Joe Zahner and John Seal

Eight years ago, when Scotch and Steak was just an idea swimming around in our heads, we called Joe and John. They jumped at the opportunity, and they’ve played to sold-out crowds ever since.

Joe Zahner, the “steak” half of the dynamic Scotch and Steak duo, is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. He has perfected his craft at many local restaurants, including Kincaid’s, Ciao Bella and Zelo.

John Seal, our resident Scotch whisky aficionado, is approaching 30 years in the restaurant industry. He’s managed a number of restaurants, including CocoLezzone, The St. Paul Grill and Pazzaluna.

The Original Scotch and Steak {ST PAUL}
Friday, August 15, 6 pm – 9 pm, $70

Eberhard Werthmann

A longtime contributor at Cooks of Crocus Hill, Chef Eberhard has been called the “dean of cooking teachers” in Minnesota. He began his career as a chef’s apprentice in his native Germany and arrived in Minnesota in 1965 to serve as executive chef at the Sheraton Ritz Hotel in Minneapolis. Eberhard spent more than 30 years teaching culinary arts at Saint Paul Technical College before retiring as head of the program in 1999. His “Professional Approach to Basics” class at Cooks of Crocus Hill is among the most popular classes we offer. Eberhard has been teaching at Cooks for 33 years

Professional Approach to Basics {ST PAUL}
August 4, 6, 7, 11 and 13, 6 pm – 9 pm, $365

Lucia Watson

Chef Lucia is the proprietor of Lucia’s Restaurant, Wine Bar and Lucia’s To Go. One of the Twin Cities’ favorite neighborhood establishments, Lucia’s continuing popularity over the past two decades is a tribute to her sensibility in menu selection and her warm, congenial hospitality. Lucia has been honored with many awards over the years and her recipes have been featured in a host of regional and national magazines. Three times in recent years she has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award — Best Chef in the Midwest. She lives in Minneapolis and vacations in Brittany, France. Lucia has been teaching at Cooks for over 20 years.

Summer Dinner with Lucia Watson {EDINA}
Monday, August 18, 6 pm – 9 pm, $75

Antonio Cecconi

Chef Antonio — known around the Twin Cities and beyond as The Italian Gourmet — brings nearly four decades of authentic Italian cooking experience to Cooks of Crocus Hill. Born and raised in Sardinia, the picturesque island west of Italy, Antonio learned to cook where most good chefs begin: in his mother’s kitchen. He spent six years with Pillsbury’s product development team before launching his first restaurant, Bravo!, in Minneapolis. Perhaps his most notable achievement was to author the Betty Crocker Italian Cooking series. Antonio has been teaching at Cooks for 12 years.

Hands-On Stuffed Pasta {ST PAUL}
Wednesday, August 27, 6 pm – 9 pm, $65

Hands-On Pasta {EDINA}
Tuesday, August 12, 6 pm – 9 pm, $65

Professional Italian Pizza Workshop {ST PAUL}
Tuesday, August 5, 6 pm – 9 pm, $65

Kevin Ryan

Kevin Ryan’s day job is developing new products as a food scientist for General Mills. He holds a master’s degree in food anthropology and a Ph.D. in food science. Kevin served as an advisor to Cook’s Illustrated and authored the cookbook Why It Works: Insider Secrets to Great Food. In addition, he was an owner/operator of a catering business for five years. Kevin has been teaching at Cooks for four years.

Beer Makes it Better {EDINA}
Wednesday, August 6, 6 pm – 9 pm, $65

Go Fish! {ST PAUL}
Tuesday, August 19, 6 pm – 9 pm, $65

Zoë François and Suvir Suran

Zoë François has been a great friend of Cooks for more than 10 years. She’s been the pastry chef at some of the best restaurants in town, including Bravo and the Local. She’s the co-author of one of the hottest-selling books of 2008: Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Suvir Saran hails from New York and New Delhi. He is executive chef at Dévi and the award-winning author of American Masala and Indian Home Cooking. He may live in New York, but we like to think that for the past four years, Cooks has been his home away from home.

Zoë and Suvir have also been friends for years, and now they have teamed up for one of the best classes of the summer.

Masala Picnics: Of Good Food, Bread and Conversation {ST PAUL}
Saturday, August 30, 11 am – 2 pm