Affordable Chef-Taught Holiday Cooking Classes

Michael DeBoer demystifies cooking for a Thanksgiving or Christmas crowd

Thanksgiving turkey 2009, resting before being carved.

Thanksgiving was the first holiday meal that I took over from my mother after I moved into my first New York apartment. That was a lifetime ago, and I’ve hosted Thanksgiving dinners, my favorite holiday, every year since. Now, in Boulder, we are usually 12 to 14 people, but as many as 20 have crowded around the table in a dining room with seriously rearranged furniture.

Not every home cook has as  much time in grade as I do when it comes to preparing holiday meals, which makes chef Michael  DeBoer’s inexpensive classes perfect for helping them put on a fine dinner with as little stress as possible. He trained at the Culinary Institute of America and then apprenticed at the Flagstaff House. Sterling credentials, I’d say. He has designed this upcoming class series to give the home cooks some professional techniques for preparing their holiday meal.

DeBoer’s Camp Culinary classes help people plan and prepare a meal for a large group, and become more confident in cooking the turkeyand the fixin’s. The four Saturday classes can be taken separately or in a series, which is probably a good idea for holiday cooking novices or anyone who just needs help in planning and preparing a meal for many.

• November 6, 1:00 p.m., “Getting Ready for Turkey Day,”an intro class for just $5; immediately followed by ““Keep Your Eyes on the Pies,” a hands-on workshop, $25
• November 13, 3:00 p.m., “All Gravies are Sauces, but Not All Sauces are Gravies,” $25
• November 20, 3:00 p.m., “Side Dish Secrets: Timing is Everything,” $30. Pre-registration and prepayment are required.

Sign up for all four classes for a 15% discount. To register, click here or e-mail campculinary@gmail.com. All classes are held in Chef DeBoer’s North Boulder home; he’ll send you the address after you’ve registered.