UpDate - Vol. 14, No. 36, Page 1
July 6, 1995
Club's classes give look  at a professional kitchen

     There is something about getting together with friends and helping to
prepare a great meal that seems to bring out the best in people.
     This was evident on a recent Monday evening when a small group met in
the Blue and Gold Club's main dining room to take part in the club's bi-
monthly cooking class.
     "This is not a demonstration class, but a class where the participants
get a chance to do the cooking themselves," Carl Georigi, club general
manager, said.
     The idea for the class originated last summer as a service to club
members, allowing them to get an inside look at what goes on in a
professional kitchen.
     The class, offered during the regular school year, averages about 30
students per class, with attendance reaching as high as 40 for some
sessions.
     The purpose, according to Georigi, is for everyone to have a little
fun in a relaxed atmosphere, while learning the skills that will allow
participants to prepare a similar meal for their families and friends.
     "The idea is to introduce members to each other and get them to become
friends," Georigi said. "People who may be strangers at the beginning of
the classes go home as friends."
     On this particular evening, the last class until fall, Georigi gave
participants a pep talk, then turned the reins over to Dan Beggs, executive
chef at the Blue and Gold Club.
     Beggs explained the menu selected for the evening, then divided the
class into two groups, one to handle the cold items, such as the salad and
dessert, and the other to pull duty in what Beggs referred to as the "hot"
part of the kitchen.
     With the burners turned on, this section of the newly renovated
kitchen was decidedly warmer. Sous chef John Davis helped his group prepare
the sauteed Kennett Square mushroom appetizer and romano potatoes to
accompany the main course of grilled swordfish and grilled asparagus.
     The atmosphere was relaxed in the cooler part of the kitchen, where
Beggs and his group fixed a dill cucumber salad and began making the lemon
mousse dessert that would be chilled two hours before serving.
     The most important ingredient to any meal, according to Beggs, is the
timing necessary to coordinate all the courses.
     On an average working day, chefs Beggs and Davis may prepare as many
as 60 lunches and a similar number of dinners, not counting catering
parties, rehearsal dinners and wedding receptions.
     "I think the classes are great," Beggs said. "The group is laid back
and the people are fun to be with."
     Linda Tidwell, Delaware '82, learned about the class by reading The
Messenger.
     "I like the structure, with its informal, hands-on approach," Tidwell
said. "It's fun and it's also a good learning experience."
     She added that she appreciates the staff, who are friendly and willing
to share their expertise.
     "It's also fun to meet the other class members," she said. "I have met
some of them at other social functions, and this has led to the formation
of some friendships."
     These friendships also can play an important role in attracting new
members to participate in the classes.
     "My friend Linda Tidwell is associated with the Blue and Gold Club,
and that's how I became involved," said Nancy Simeone, who was born and
raised in Wilmington. "I have only missed one class, and each seems to get
better."
     Simeone recalled that the chefs had their hands full the first night,
teaching a class of 30 students while meeting the demands of a capacity
crowd downstairs.
     "I was amazed at how pleasant the staff was," Simeone said. "They
carried on their public business while giving us their undivided
attention."
     Since that hectic first night, classes were moved from Wednesday to
Monday evenings, when the club is not open for business.
      Although the participants vary in levels of kitchen skills, Simeone
said nobody is left out, and the result is an excellent meal.
     "I have made some great friends and learned to make some great food,"
she said. "When I read the menu for the first class I didn't think would be
able to do it, but we did. It was magic."
     Eleanor Weber, a retired educator who taught home economics classes in
Western Maryland's Allegheny County, made the trip from Dover to take part
in the evening's activities.
     "This is my first class, and it's marvelous," Weber said. "The
technique is interesting. The chefs are well versed in the culinary arts,
and the participants are fantastic."
     A member of the University's Southern Delaware Academy of Lifelong
Learning in Lewes, Weber said that she will be back when classes resume in
the fall.
     "I like to cook," Weber said. "If I'm frustrated or unhappy, I can go
into the kitchen and learn to smile again."
                                                              -Jerry Rhodes