The Chopping Block  

   

New Year's Eve  

New Year Eve's Solution

Forget the crowded bars and expensive restaurants; do something different this year for your New Year's celebration! Spend your evening indulging in an amazing meal with great people, either cooking yourself or watching our chefs. If you don't want the party to end, you'll still have plenty of time to ring in the new year after your cooking class.

Choose from 5 different options:

New Year's Eve Wine Dinner 7pm Lincoln Square

New Year's Eve Hands On Party 7pm Lincoln Square

New Year's Eve Wine Dinner 7pm Mart

New Year's Eve Hands On Party 7pm Mart

New Year's Eve Gourmet Soiree 7pm Mart


River North Gym

Learn & Burn

 
Healthy resolutions are always part of a new year. So, we've partnered with River North Gym to help you get on the right track. Join us on your lunch break from 11:30am to 12:30pm for this new 6-session series. On day 1, you'll get a lesson on nutrition with our Chef John (who has lost 70 pounds in 2012!). You'll walk away with options for quick, easy and healthy meals and snacks.

For the following 5 sessions, we'll meet at the gym on the 9th floor of the Merchandise Mart for a half-hour workout. After your workout, Chef John will provide you with a nutrition-packed lunch and afternoon snack to refuel your body and kickstart the new you! Click here for each class workout and menu. Space is limited, so sign up today!


Get even more help in the new year with our Resolution Solutions demonstration class with Revolution Training Centers. You'll get healthy tips to go from temporary resolutions to long-term solutions.

Wed., Jan. 23 6pm at the Mart

Sign up now!
 
Kids Camp
   
Holiday Camps for Kids & Teens
 
Wrap up your child's holiday break with a three-day cooking camp at our Lincoln Square location. They'll do lots of cooking, learning and eating!

Kids Mini Camp
Wed., Dec. 26 - Fri., Dec. 28
1:30pm - 3:30pm

Teen Mini Camp
Wed., Dec. 26 - Fri., Dec. 28
10am - 12pm
 

 


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2013: The Year of the Home Cook   

 

Make next year count by finally learning to cook. You'll eat better, save your family money and create lasting memories over home-cooked meals.  

 

Here's how The Chopping Block can help:

 

Start with the basics: 101 Classes. Our Seafood, Meat, Chicken and Pasta classes have new winter menus that focus on the ingredient at hand so you can tackle one technique at a time.   

 

Pineapple Our NEW Prep School Plus teaches you how to clean and properly cut challenging fruits and vegetables like pineapple, butternut squash, tomatoes, avocados and many more.   

If you aren't yet comfortable with a knife, try Knife Skills to learn the right knife for the job and master basic cuts like dice and julienne.  

 

For just $5, you can learn How to Make Stock, which any chef will tell you is the basis of any good soup, stew or sauce.

Shelley Flips Managing a pan can be tricky. But if you know how to properly heat a saut� pan, regulate heat and deglaze, you are guaranteed success. Plus, we'll teach you the cool party trick of how to flip your pan like a pro in Pan Handling.

Be economical by using the whole bird in Yardbird: Chicken Butchery. You'll break down a whole chicken down into serving pieces, make stock from the bones and perfectly cook the white and dark meat.  

 

If you are interested in butchery, we have a special treat: Whole Hog: Meat Cuts 411. Chef Mario will butcher a whole pig, showing you where the most important cuts are located and explaining the best ways to cook them.  

 

Blocks And finally, we are proud to announce the return of the revamped Building Blocks series. We are modernizing the menus in this series of classes designed to teach you more than just recipes. Learn more about Building Blocks

 

View all of our just-released January classes on our website.
 

 

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Boot Camp Bonanza in January

 

Since we know you are all resolving to cook more in 2013, we've got the tools to help you make that happen. Our new lineup of Boot Camps delves deeper into the world of cooking.

Cassoulet The mother of all Boot Camps, our Culinary Boot Camp, is one week in our kitchens, working along our professional chefs on our essential culinary curriculum. This program will change your life!

Our NEW Braising Boot Camp is all about slow and low cooking. Learn one-pot meals such as Cassoulet, a classic French dish of sausage, pork shoulder, duck confit and beans.

Vegetarian Boot Camp isn't just for vegetarians. Broaden your palette of cooking techniques and flavors in this two-day immersion into meatless cuisine.

Sauce Stocks, rouxs and reductions: we'll make it all in Sauce Boot Camp, which covers classic to contemporary sauce making techniques.

Do you love the science of baking? Our Baking Boot Camp demystifies doughs, batters, custards, fillings and more. From croissants to cookies, baking will be a breeze once you learn the basics. 

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December is Sweet

 

Satisfy your holiday sweet tooth with our baking classes coming up this month.

Cupcakes Cupcake Boot Camp gets festive with holiday recipes like Eggnog Cupcakes with Rum Frosting.

Try your hand at homemade candy making and learn favorites such as White and Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bark with Dried Cranberries. You'll take home an assortment of your candy creations that can be used for gifts in Candy Land.

Sweet Potato Pie Another great gift is homemade holiday cookies like Chocolate Turtle Cookies. Learn how to make them and take a bunch home in our Fun n' Fancy Holiday Cookies class.

Holiday Pies and Tarts are a must for any dessert table this season. Unique recipes like our Mini Sweet Potato Pies with Praline will wow your guests.



Please note that all of these classes are offered on multiple days at both of our locations, so please visit our website to find specific days and times that fit your schedule.

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