Tonight one of my fellow nutrition students and I had the privilege of attending a cooking demonstration at Chapel Hill’s A Southern Season (acronym: Culinary Lessons at Southern Season–CLASS). Tonight’s visiting chef was David Alworth of Guglhupf Cafe. I’ve been to Guglhupf several times in the past, and every visit has been a truly delightful culinary experience, so I was giddy with anticipation for tonight’s demonstration.

I walked into the cooking classroom and was immediately taken aback by the pristine appearance of the kitchen. As you might expect from a cooking class located above a cooking supply store, this kitchen was equipped with nothing but the best—all Viking appliances (even the stand mixer!), All-Clad pots and pans, and MAC knives. Hello, dream kitchen.

Even more impressive than the kitchen was the menu:

Chilled Spring Pea Soup with Mint Infused Cream

NC Shrimp Salad with Fennel, Radish, Radicchio, and Rye Crackers

NC Crabcakes with Sweet Corn and Pepper Relish

Panna Cotta with Blueberry Lime Compote and Coconut Shortbread

I love that Chef Alworth places such emphasis on local ingredients. Most of this menu was locally sourced, from the seafood to the peas to the blueberries. It was all exceptionally prepared to boot.

I must admit, this meal represents more mayonnaise, cream, and butter than I have probably consumed in the last five years combined. It’s all about moderation, right? Plus, Chef Alworth suggested substitutions for each dish, and many were quite healthy. For example, he suggested using Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream in the pea soup.

We were all provided with copies of the recipes—let me know if you’d like me to post any of them!

Have you ever attended a cooking demonstration or class? What did you make?

Rewind to the less exciting eats of the day:

I guess you could call this Ellie makeover week. First, it was yesterday’s Chopped Nicoise Salad, and this morning I re-vamped the Cherry Vanilla Oatmeal.

For lunch, I made a pretty phenomenal salad featuring BBQ tofu, corn, charred zuke + onions, and a homemade smoky avocado dressing. I might have to post the recipe for this one soon—it’s such a perfect summer salad!

Alright, I have some couponing to do! Good night, lovelies!

Filed under: Meals