Blue Ribbon Class Schedules

Blue Ribbon classes take the challenge out of cooking and give you the tools to entertain with ease and style.

All Blue Ribbon classes provide:
Hands-on participation;
A sit-down meal including all dishes prepared in class;
Printed copies of all recipes covered in class

Monday, June 29, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Culinary Destinations: Classic French Bistro
Chef Mark Schoenthaler
$95 per person

If you enjoy traveling to France or dream about visiting someday, you’ll love these robust French meals that will bring a touch of the French bistro to your home kitchen. Rustic, down to earth food, simply yet beautifully prepared is what French Bistro Food is all about. These recipes are easy to make after work or for company to create a satisfying meal. Join Chef Mark Schoenthaler in the kitchen as he puts his talented spin on these delicious classics.

Menu:

Frisee Salad with Lardons and Poached Egg
Steak and Frites
Filet of Sole Meuniere
Croque Monsieur & Madame
(Grilled Sandwiches)
Coq Au Vin
(Chicken cooked in Red Wine)
Steamed Mussels with Sausage Tomatoes and Paprika
Coquilles Saint Jacque
(Scallops with Veloute Sauce)
Duchess Potatoes
Ginger Burnt Cream
Floating Islands

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Tuesday, July 7, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Date Night Couples Class: Traditional Italian Nights with Italian Wine Tasting
Chef Mark Schoenthaler
$155 per couple

We’ll begin with a couple of Italian-inspired cocktails and a traditional antipasta platter. An authentic Italian meal is an event with different courses all designed to blend flavors and textures for the best eating experience. It’s so much more than the act of consuming food, and in an Italian kitchen the preparation of each dish is considered an act of love rather than a chore. Dining "Italian style" is all about sitting down together around the table and is as much about enjoying the companionship of friends and loved ones as it is about enjoying a delicious meal. Join us to indulge in and learn our authentic and impressive Italian summer menu, sip some new cocktails and make new friends. Enjoy a full evening of preparing a memorable meal together and then indulging in your creations as you dine at a waterfront dining table complete with candles, roses, ambiance and spectacular Northwest wines paired with each course.

Menu:

Cocktails
Bellini
Limonce Limon

Appetizers
Blue Ribbon’s Antipasti Platter: Gourmet Cheese, Cured Meats, Marinated Vegetables & Housemade Spreads
A Trio of Crostini: Chickpea and Mint, Anchovies and Garlic, and Traditional Caprese

Salad
Tossed Green Salad with Lemon and Chives

Pasta Course
Homemade Spaghetti with Mussels and Light Tomato Sauce

Entre
Whole Grilled Fish stuffed with Fresh Herbs
Chicken Picatta
Rosemary Roasted New Potatoes
Grilled Italian Vegetables

Dessert
Fig Honey and Pine Nut Tart with Lemon Infused Crème Fraise
Blue Ribbon Coffee

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Monday, July 13, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 pm
My Big Fat Greek Feast with Ouzo Tasting
Chef Julie Little
$95 per person

Anytime is the perfect time to enjoy Greek cuisine! Your Chef Cooking Instructor, Julie Little, has studied Greek cuisine and traveled throughout Greece exploring the cuisine, ingredients, recipes, people, and culture. Julie’s joy in teaching Greek food is sharing delicious fresh tastes and flavors from the land, using direct, uncomplicated techniques. Join Chef Julie Little for a Big Fat Greek Feast and some Ouzo!

Menu:

Tzatziki with Homemade Pitta
Fried Calamari with Roasted Red Pepper Lemon Aioli
Saganaki: Grilled Goat Feta Flambéed With Ouzo
Avgolemono (Chicken Soup with Egg and Lemon)
Spanakopitta (Spinach Pie With Feta and Phyllo Dough)
Greek Grilled Marinated Chicken Wings
Traditional Greek Salad
Revani (Semolina Sponge Cake)

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Monday, July 20, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Seasonal Selections: Summertime Backyard Cocktail Party
$95 per person

Savor summer backyard parties as a simple way to entertain friends, family, and neighbors. Our cast of chef’s will teach you dinner and cocktail recipes that allow you to enunciate the season’s freshest ingredients and actually spend time with your guests rather than in the kitchen.

Menu:

Basil-Mint Mussels
Orange Shrimp Cocktail Gazpacho
Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Cilantro, Lime and Hoisin
Salmon en Papillote with Chipotle, Roasted Red Pepper and Mango Relish
Grilled Flatiron Steaks with Avocado Salsa
Plank Roasted New Potatoes with Black Sea Salt
Citrus Orzo Salad with Fresh Basil
Summer Vegetable Tart

Cocktails
Mango & Coconut Daiquiris
Pomegranate Mojitos with Vanilla Sugar
Sangria Blanco
Fresh Watermelon Martinis

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Monday, July 27, 2009
6:30 - 9:30 pm
Culinary Destinations: Mediterranean Summer with Wine Tasting
Chef Julie Little
$95 per person

Come indulge in some fresh and lively dishes from the ancient Mediterranean region! Recipes that hail from here are perfect for warm summer weather. Fresh regional and seasonal produce is the keystone to all Mediterranean cuisine. With at least 16 countries, and many regions of each, in the Mediterranean region, there are a plethora of different diets with characteristic twists and nuances of “Mediterranean cuisine.” Join us for a deliciously educational evening filled with incredible seafood and Mediterranean vegetable dishes.

Menu:

Tomatillo Gazpacho
Mixed Greens with Marinated Anchovies and Lemon Toasts
Linguine with Mussels alla Diavola
Tomato and Fennel Stuffed Salmon with Basil Sauce
Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables
Grilled Eggplant with Olive, Orange & Anchovy Vinaigrette
Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
Crème Brulee
Tiramisu

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Class Registration

Contact us via email info@blueribboncooking.com or call 206-328-2442 for class registrations.

Featured Chefs

About Mike & Virginia Duppenthaler

Blue Ribbon is directed by Virginia & Mike Duppenthaler. Virginia has studied at Cordon Bleu, Paris; Gastronomic Institute, Vienna; University of Science & Technology, Ames, Iowa. A cookbook author and former television video cooking show host, she founded her first cooking school in 1977 in Vancouver, Canada. Mike is a former businessman, who, in his spare time, has been throwing large, fabulous parties and dinners since his college days. An avid cookbook collector, he also is a knife skills and barbeque expert. He has been teaching at Blue Ribbon since 1998.

About Tiberio Simone

Tiberio Simone grew up cooking by the side of his mother and grandmother in Southern Italy. The memory of these wonderful times, the aroma of the divine food and the noises of sizzling oil and pots and pans has stayed with him into his current career as caterer. Many of his specialties are rooted in the cooking of his region and of his two towns, Neviano and Seattle. Tiberio's food is simple and delicious and colorful, using the best food: fresh local produce, organic ingredients (on request) and imported food, all available here in the great Northwest.

About Krista Fay

A Northwest native, Krista has lived in Europe and the Middle East and has traveled extensively, studying food and cultures around the world. As culinary program coordinator at Sur La Table's cooking school in Kirkland, she worked with many nationally recognized chefs including: Alton Brown, Joanne Weir, Caprial Pence, Jerry Traunfeld, Sara Moulton, Rick Rodgers, Hugh Carpenter and Corey Schreiber. Later Krista became curriculum coordinator for Sur La Table’s nationwide network of cooking schools. Several years ago she returned to her first love – teaching in the kitchen. An expert specializing in home cooking, Krista teaches classes throughout the Puget Sound area to students of all ages.

About Iole Aguero

Iole Aguero was born and raised in Southern Italy where she learned the art of fine Italian cooking from her mom and her relatives. With 25 years experience in the kitchen, Iole teaches at several Seattle area cooking schools, two local community colleges as well as at cooking schools in California, Texas and Utah. And she still finds time to teach private cooking classes and lead cooking tours to Italy. Iole also has been featured in Northwest Palate, Seattle Times Pacific Magazine and Seattle Magazine.

About Suzanne Hunter

Suzanne Hunter is a caterer, cooking instructor, and food writer. She has studied with Chef John Snowden in Chicago in 1964, 65, and 66. She also studied at the University of Florence in Italy in 1968 and at the Hong Kong Gas Co. in China in 1988. She spent a summer in France in 1966 and again on an I.A.C.P. food tour to France in 1995. In addition, she has studied with Marcella Hazan in Venice in 1992 and went on a food tour with the I.A.C.P. to Norway, Sweden & Denmark in 1996. In 1997, with Chef Kaspar Donier and Chef Jacques Pepin she went to Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand. With the I.A.C.P. she went on a food tour to Northern Italy in 1998. With the Culinary Institute of America and Nancy Harmon Jenkins she went to Tunisia and Sicily in 2001. In 2002 Suzanne explored Turkish cuisine with local food historian Engin Akin and local Chef Feridun Ugumu in Istanbul. In 2004 Suzanne visited Northern Spain including Barcelona and the Basque region with the Culinary Institute of America. She was a contributing author to Northwest Gourmet newspaper for four years and has been mentioned in Food Arts magazine for her innovation. Suzanne gives cooking lessons in several different schools, stores, and locations. The catering business known as Cuisine By Suzanne began in 1983. Suzanne has achieved a C.C.P. or Certified Culinary Professional status with the esteemed International Association of Culinary Professionals.

About Justin Branstad

With twenty years of professional culinary experience, chef Justin Branstad is well versed in a wide variety of cooking styles and techniques. He is a graduate of the Seattle Culinary Academy and also completed the highly acclaimed Quillisascut Farm Culinary program. He has worked in numerous kitchens in California, Colorado and Washington, and most recently as the Chef of Lombardi's restaurant before joining us at Blue Ribbon. Justin is also an avid gardener and fisherman- skills he uses to bring our freshest northwest ingredients to life!

About Pranee Halvorsen

Pranee Halvorsen is the owner of I Love Thai Cooking, a member of IACP, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and enjoys teaching Thai cooking throughout the Pacific Northwest. Pranee first learned Thai cooking as a child in Phuket, Thailand by doing chores in the kitchen. Her regular assignments were grating coconut, pounding curry paste, and cooking rice. At age 12, she got more responsibility as a substitute cook of the house. Her mom was a chef of the village and was famous for her fish cake (Hua Mok). Later Pranee worked for the Public Health Department on the weekdays while helping her family's food business on the weekends. Pranee visits Thailand annually to collect and preserve family and hometown recipes. She also hones her culinary skills by participating in many classes, seminars, and conferences. When she is not teaching, she enjoys helping her local community's fund raising with her Thai cooking and working on her cookbook.

About Wayne A. Johnson

Wayne Johnson traveled the world, experiencing the diversity of various cultures while growing up. In 1999, Wayne was lured north and became Executive Chef of the Mayflower Park Hotel in downtown Seattle. At Andaluca, Chef Wayne gathers fresh local products and uses the seductive flavor of Mediterranean spices such as cumins, saffrons, paprikas and cinnamons to produce a palate of unique and flavorful menu items. Under his supervision, Andaluca has won “Seattle’s Best Mediterranean Restaurant” award three years running and Seattle Magazine’s “Best Overall Restaurant” award. It is listed in the ZAGAT Survey 2003 as one of “Seattle’s Top Mediterranean Restaurants”. Chef Wayne was honored with an invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York City on January 14th, 2002. During the same visit, Chef Wayne was also asked to teach a cooking class at New York’s famed French Culinary Institute. Black Enterprise magazine named Chef Wayne one of America’s Top Black Chefs.

About Bill Fredericks

Bill Fredericks, AKA the ChocolateMan, is a well know local chocolatier who both owns his own chocolate supply business and he also teaches and consuls extensively here in the Northwest about chocolate. He has been in the chocolate business for 17 years and he has taken instruction from such well known chocolatiers as Bernard Callebaut, Jacques Torres, Pascal Janvier and Elaine Gonzalez. He has achieved seven certifications ranging from chocolate manufacturing to advanced and expert level chocolate artistry and production. His work as Chocolatier for Choc Elan earned him recognition in several Seattle magazines and a status as one of the three most cutting edge chocolatiers in the region. Bill has also worked extensively with other chefs and assists Blue Ribbon not only in the areas of chocolate and pastries but also in main line cooking where he shares his passion for sensual food production and presentation.

Driving Directions

Blue Ribbon is located in Seattle's beautiful Eastlake neighborhood.

» Click here for driving directions and maps

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