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| Tamarind glazed skirt steak skewers with apricot sauce. Saffron scallops with garlic aioli. Pan-fried Cajun halibut. Shrimp scampi with capellini. Steak au poivre, garlic mashed potatoes and carmelized apple crepes. Bananas Foster and creme brulee. These items may sound like they're off the latest menus at Lincoln Square's hot restaurants. But instead of merely tasting these dishes, you can learn to create them yourself at The Chopping Block. Whether you're the type of cook looking for ways to improve your souffles or you think boiling pasta is a challenge, classes at The Chopping Block will help you improve your performance in the kitchen. You don't have to be a foodie with advanced tastes or aspirations, either. There are plenty of classes available that teach how to prepare such basic, down-home items as pizza, pancakes and meatloaf. Regardless of what you think you already know, The Chopping Block's expert chef instructors will send you on your way with new ideas and knowledge about food. You'll also be able to leave fully stocked with the ingredients and tools you'll need to practice your newly learned skills at home. |
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| There's no easy way to categorize The Chopping Block. It's what you would get if you combined a gourmet food and wine shop with a fully outfitted cooking school and the kitchen section of a high end department store. On top of that, it's also a center of social activity in Lincoln Square where people get together with friends to watch a cooking demonstration or meet new people while cooking together in a hands-on class. There are classes designed for Girls Night Out, Guys Night Out and Family Nights. Businesses host their employees and clients there for exercises in teambuilding or for office holiday parties. You can also bring The Chopping Block to you at an offsite party or a private cooking lesson in your home. |
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 But the classes at The Chopping Block are what it's known for all over the city. Food lovers flocked to its original Lincoln Park location on Webster as soon as it opened in 1997. "We're the only cooking school in the city that's owned by a professional chef," says owner and founder, Shelley Young. "All of the instructors have professional backgrounds. Our master teacher puts everyone through an intensive training program so that they learn how to teach other people how to cook." The Lincoln Square location's two classroom settings are designed in response to the different ways people learn. A kitchen on the first floor is geared toward those who like to learn by sitting, watching, tasting and talking at the demonstration classes. Although the food in these classes is prepared by the instructor, there are plenty of opportunities to ask questions and get involved with the process. Hands-on learners will be amazed by the upstairs studio, complete with four fully equipped kitchen stations with only the best, professional quality appliances, cookware and utensils. This hands-on learning facility is unique to The Chopping Block's Lincoln Square location. Even if you think you know your way around the kitchen, be prepared to learn a lot in a Chopping Block class. "Our hands-on classes are about showing you what you can do, not showing you what great chefs we are," says Shelley. Have no fear of being intimidated. The instructors develop a quick rapport with students and are knowledgeable, approachable and most importantly—patient. |
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| If you're looking to make sure that you know the cooking basics, take the Building Blocks series. After completing all 24 classes, you'll learn the basic principles that any chef should know. Of course, you can opt to take only one or two Building Blocks classes if they cover a particular area you want to brush up on, such as knife skills. It's not mandatory to take them all. Classes at The Chopping Block cover topics ranging from "braising" to subjects tailored to specific audiences or events. Each month's schedule includes classes that teach topical menus, like how to prepare a Cajun meal for Mardi Gras or a traditional Cinco de Mayo feast. Even more remarkable than the number of classes that The Chopping Block offers is that the classes are rarely repeated. So if you see something you like on the schedule, sign up and take it now. |
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| And what else would help you enhance the dining experience? How about pairing the new cuisine you've learned to prepare with the most complementary wine. The Chopping Block offers classes that will teach you how to do that, too, and will be more than glad to send you home with a few different bottles to try. As their wine experts will tell you, there are wines that are excellent for drinking on their own, and there are wines that pair well with the flavors in specific dishes. The trick is discerning between the two. The Chopping Block has a comprehensive selection of wine and will be glad to help you choose what to serve at your next dinner party, while helping take some of the mystery out of selecting a wine. |
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 Once you've learned your new skills, The Chopping Block makes it easy to bring home the ingredients and tools you'll need to prepare these dishes. The product mix is unbelievable—arranged in sections based on the ethnicity of the cuisine you'll find a wide array of French, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern and Asian ingredients, from pomegranate molasses to Kewpie mayonnaise for sushi. "People are more inclined to cook if they have the ingredients in hand," explains Shelley. "We carry the basic staples of most ethnic cuisines. That way our customers don't have to drive all over the city to get the ingredients to make something we taught them." In addition to the food, you'll find cookbooks, every kind of exotic seasoning you can imagine, Mauviel copper, All-Clad and Le Crueset cookware, Rösle utensils, Emile Henri bakeware and a great assortment of knives. The common thread among these products is that they are the best quality available and will work hard for years in your kitchen. "I don't carry gadgets, I carry tools," says Shelley. "I don't ever want to sell you something that makes you ask later on, 'Why did I buy this?'" |
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| Shelley Young is the driving force behind The Chopping Block. Besides working as a chef in restaurants for 17 years before she opened the first school, she's an independent, hands-on person who takes a "do it to learn it" approach. As a child, she sat in the kitchen and watched as her mom and her older sister cooked or baked. Frustrated when her sister wouldn't let her help, Shelley taught herself to cook and began to prepare the family meals at age 11. "My mother worked, and I didn't want her to have to come home and cook for us," Shelley explains. Although cooking is becoming somewhat of a lost art in today's families, Shelley is working to change that through classes designed to bring family members together to have fun and prepare meals. At Mommy & Me demonstration classes, moms can bring their children while they learn how to prepare quick, easy meals and socialize with other moms. The Chopping Block also hosts Family Nights, which take place upstairs in the hands-on studio. These are fun, social classes where families learn how to prepare simple menus while they enjoy the experience of cooking together. |
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| The road to the Lincoln Square location of The Chopping Block was a winding one, but it eventually led Shelley here. While she was living and working in Southern California, Shelley decided to take a hiking and camping trip across the country. She stopped in Chicago to see some friends and came upon the opportunity to work as a private chef for several affluent families in the area. So she ended her trip by settling down in Chicago. "I was planning to go back to California and open my own restaurant, but I was also interested in being a private chef. So I stayed to do that," recalls Shelley. Somehow, while balancing her work as a private chef, she also worked as head chef at Cafe du Midi. One day she passed a building on Webster that was for sale and decided on the spot to buy it. "I'm kind of a spontaneous person," says Shelley. "I liked the building and I thought it would be a great location for my parents to open an antique shop in Chicago." It turned out that her parents did not want to leave Iowa for Chicago, so Shelley started thinking about what she could do to bring all her talents together. That's when she came up with the idea for The Chopping Block. "I offered classes the first week I was open," recalls Shelley. "The first class we offered was on pies. We developed a basic recipe for that class that we still use today." During the Thanksgiving season, they make and sell dozens of these handcrafted apple pies. "We make the crusts by hand and we bake them in cast iron skillets," she explains. |
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 As The Chopping Block grew in popularity, it became obvious to Shelley that she would need another facility. For about four years, she scouted potential second locations in both the city and suburbs. Despite her extensive searches, she fell in love with the neighborhood she lived in, Lincoln Square. "I would walk around and daydream about having a space here," she says. "I love the diversity of the area. Lincoln Square has everything." Every day Shelley would walk down Lincoln Avenue, hoping for a building to come up for sale or a storefront to open up. Finally, she took the initiative and contacted the owner of a building to find out if he'd be willing to sell. It turned out that he was willing, as long as what she did would better the community. "He really wanted to see us in here," says Shelley. "He played a big part in getting us here." Judging by the numbers of people browsing the shop and filing in and out for classes, the rest of the Lincoln Square community agrees that The Chopping Block is a great addition to the neighborhood. |
| So there's no reason to continue to burn the meatloaf or live in fear that this year will be your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner. Sign up for a class at The Chopping Block, have fun and learn how to prepare food that you'll be excited to eat. Stop in if you're looking for hard-to-find ethnic foods, condiments or seasonings, or if you need new cookware or a kitchen tool. Don't forget that you can consult with the wine experts at The Chopping Block to find the perfect wine to pair with a meal. If you're curious, come in and watch a demonstration class, inhaling the delicious aromas that waft around you. Pick up a class schedule in the store or visit www.thechoppingblock.net, choose a class and get cooking. |
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The Chopping Block
4747 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773.472.6700
www.thechoppingblock.net
Hours
Monday through Friday 10:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday and Sunday 10:00am - 6:00pm |
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| Read more profiles in the Member of the Month Archives |
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