Center of the Culinary Universe, Fantasy Islands, and Turning Over a New Leaf

Center of the Culinary UniverseNot that long ago, I seriously contemplated attending culinary school. The walk through dreamland lasted about two days. I quickly learned that a career in the restaurant business required a whole lot more than just really enjoying dinner parties or harboring a strange addiction to TV cooking shows. Still, the very thought of cooking alongside a professional chef in a "dream kitchen" fully equipped with all the best pans, sharpest knives and rarest ingredients is enough to make any foodie start to drool.

Opened since February, the Culinary Center of Monterey is the perfect place to put your gustatory fantasy into action and also learn the basics of whipping, chopping and de-glazing, while mastering (maybe "minoring" is a better choice of words) exotic regional and international cuisine. The center''s home is a refurbished 10,000-square-foot building on Cannery Row that has been gutted completely by chef/owner Mary Pagan. All three of the Culinary Center''s resident chefs have connections with San Francisco''s renowned California Culinary Academy. Pagan and resident chef Rodolfo Samoya studied there and resident chef instructor George Hadres formerly was on staff as an academy instructor. Hadres also served as director of a CCA outpost in Salinas that closed last summer.

The Culinary Center sports a large shopping area that showcases a smart selection of gourmet cheeses and oils, high-end pots and pans, and sundry kitchen paraphernalia. The facility also features an espresso/wine/microbrew bar and a commercial kitchen that serves lunch and dinner every day, and breakfast on weekends.

Cooking classes, however, are the real attraction of the sleek center. Chef Pagan''s "true love of teaching" shows in the full schedule of classes. The one-day classes cover everything from breads, pastries, appetizers, vegetarian, fish, meats and poultry to the foods of South America, the Mediterranean and Asia.

The chance to cook in the Culinary Center''s classrooms probably draws as much interest as the curriculum. "We have designed our kitchens as your absolute dream kitchens," Pagan says. Every day, cooks can learn the secrets of the chefs in either the ultra modern classroom or the French country kitchen, which overlooks the sparkling Monterey Bay.

Chef Hadres teaches a "dinner party" class wherein students learn how to prepare a perfect special dining event, one in which the host is not left slaving away in the kitchen while the guests have all the fun out front. The dinner party menu includes a sautéed sea scallop appetizer, beef tenderloin wrapped in puff pastry entree, and a dessert of pears poached in port wine. The class culminates in a pairing of a California wine with each course during a gourmet feast served on the Culinary Center''s open-air patio. You even get doggie bags filled with leftovers to share with your friends as proof that you made the delicious treats with your own hands.

Classes are kept small--never more than 10 or 12 students--to ensure that everyone participates in the cooking and that instructors have time to offer plenty of personal attention.

During the class I took last Friday, Chef Hadres'' many years of teaching experience became obvious very early in the learning process. He encouraged students'' every question and, more importantly, he had the answers.

Hadres'' instruction was interspersed with invaluable insider tips, like how to save money at the butcher by trimming your own beef tenderloin, how to substitute ingredients in classic recipes to achieve lighter fare without sacrificing flavor, and how to use commonplace items form your kitchen cabinets for unlikely elegant presentations.

Upcoming specials include day-long classes that will cover cooking fundamentals and explore the whole of the Mediterranean culinary tradition. There also is a "singles" class on the schedule that just might be the place to meet the epicurean of your dreams.

The center''s outdoor cooking area should be finished sometime this summer (where a much anticipated barbecue class will be taught) and a Wednesday evening Happy Hour is in preparation for launch sometime soon.

If you can''t commit to one of the three- to four-hour classes, you still can eat at the deli, have a glass of wine at the bar, or sip a cup of coffee (try chef Samoya''s special Culinary Center blend) while contemplating life or the bay. For more info, call 333-2133.

Fantasy Islands As long as we are still talking about fantasies, now''s a good time to mention the good ship Paul Gauguin''s cruise through French Polynesia from June 16-24. If learning about the wines of Monterey County while sailing in Tahiti sounds like nirvana to you, then seek no more. Just call 877/251-0497 toll free and fork over $3,000 to join Galante Vineyards winemaker Jack Galante and Paraiso Springs Vineyard winemaker David Flemming aboard the 320-passenger cruise ship. The whole affair is called the "perfect way to enjoy the camaraderie of friends and passengers who share similar interests"--or similar tax brackets.

Turning Over a New Leaf If Tahiti''s too rich for the blood, then get closer to your dose of posh and tranquil at Carmel Valley''s Bernardus Lodge during a morning of tea and croquet on Saturday. For the much more realistic price of $20, noted author Tomislav Podreka discusses the history, traditions and health benefits of tea time. You also get to enjoy chef Cal Stamenov''s culinary creations and sample myriad teas on the croquet lawn. For reservations or more info, call 658-3350.