Colorado Mountain College eNews

CMC adds third class after two Glenwood Springs classes fill up

By Mike McKibbin

Louis Girardot, right, shows one of his Culinary Bootcamp students, Kelly Hayes, how to create festive vegetable garnishes during one of his recent classes at Colorado Mountain College's Blake Avenue Center in Glenwood Springs. Photo by Mike McKibbin.

GLENWOOD SPRINGS – To paraphrase a well-known movie line, “if you (show them how to cook) it, they will come.”

That may be how Colorado Mountain College administrators describe the popularity of some cooking classes offered this fall at the college’s Glenwood Center. Two scheduled classes filled up, along with a third added to meet demand.

“I didn’t want to drive to Grand Junction, so I was thrilled when they offered the class in Glenwood Springs,” said student Evelyn Gilstrap of Glenwood.

The strong response followed the results of a community survey two years ago that found people wanted to take cooking classes, said Jonathan Satz, director of continuing education at the CMC site.

When the Culinary Bootcamp class, taught by husband-and-wife chefs Louis and Tammy Girardot, debuted in the spring of 2008, the results were the same: enough demand to fill two classes, Satz said.

This fall, the first Culinary Bootcamp class quickly filled its 10 spaces, and 15 people went on a waiting list. The Girardots again agreed to teach a second course, which filled up right away.

Another cooking class at the Glenwood Center this fall, Juan-Ton: Mexican/Chinese Cooking, taught by Calvin Lee and Julian Martinez, also filled up, Satz said. A raw foods class taught by Cynthia Cyr also had a good response, he said. Cyr will be teaching a winter canning class and a spring semester class on making soup.

Beginners, experienced cooks all learn

Culinary Bootcamp students Jody Provost, back, Laurel Sabo and Amber Wiesing, watch classmate Kelly Hayes, left, start to prepare salmon Pesto mousse during a recent class at Colorado Mountain College's Blake Avenue Center in Glenwood Springs. The class is one of two taught by Louis and Tammy Girardot to meet demand for cooking classes at CMC. Photo by Mike McKibbin.

Before taking Culinary Bootcamp, Floyd Diemoz of Glenwood Springs said his previous cooking experience was “zero.”

“I had always said that someday I wanted to take a class and learn something about it,” he said. “One thing that surprised me is I never realized the art and knowledge that goes into food preparation.”

Gilstrap said her father was a baker, so she had a fair amount of cooking knowledge.

“But you can never learn enough,” she added. “I was interested in hearing what chefs have to say about it. One thing Louie said that surprised me was that we don’t have to cook strictly by a recipe. ‘Fix it to taste good’ is what he said.”

“I was looking to learn some new techniques other than just throwing in Hamburger Helper,” said another student, Laurel Sabo of Carbondale. “It’s been a great class. Louie is great; he always answers our questions but he’s not a haughty chef.”

The Girardots formerly owned and operated the Avalon Cafe in downtown Glenwood Springs, where Satz and other college employees often enjoyed meals. The Girardots also ran restaurants in the Redstone Inn and Redstone Castle, the Hotel Denver and Ruthie’s in Aspen.

Kitchen comfort, confidence sought

Culinary Bootcamp students will not learn any secret or exotic recipes, Louis Girardot said.

“The goal is just to have them be more comfortable and confident in the kitchen,” Tammy Girardot explained.

“We start with the basics, like how to hold a knife, how to cut with a knife, how to sharpen one properly,” Louis Girardot said. One week, he showed students how to make salmon pesto mousse, followed by creative and festive vegetable garnishes.

“It’s just been a wonderful experience,” Diemoz said. “It’s a real gem of a class for CMC. Every time I come home I say I learned a lot.”

For the last class, a full dinner – students decide on the menu – is prepared and enjoyed, Tammy Girardot said. One class picked Steak Diane as their main course.

Satz would like to add cooking classes for Thai and Italian foods, if he can find qualified teachers. Potential instructors should contact him at 384-8477.