crawfish bisque,
corn & crab soup, shrimp remoulade, crabmeat ravigote, crabmeat
Creolaise, Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters Bienville, oysters en brochette,
savory calas, gumbo z’herbes,
MAIN COURSES: New Orleans BBQ shrimp,
Shrimp Creole, jambalaya, shrimp or crawfish etouffee, eggs sardou,
tournedos with tasso marchand du vin sauce, fish courtbouillion,
grits and grillades, chicken a la bonne femme, trout meuniere,
trout farci, chicken sauce piquante, shrimp stew, stuffed eggplant.
DESSERTS: Bread pudding, Bananas Foster, pecan pie, Calas,
frozen Creole cream cheese, café au lait crème brulee,
café brulot, Bananas Foster napoleon, pecan roulade.
MISCELLANEOUS: Dirty rice, oyster dressing,
cornbread dressing, macque choux, boiled seafood, perfect rice,
oyster jambalaya, pesto popcorn rice, peas in a roux.
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Click here to view our current class schedule.