La Cena-An Italian Dinner

In La Cena-An Italian Dinner, students will prepare a delicious Pasta Carbonara and Italian salad, complete with homemade vinaigrette . Carbonara is a creamy Italian pasta dish that is made with eggs, hard cheese, pork. Students will learn how to tell when pasta is done cooking as well as the unique cooking technique that makes Carbonara so special. The salad, is a classic part green salad, part antipasto salad combining lettuce, celery, onion, pepperoncini, olives and cherry tomatoes. To create the dressing, students will learn about emulsions and how to make a simple vinaigrette. Once the meals are prepared we will eat them as a class and enjoy the fruits of our labor with a nice red wine.

Instructor

Born and raised in Parkdale, Oregon Michelle has always loved helping grandma in the kitchen after school. Those days of flour coated cheeks and steamy pots on the stove inspired her to love all things food. Michelle attended Oregon State University, graduating with a degree in Animal Science and Food Technology. Her focus on animal food products has given her the knowledge and experience of meat, dairy and food science. After college, Michelle worked at a large food manufacturing company in production, supplier and R&D roles. This experience allowed Michelle to travel the world and experience cuisines and cooking techniques that were previously unknown to her. Michelle currently works at a local fruit packing house here in Hood River and has just completed her Master's degree in Food Science from Washington State University. She loves learning about food and sharing that knowledge with others.