I think it is pretty obvious that I enjoy the classes held at the PC Cooking Schools. I am partial to the one’s held at the Carlton location on Church and Carlton in downtown Toronto.

Most of the classes I have attended have been hands-on classes because I like to have a hand at cooking. That said, I was not expecting much from the Insider’s Report class since it was not a hands-on class, but rather it was set-up as a demonstration.  Boring right?

Actually no. It felt nice to have someone cook for me for a change. For the first time in a long time I allowed myself to sit back and watch Chef Heather Johnson teach me a thing or two while I munched on snacks and she demonstrated how to cook each recipe listed on the menu.  Hence, I was spoiled for 2 hours and got a great meal out of it. Oh, and I learned quite a bit about making soups and smoothies.

Ok, so let me tell you more about it…

(*I did not want to use my camera during the class because I would have needed to use the flash, so I used my camera phone instead. I did use my camera for the food shots.  So yeah, the pictures are not that great but hopefully you will get the gist).

1) Signed up for the class online at http://www.pccookingschool.ca/LCLOnline/cookingSchool.jsp?catId=cat180013&type=browse&tab=cs&all=t The class was $10 and all the proceeds from the Insider’s Report classes go to PC Children’s Charity.

2) Arrived the evening of the class and found an empty seat. Information about the class was found at each seat along with cutlery and water.

3) Browsed through menu to get a sense of what would be discussed and cooked this evening.

4) Munched on a tasting plate given to us at the commencement of the class. Here you have PC Organics Mild Salsa, PC Organics Yellow Corn Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips and PC Blue Menu Seas Salt Cannellini Bean Chips.

5) Watched Heather cook and teach us how to make each dish. Katherine Scherer, the Cooking School Coordinator of the PC Cooking School at Maple Leaf Gardens was also present.  Before or while each dish was being cooked Katherine reviewed the products that were being used in the recipe.

6) First course: Fragrant white bean soup. Really, why don’t I make soups more often? This soup was delicious and Heather made it look so easy.

7) Second course: Flax crusted chicken, roasted sweet potatoes and a salad. These items were meant to be served together but we received them separately because there was a delay in putting the chicken in the oven. The staff did not want us to be sitting there with nothing to eat, so we were served the salad first.

8) Dessert 1: Tropical coconut water smoothie. It tasted cold, fresh and full of distinct tropical flavors.

9) Dessert 2: PC oat cookies.

There you have it. I hope I was able to answer some of your questions about what to expect in an Insider’s Report class. Please note that I took this class at the Carlton location so can’t be certain that the set-up will be the same across all locations. Do not hesitate to contact the PC School Coordinator for the location you are interested in taking a class in. From my experience they are happy and willing to answer your questions (thank you Katherine for your patience!).

Fyi, you can now sign up for the next Insider’s Report class on the PC Cooking School website. Also give the other classes a try. If you want to get a sense of what the hands-on classes are like, I have reviewed a few of them in my blog. Check them out!

Mangia!