Cooking Classes
Cooking With Lamb
Lamb Shoulder Bocadillo with Muhamarra, Labneh & Quick Pickles on Potato Brioche
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
3:00pm-4:30pm
Sun Valley Culinary Institute
211 N. Main Street - Ketchum
$95.00
Chef Paul Brown of Sun Valley Culinary Institute
Paul's journey in the restaurant business began at the age of 12, when he started as a busser and dishwasher. He took a brief pause to secure a biology degree and a desk job, but the slow pace didn't suit him. He then charged back into the fine dining scene for the next decade. At the peak of his career, he was preparing to buy his mentor's French cafe in Pennsylvania when he realized it was time for a change. Paul's transition into baking science and entrepreneurship in Napa, California, and the subsequent opening of a bagel and bakery business, was not without its challenges. However, he found his greatest fulfillment in teaching public classes for the Culinary Institute of America, where he could pass on decades of kitchen wisdom. In 2025, the time for change arrived again, and Paul left behind his downtown cafe to move to Sun Valley and join Sun Valley Culinary Institute.
The mission of the Sun Valley Culinary Institute is to provide culinary education to students, professionals, and enthusiasts. In doing so, they will attract and develop workforce talent for diverse hospitality industries, strengthen and diversify the local economy and promote community health and wellness with a focus on local food sources and sustainability.
The three-tiered organization offers a Professional Program via a one-year program combining intensive classroom learning with hands on restaurant experience for students ready to launch a career in the culinary industry; Cooking Classes with seasonal and relevant culinary experiences such as chef demonstrations, hands on cooking, skills development and wine tastings; and Event Space suitable for gatherings ranging from weddings and parties to private dinners and meetings.
Cooking With Lamb
Basque Piment d’Espelette Lamb Rack with Moroccan Apricot Almond & Pomegranate Israeli Couscous
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
3:00pm-4:30pm
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
206 Sun Valley Road - Sun Valley
$95.00
Chef Mary Clare Griffin
Mary Clare Griffin traveled to Europe with her son Gabriel more than a dozen times this past decade, immersing themselves in food culture, history and cooking classes while gathering stories and recipes for her forthcoming book exploring the connections between food, grief and love. Mary Clare has been a high profile private chef and caterer in the WRV for 34 years in addition to being an author and Seminarian trained bereavement counselor. Her son Gabriel will join her for this colorful cooking demonstration!
Cooking With Lamb
Chef Chris Kastner of CK's Real Food
Chef Chris Kastner, working chef and partner with wife Rebecca, daughter Simone and son Gavin, has been a cook since 1978. He started as a dish washer and never looked back. Chef Chris is actively cooking at CK’s Real Food in Hailey, Idaho, on the line twice a week and everyday foraging, collaborating on menu ideas and keeping the beast moving forward.
CK's serves Northwest contemporary American cuisine using locally sourced organic products and is vegetarian-friendly. CK's Real Food, www.ckrealfood.com, 208.788.1223, 320 S. Main Street, Hailey. Bar opens at 4:30 pm with Dinner 5 pm-9 pm Monday-Saturday. Reservations are
recommended.
Cheese Making Class
Thursday, October 9, 2025
1:00pm-4:00pm
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Parish Hall
311 First Avenue South - Hailey
$125.00
Learn the processes for making nationally acclaimed cheese and yogurt with fromager, Kendall Russell. He will be teaching participants how to make a ricotta and yogurt from cow's or sheep's milk and have recipes for all students.
Fromager Kendall Russell of Lark's Meadow Farms
Fromager Kendall is the current generation of Lark's Meadow Farms, whose family makes small batches of cheese during the season using the most traditional of methods - "Our hands, super fresh milk, slow starters, thistle/animal rennet and cave aging."
Nestled in the rugged Upper Snake River Valley of southeastern Idaho, lies a 3rd & 4th generation Farmstead, producing unapologetically rustic cheeses, pasture raised meats and bread.
Embraced by Yellowstone NP to the north, Grand Teton NP to the east, Craters of the Moon NP to the west and sandwiched by the Legendary trout waters of the South Fork of the Snake River and The Henry's Fork of the Snake River, at an altitude of 5,880 feet, Lark's Meadow Farms is situated in stunning vistas any time of year.
A millennium of volcanic activity has imbued the soils of this land rich in minerals and nutrients, growing golden stands of wheat, barley, beets, 
potatoes and some of the best alfalfa on earth. The snowcapped Teton and Big Hole mountains provide pure water for irrigation in this otherwise high desert valley.
Lark's Meadow Farms brings together this stunning landscape, with an ongoing family farming legacy and a commitment to community in the pursuit of producing good food. They believe in being good stewards of the land, their animals and the people they work with. Their goal at Lark's Meadow Farms is simple: be honest, produce great food and great relationships. They pledge that their farm is free from GMOs, hormones, pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers. They are committed to farming using organic and natural methods.
Now making cheese for over a decade, they are a member of Slow Food and the recipients of numerous national awards from the American Cheese Society and The Good Food Awards.
Cooking With Lamb
Lava Lake Lamb Curry
Thursday, October 9, 2025
3:00pm-4:30pm
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
206 Sun Valley Road - Sun Valley
$95.00
Chefs Kathleen and Fiona Bean of Lava Lake Lamb
Kathleen Bean is the Co-Owner of Lava Lake Land & Livestock, along with her husband Brian. Kathleen has also been the Associate Rector at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Ketchum since 2019. When she’s not ranching or preaching, Kathleen can be found hiking with her dogs and cooking for family and friends.
Fiona Bean is one of Brian and Kathleen’s daughters and has been working as the Operations Manager at Lava Lake Land & Livestock since 2022. Fiona spends her time selling lamb at the Wood River Farmer’s Markets, delivering product to restaurants around town, herding sheep and cattle at the ranch, and riding her horses.
The Beans established Lava Lake Land & Livestock in 1999 and since then have offered delicious lamb to the Wood River Valley and beyond through their Lava Lake Lamb meat brand. Lava Lake produces 100% grass-fed and finished lamb that is raised on natural forage in the Pioneer Mountains of Idaho. Conservation and land stewardship are a top priority at Lava Lake, resulting in countless restoration projects, sustainable grazing protocols, non-lethal predator control, and wildlife protection.
Cooking With Lamb
Chef Chris Kastner of CK's Real Food
Chef Chris Kastner, working chef and partner with wife Rebecca, daughter Simone and son Gavin, has been a cook since 1978. He started as a dish washer and never looked back. Chef Chris is actively cooking at CK’s Real Food in Hailey, Idaho, on the line twice a week and everyday foraging, collaborating on menu ideas and keeping the beast moving forward.
CK's serves Northwest contemporary American cuisine using locally sourced organic products and is vegetarian-friendly. CK's Real Food, www.ckrealfood.com, 208.788.1223, 320 S. Main Street, Hailey. Bar opens at 4:30 pm with Dinner 5 pm-9 pm Monday-Saturday. Reservations are
recommended.
Refund Policy
Refunds are available until 5:00pm on September 25, 2025. A $10.00 fee will be assessed and only the ticket cost (but no original processing fees) will be refunded. Thank you.