Stonewall Kitchen’s new state-of-the-art culinary school offers a series of cooking classes featuring a great lineup of top chefs including Taste contributors Kathy Gunst, Denise Landis, and editor Jean Kerr. Classes range from learning to prepare a five-course meal to one-hour Learn at Lunch and Learn at Brunch programs that will be offered on weekends. Specialty classes such as Lobster 101 will also be offered. As manager, Patty Roche is involved in developing and teaching the classes.

Where did you train?
At the Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover, New Hampshire. I had also worked as a caterer for 20 years, back in Connecticut.

Where do you feel you learned your craft?
While doing my own catering. It was literally on-the-job training.

What is it like being a culinary school chef?
It’s a neat combination of two worlds. We’re teaching, but we’re also executing a meal while doing so. We’ll be on stage, so to speak, doing everything we’re talking about. It’s live, so it’s a bit more challenging than the restaurant or catering business where everything is usually behind the scenes.

What appeals to you about this new role?
I was the visual merchandising manager at Stonewall Kitchen before taking on this job. I occasionally helped out in the cafe, but essentially I’d been out of the cooking business since moving up here a few years ago. I’m really excited to get back into food work. I’ve missed it. This whole school concept intrigues me. It’s something completely new and different and I’m rejuvenated by the idea.

What inspires you in your cooking?
I like recipes that are simple and use fresh ingredients. When I read a recipe I can tell immediately if it’s going to be something I’ll enjoy preparing and eating. I don’t like things that are too complex; I think sometimes too many processes get in the way of the food itself. I guess you can say I’m inspired by good ingredients.

Where do you like to eat?
I have no time! When I do have time, I like to try different places, but my favorite thing to do is get together with friends for a meal at their house or mine, or put together a great picnic for the beach.

What was your biggest disaster or most embarrassing moment?
When I was catering I was hired to do a St. Patrick’s Day dinner for a politician. The head count was supposed to be 250. We were serving corned beef, which has a lot of shrinkage. It’s not a food you can easily stretch if you are short. We get to the venue and lo and behold they have invited 375 guests! It’s St. Patty’s Day, and my team and I are literally running to every store in town buying up all the corned beef. We wiped out every deli for miles! Somehow, we got enough and no one ever knew how desperate the situation was.

Mussels in an Herb Cream Sauce
Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1⁄3 cup thinly sliced leeks
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
1⁄4 cup carrots, peeled and medium dice
1⁄4 cup potatoes, peeled and medium dice
1 pound fresh mussels in the shell
3⁄4 cup dry white wine
3⁄4 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
1⁄2 teaspoon of minced fresh thyme
1⁄2 teaspoon of minced fresh rosemary

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium to high heat. Add leeks and sauté lightly. Add garlic, diced carrots, potatoes, and mussels. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add wine, heavy cream, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook until mussels have opened, about 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme and rosemary, tossing it all together with the mussels and vegetables.
2. Discard any mussels that aren’t open.
3. Transfer to bowl and serve immediately with crusty bread for dipping.

Crystal Ward Kent is Contributing Editor to Taste magazine and has written for Taste since its inception. She is a frequent contributor to numerous regional magazines, including Yankee, Accent, and New Hampshire Home.