One Meal, Many Tricks

A four hour, hands-on cooking class culminating in dinner with wine.

We love a good recipe and a beautiful cookbook. But ultimately, we want home cooks to find the freedom to move beyond precise measurements and detailed instructions. To meet this goal, 18 Reasons has developed a series of classes called One Meal, Many Tricks. Each class is designed to cover a variety of classic culinary techniques, the fundamentals of composing a well-balanced dish (e.g., the use of acid and salt, etc.), and special skills and shortcuts that will make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable and efficient.

Each course covers a different set of cooking fundamentals. Whereas in a traditional course you'd spend days, if not weeks, on sauces, we'll cover a sauce when it's appropriate - for example, after sautéing meat, when drippings coat the pan. We invite you to take a single class that covers topics most relevant or interesting for you; or, for a more comprehensive culinary training, please join us for several of these classes over the course of the year. We will be offering One Meal Many Tricks on a regular basis, and will take you through the seasons and around the kitchen by the end of the year.

MENU*

Sardine Pâté
Tartine Bread

Two New Classics:
Little Gem with Radish, Avocado, Lemon Vinaigrette
Mixed Chicories, Shaved Fennel, Shaved Sheep's Milk Cheese, Red Wine Vinaigrette

Butchering a Chicken:
Braised Chicken Thighs, White Bean Puree, Green Garlic Zhug
Sauteed Chicken Breasts, White Bean Puree, Green Garlic Zhug

Bittersweet Chocolate Custard, Whipped Creme Fraiche, Almond Tuile

Michelle McKenzie is the program director and chef at 18 Reasons. She teaches cooking classes, curates the course calendar, and prepares the food for wine dinners and special events. She has a knack for making simple food seem special and is full of amazing tips for making every meal memorable. Michelle’s food seems at once healthy and hedonistic, elegant and effortless, and always attainable. 

Michelle graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in nutrition and a minor in biochemistry, giving her a deep understanding of food properties and their complex implications within the human body. She later graduated from The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts, where she immersed herself in health-supportive cuisine prepared from whole, organic and seasonal foods. Michelle has worked at some of the best restaurants in the country, has been featured on the Cooking Channel, and has been a contributor for publications such as Sunset Magazine. 

Her first cookbook, Dandelion and Quince: Exploring the Wide World of Unusual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs, will be published by Roost Books in 2016.
 

*subject to change based on produce availability