DEPOT HOTEL-CUCINA RUSTICA: Classes

In 1987 Chef Ghilarducci and his wife Gia founded the cooking school, Scuola Rustica, and have been teaching cooking classes here in Sonoma ever since. Chef Ghilarducci has continued to teach in Sonoma, Provence, Argentina, and Italy. In 2002, Chef Ghilarducci had the pleasure of joining Jacques Pepin for a week of joint cooking classes at Chateau Villette outside of Paris. In 2006 Chef Ghilarducci also began teaching a series of cooking classes on Crystal Cruise Lines.

Each cooking class at SCUOLA RUSTICA in Sonoma is a light-hearted and relaxed event that includes a complete, lavish four or five course lunch or dinner with three or more vintage wines—–while you learn new cooking skills. Chef Ghilarducci teaches techniques that will make cooks of any level more comfortable in the kitchen.

During class, Chef Ghilarducci will demonstrate each new dish and discuss its origins and the techniques used to prepare it. A complete recipe book will also be provided with all the recipes. We also offer hands-on grilling classes in the garden during the summer months.

Whatever the style of class—the focus is fun, with great food and wine in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. For those who want to improve their cooking skills—you will! For those who want a great meal with friends—and a lot of fun, we can make it happen!

Since 1987, we have been teaching classes to our students--primarily on Tuscan cuisine, but also on the cuisine of other Italian provinces, on country French cooking, and on the cuisine of the Mediterranean basin in generall. We have also offered classes in open-air grilling, Southern barbeque, Oriental cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Mayan cuisine, and American regional cooking.

Do you love to cook and want to learn more? Do you just want to eat a great meal and drink some great wine?

Do you have a spouse or a friend for whom you'd like to get a different and very useful gift? Are you looking for something different to do for a birthday party for a group?

Would you like to go to Europe with us and cook there in a private villa for a week?

Are you a corporate planner looking for something different for team building or a group meeting break-out event?

We also do private cooking classes for groups from 18 to 40. The Chef and kitchen are available on weekend afternoons from 11 to 2 pm and on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 9 pm. We can plan a special menu just for your group from one of the Italian provinces, from France, Morocco, Greece, Central or South American, or a class of all Spanish tapas.

Classes include a very generous four course lunch or dinner, three premium vintage wines (beer and soft drinks also if you like,) and all the recipes. $85 per person.

Call Gia and make plans for a relaxed and fun Cooking Class Party!

Owner and Chef Michael Ghilarducci was born in the Italian-speaking area of North Beach known as "Little Italy.” At the age of eleven he began working in the kitchens of his father's restaurant. After graduation from the culinary program at City College of San Francisco and formal training in the Classical French tradition, Chef Ghilarducci has worked at some of the most prestigious restaurants in San Francisco. With his wife Gia, he owned three restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area, before purchasing the Depot Hotel in 1985. In 1987 Chef Ghilarducci and his wife Gia founded their cooking school, Scuola Rustica, and have been teaching cooking classes in Sonoma ever since. In 1989, Chef Ghilarducci received the honor to be recognized as a Master Chef of America. In 1998 he purchased 10 acres of vineyards in Lake County, California, where he grows Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. In 2001, the Ghilarduccis began a program of week-long cooking classes in Europe—in Provence, Umbria, and Paris, as well as on Crystal Cruise Lines. Chef Ghilarducci also enjoys trips to Northern Italy just to visit his family near Lucca. Through these trips, he has developed a great respect for the simple, rustic cuisine of the Tuscan countryside.

Owner and General Manager Gia Ghilarducci holds degrees in Anthropology and Psychology from Stanford University. After teaching for some years and raising a family, she is now Manager of day-to-day operations for the Restaurant. She is also the Director of the Scuola Rustica Cooking School and coordinates the Cooking School’s overseas travel program. She is also the Banquet and Special Events Manager. In her “spare time” she enjoys developing new desserts for the restaurant menu.

Executive Chef Antonio Ghilarducci also attended San Francisco City College in the Culinary Arts Department. This is the oldest cooking school on the West Coast and the same school that his father attended thirty years earlier. He graduated among the top five in his class in 2002 and obtained his Associates Degree in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies. In 2002 he had the pleasure of joining Jacques Pepin for a week of joint cooking classes at Chateau Villette outside of Paris. Chef Pepin took a liking to Antonio and gave him a recommendation for an internship with Roland Passot of the famous La Folie and Left Bank restaurants. Antonio eventually left La Folie and moved to Napa to pursue a job with the newly opened Angele under Chef Christophe Gerard as a Chef de Partie. Antonio remained there for a year before taking a job at The French Laundry again as a Chef de Partie under Chef Thomas Keller. After six months at the French Laundry, he joined one of the French Laundry’s Sous Chefs in opening the El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma. Now, back at the Depot Hotel, he has come full circle back to the place he grew up. He is looking forward to cooking and teaching—combining his unique culinary experience with the rustic, Tuscan cuisine of the Depot Hotel.

Our new 2008 Summer Series of cooking classes will take a little circuit of both France and Italy. A lot of our students have asked for Antonio to lead a couple of our classes. Great! Michael and Antonio have a lot of fun cooking together, so they have put together a combination of French and Italian menus for you... Gia will finally be back to do a couple of dessert with you as well. Come join us!

We start in July on Bastille Day with Provence. This is a region that Michael and Antonio both love—as it is really a mix of Italy and France. We are going to start with FOUGASSE—a savory Provencal flatbread scented with rosemary and fresh lemon. It is a great compliment to our second course, MOULES PROVENÇALE. This is a hearty broth of tomatoes, garlic, Pernoc tarragon with fresh steamed mussels. The next dish is a show-stopper, but so easy to do for a crowd of guests—GIGOT D’AGNEAU. This succulent roast leg of lamb is roast with figs, lemons, rosemary, thyme and glazed with balsamic. Accompanying the lamb is a LES PETITS FARCIS NIÇOIS—the classic little stuffed Provencal vegetables that are absolutely delicious. Dessert is very French, but so easy to make—GALETTE DES ROIS AUX AMANDES—a delicate almond tarte topped with glazed strawberries and served with crème fraiche.

For our next class in August, we move back to Italy to the beautiful little town of Perugia. Our first course is a savory CROSTATA AL FUNGHI DEL BOSCO—a flaky tart with wild mushrooms. The Perugini are great fans of polenta, so for our second course we have POLENTA GNOCCHI CON SALVIA. These tender, but unusual gnocchi are served in a delicate sauce of browned butter and sage. The main course is a classic from Perugia, ARROSTO DI MAIALE AL’AGLIO. This spicy, fragrant loin of pork is rubbed with unusual spices and herbs, roast, and served with RABE CON RICOTTA SALATA. This treatment of rabe with lemon and ricotta compliments the roast pork perfectly. For dessert we have a classic in the Perugina pastry shops—TORTA NOCCIOLA. Here a delicate hazelnut crust is filled with a rich chocolate-hazelnut ganache and studded with whole hazelnuts. We won’t even pretend it is low-cal. But just a little sliver won’t hurt, will it?

For our third class in September we are going to swing back to the north of Italy, to the town of Reggio Nell’Emilia in the hills near Parma. This menu celebrates the great local products of Parma and Emilia Romagna. Our first course features the dry-cured beef of the region BRESAOLA CON ARUGULA. This is a simple salad of arugula is topped with paper-thin beef and an unusual piquant dressing. For a primi we will have RISOTTO AL’LIMONE. This delicate risotto has strips of prosciutto and is scented with fresh lemon. For main course we have one of our very favorite chicken dishes POLLO REGGIANO. This crisp roast chicken is seasoned with mustard, roast with potatoes and pancetta, and served with wilted chicory. It has become a real family favorite for us because it produces such a great result for so little effort. Finally for dessert, there is a rustic TORTA ROSMARINO. This humble country cornmeal cake is scented with vanilla and rosemary and served with pears poached in red wine. Very Italian.

Finally, for our fourth class in October, Antonio is going to show us some of his favorite Parisian bistro food. These are some great classics. This is a great class for those of you who want to pick up a sauce technique or two. Our first course is great dish to learn for a party, as it can and must be done ahead—PÂTE DE CAMPAGNE. Pâte is not hard to make—everything depends on the quality of the ingredients. Next is a bistro classic—FILETS DE SOLE DIEPPOISE. Don’t be scared of fish. We will show you how to do this sole with prawns flawlessly every time. For main course, we have the classic sautéed steak—ENTRECÔTE DE BOEUF, SAUCE BEARNAISE. Here again we can show you the trick to a perfect sautéed steak. Bearnaise sauce can be done ahead and held as well. We will show you how. What would a steak be without POMMES FRITES? How do they get those French fries so perfectly crisp? Come to class and we will show you how. Finally for dessert we are going to do something delicate and delicious, CRÊPES SUZETTE—thin little crepes with an orange-Grand Marnier sauce. We think you will really enjoy the flambé.

Come join us for our new Summer Series. Michael, Gia, and Antonio look forward to seeing you, as well as enjoying some great food and wine together.

? Each class will begin promptly at 6:30 P.M. in the kitchen of THE DEPOT HOTEL. (The doors open at 6:15.) Dress comfortably, bring a pen or pencil, and be prepared to relax and have fun! Between 6:30 and 9:00 P.M., the Chef will demonstrate and serve the class a complete four or five course dinner—accompanied by vintage wines the Chef has selected to match each dish. All our students who have attended in the past know that it is important to come hungry—because you won’t go home able to eat another bite. While demonstrating, the Chef will give an explanation of the history and techniques used for each dish—and questions are welcomed at any time! A recipe book will be provided.

Tuition is $85 per person. Classes do fill up very rapidly every time so it is recommended that anyone interested in a space call Gia as soon as possible to check availability and get a sign up form. gia@depothotel.com 707-938-2980

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Le Marche province. January 7, 8 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Abruzzo. February 4, 5 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Puglia. March 3, 4 2008 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Calabria. April 21, 22 2008 6:30 pm

Criollo cooking in the vineyards. Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires. March 26-April 1 2008.

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Ferrara. May 5,6 2008. 6:30 pm

Hands–on Grill Class in the Garden. Dates June 15, 22, and 29 2008. 12 noon to 2:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on French cuisine from Provence. July 14, 15 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Perugia. August 25, 26 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on Italian cuisine from Reggio Nell'Emilia. September 29, 30 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration class on French cuisine from A Paris Bistro. October 20, 21 2008. 6:30 pm

Evening demonstration on pre-Holiday Italian cuisine. November 10, 11 December 8, 9 2008. 6:30 pm

**Call to find out about upcoming 2009 classes and be put on the current mailing list!

Class Schedule in Sonoma

Generally, classes are offered on either a Monday or a Tuesday evening from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, although we have done classes on Sunday and Monday afternoons as well. Most classes are booked independently by individual students. However, we are glad to do special classes for groups -- a family group, a special group of friends, an office party, etc. If you would like a special cooking class of your own -- we are happy to design one with you to suit your own culinary interests and your favorite cuisine -- and do it either hands-on or demonstration style! Group size is usually 18 to 22, although outdoor poolside grilling classes may be as large as 40.

If you are interested in any of our classes in Sonoma, or any of our overseas trips, ask to be added to our mailing list.

Class tuition in Sonoma is usually around $85 per class, which includes a lavish four or five course dinner, served with three or four matching vintage wines, the recipe workbook, and the class itself. The dress is comfortable and the atmosphere is relaxed -- come hungry and be prepared to have fun!