By Candace Zafirellis
Lots of baking, slicing and dicing will be going on this fall at the Culinary Center at Mercer County Community College. Mercer’s Center for Continuing Studies (CCS) offers cooking and other personal interest classes beginning in September and continuing through December. Classes are held evenings and weekends on the West Windsor campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road.
Chef Jeremy Stahl will be busy in the kitchen as he shares classic menus and techniques. Learn how to make scrumptious meals in the slow cooker with Chef Stahl in “What a Crock” on Sept. 28, followed by soup recipes just like grandma’s in “Soup’s On!” on Oct. 6. Next up, Chef Stahl presents a class for seafood lovers with “Fish” on Oct. 27 and another for pasta lovers in “Playing with Pasta” on Nov. 2. In “Thanksgiving 101: The Ultimate Turkey and Trimmings Class” Stahl will provide expert advice and demonstration techniques for the perfect holiday meal. In “Knife Skills” on Oct. 13 and repeated Dec. 1, he shares cutlery skills that are key for any cook.
For those who love to bake, join Chef Miaya Lonesome for “Cake Masters Decorating” on Oct. 12 and 19, and “Holiday Cookies” on Nov. 30. Then, Chef Rita Bohlumbohm will teach “Cakes from Scratch” on Sept. 30 and “Bread Basics” on Oct. 28.
Chef Benson Yu will take students on a gourmet journey through Asia with “Sushi 101: Colorful and Fun Sushi” on Sept. 9 and “Thailand” on Oct. 7. Chef Yu also presents three new courses this fall: “Global Shellfish Feast” on Sept. 23, “30 Minute Meals: Cook, Eat, Enjoy!” on Oct. 21, and “Knife Skills Adventures” on Nov. 4. He concludes his time in the MCCC kitchen with “International Smoke House and Pickling” on Nov. 18.
Wine connoisseur Bruce Smith returns to Mercer for his seventh year teaching about wines from around the world. This fall he features all new classes including “Wines of South Africa” on Sept. 19, “Celebrity Wines – Part II” on Oct. 3, “Less Common White Wines” on Oct. 10, “International Carmenere Wines” on Oct. 17, and “Wines from Brunello Di Montalcino” on Oct. 24. Class discussions include wine styles, appellations, climates, and food pairings, and will conclude with a wine tasting.
Among the CCS’s other personal interest courses offered this fall are “Staging and Selling a Home in Today’s Market” on Sept. 11 and 18; “Writing Children’s Fiction” on Sept. 15; and, for both personal and professional enrichment, a course on “Time Management,” offered in six sessions from Sept. 24-Oct. 11. Additional courses include “A Tour de France: Introduction to French Film” Oct. 6-27; “Basic Training Course for Wildlife Rehabilitation” Oct. 20-Nov. 17; “Exploring the Power of Your iPhone and iPad” Nov. 7-14; and various English as a Second Language courses that address pronunciation, listening, speaking, and reading, starting on Sept. 6.
Many more classes are offered in six-week sessions online. MCCC’s online course listings are available by visiting www.ed2go.com/mccc.edu. For more information on all noncredit courses, call 609-570-3311 or visit www.mccc.edu/ccs.
