Cooking Classes Get a Lesson in Style at Chefs Abode in Lilydale

Lilydale’s new cooking school hopes to make you the star of your own kitchen. Called an “enthusiast cooking school,” the Chefs Abode is focused on home cooks of all skill levels and will also have the only filming kitchen in the east metro that is open to the public.

At 805 Sibley Memorial Highway, the Chefs Abode seems to take a page out of Julia Child’s cookbook with its black-and-white tiled floors, robin-egg-blue walls and vintage appliances—all chosen to bring a fun, relaxed vibe to cooking lessons, said Director Hillary Robertson.

“We’ve got a different feel from the other schools in town,” she said.

The school will have a full participation kitchen complete with three student islands and a deluxe instructor island. The large chef station will be equipped with recording equipment to broadcast each cooking step on monitors at each of the three student stations. The recording equipment will also be available for private use.

People will be able to rent the chef station, filming and production crew to tape for blogs, personal kitchen shows, YouTube or even to film demos for kitchen show auditions. Robertson said eventually the school aims to tape each class to provide students with take-home DVDs.

Cooking classes will include basic skills, meet-and-greets (to introduce unusual ingredients), seasonal foods, flex cooking with-and-without meat, holiday entertaining and teen cooking classes.

New Business in Same Space

Formerly Vent-a-Hood, construction on the space started in May. Originally the school was to open in July, but the state shutdown and design changes (such as an additional air system to offset the seven gas ranges in the space) delayed the opening. The school is now scheduled to open in early September.

Pam Kirchert, co-owner of the cooking school with husband Blaine, said she wanted to open a cooking school but had never taking a cooking class before, so she and Robertson did their research before construction started. Pam and Blaine also own Vent-a-Hood, which closed the retail location to focus on distribution.

“Before (The Chefs Abode) moves in here, they already know the community,” said Hai Ha, manager of Sunfish Cellars next door to Chefs Abode. “I wish them luck.”

Fresh Decor

Sister company Lilydale Distribution, which specializes in outdoor kitchens and high-end appliances, will work with Chefs Abode as a display and test space for its products, Robertson said.

The Chefs Abode will be able to accommodate up to 20 students at a time, possibly more depending on the type of class or event. Three rooms will connect to create the school, which will offer event and display space, a retail area, a deck and the kitchen classroom.

“That’s a home,” Robertson said, of all the school’s components. “An abode is a warm, welcoming space.”

“We want the feel in here to be more like a home kitchen,” she said.

Each workstation will be decked out with Blue Star ranges—the exact same Julia Child preferred—in fun colors (including ruby red, blue, violet, egg yolk gold and metallic silver), according to Robertson.

Each cooking island will have coordinating accessories, such as a KitchenAid Mixer, to match each range. Hand-built cherry cabinetry and black counter tops will add to the homey feel, Robertson said. Grilling classes will take place on the school’s deck and use top-of-the-line appliances.

“We’re going above and beyond what we have to do,” Robertson said.

Visit www.chefsabode.com for details on cooking classes and events as well as biographies on each of the 19 chef instructors.