{"id":4860,"date":"2019-11-05T15:36:41","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T20:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4860"},"modified":"2019-11-06T11:42:12","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T16:42:12","slug":"biltmore-culinary-academy-offers-steak-house-favorites-class-for-novice-cooks","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=4860","title":{"rendered":"Biltmore Culinary Academy offers ‘Steak House Favorites’ class for novice cooks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Posted November 6, 2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/em>By CLAUDIA SAFAVI<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a novice in the kitchen, there I was anxiously awaiting to place my first piece of filet mignon ever onto the grill at the Biltmore Culinary Academy. My heart was racing as I envisioned my steak bursting into flames. I requested Chef Victor to come to my aid as a safety precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once Chef Victor came to my assistance, I\nmustered up the courage to finally set the meat onto the grill. My goal was to\ncook my steak medium-rare as Chef Victor guided me through the process of how\nto achieve my desired result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Students grilling steaks during the “Steak House Favorites” class at the Biltmore Culinary Academy (Photos by Claudia Safavi).<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe process of making a filet mignon\nmedium-rare is to rotate each part of it and cook every side of the steak for\nthree minutes each,\u201d explained Victor Santos, a chef at the Biltmore Culinary\nAcademy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My attempt at cooking a medium-rare steak was\nhighly successful as I was able to follow the directions of the skilled chef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main reason I chose to take this cooking class was to gain the skills and techniques on how to prepare the ultimate classic American-style meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Culinary Academy is an extraordinary\nplace, where students from all cooking levels are welcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI signed up for cooking classes at the\nBiltmore based on the fact that my cooking has always been inedible. This past\nmonth I took Chef Victor\u2019s three-day cooking Bootcamp. I was surprised by how\ntremendously Chef Victor\u2019s class improved my cooking skills. It allowed me to\nget over my fears in the kitchen as well,\u201d claimed Samantha Thomas, a current\ncooking student at the Biltmore Culinary Academy. \u201cI am now taking his Steak\nHouse Favorites Cooking Class because I want to learn how to prepare meat.\nPlus, I want to be able to cook my boyfriend\u2019s favorite meal for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found couples who were taking the Steak House Favorites class together had similar objectives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI chose to enroll in the Steak House Favorites Cooking Class because it is a staple at the Biltmore Culinary Academy. Cooking steak is something that interests my husband and we have wanted to take cooking classes together. Preparing and cooking meat is not something my husband or I am powerful at, so we are both here to learn all the basics,\u201d stated Nancy Zaffiro, a cooking student at the Biltmore Culinary Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Homemade Shrimp Cocktails by student and writer Claudia Safavi at the academy.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Before class started, Chef Victor went into\ndetail about what students would be expecting from the Steak House Favorites\nCooking Class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor the Steak House Favorites course tonight,\nwe will be making an assortment of dishes that consist of shrimp cocktails,\njumbo lump crab cakes, creamed spinach, classic mashed potatoes, hash browns\nand truffle mac & cheese. Students are also going to learn how to both cook\nand cut three types of beef properly from Filet Mignon to Ribeye and New York\nStrip steak,\u201d explained Chef Victor. \u201cI want to describe the structure of my\ncooking classes to all of you. Every station is going to have one or two\ndifferent recipes. Each person or couple on the station will be assigned to these\nrecipes. You will all work on your dishes for about an hour or so. In the end,\nwe will put the tables together to serve the meal in a family-style manner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Chef Victor was finished explaining the\nprocess of the course, he assigned me to the shrimp cocktail station, where I\nwas in charge of preparing the seasoning and cocktail sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite part of the shrimp cocktail\nexperience was the presentation aspect of it. I was instructed to assemble the\ncocktails by filling each martini glass with crushed ice and \u201chooking\u201d three\nshrimps onto the side of every cup. Lemon wedges and green garnishes were\nplaced in the center of the cups with a side of cocktail sauce as the finishing\ntouch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I was instructed to kick off the serving\naspect of dinner by placing the shrimp cocktails onto the table as an\nappetizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the appetizers were consumed, the\nremaining students delivered each of their final side dishes to the table,\nwhich featured jumbo lump crab cakes, creamed spinach, classic mashed potatoes,\nhash browns and truffle mac & cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chef Victor then served the main course, which\nwas composed of the steaks we had each prepared earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every plate had a very distinct yet tasteful\nflavor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New friendships were formed as we all gathered\naround the table for a family-style meal together and bonded over our cooking\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A full home-cooked meal by Biltmore Culinary Academy students featuring shrimp cocktails, jumbo lump crab cakes, creamed spinach, steaks, classic mashed potatoes, hash browns and truffle mac & cheese.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is typically an average of 10 to 14 adults per class. Our small class sizes allow students to have engaging conversations with one another while dining on their creations as they sip complimentary wine,\u201d claimed Katherine Cardoso, the chef assistant of the Adult Cooking Classes at the Biltmore Culinary Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting new people and working together as a\nteam added more enjoyment to the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I then look forward to repeating another\neventful night at the Biltmore Culinary Academy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 I\nnoticed an upcoming sushi-making class taught by Chef Victor on the schedule. I\nwill be returning very soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biltmore Culinary Academy is its own\nentity within the National Landmark hotel. It is located in the Conference\nCenter of America building on the second floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biltmore Culinary Academy is ideally\nsituated for tourists to visit. It is approximately a 20-minute drive from\nMiami International Airport and Downtown Miami. The bustling center of Coral\nGables and the iconic Miracle Mile are also located nearby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If You Go<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n