Cooking Classes
Cooking With Lamb
Chef Sydney Liepshutz of In the Kitchen with Sydney
Szechuan Cumin Lamb Filled Potstickers with Handmade Dough From Scratch and Chili Oil
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
2:30pm-4:00pm
St. Charles Church
311 S. 1st Avenue- Hailey
$105.00
Chef Sydney Liepshutz of In the Kitchen with Sydney
Chef Liepshutz is a 4th generation Detroiter who craves adventure, in and outside the kitchen. After building a career at high-profile restaurants across Detroit, she sought new culinary challenges, and elevations, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and then officially relocated to Sun Valley, Idaho, to join the team at the historic Ram restaurant at the Sun Valley Resort. In early 2020, Chef Liepshutz launched In the Kitchen with Sydney LLC, a private chef/catering business. She quickly secured clients and events, solidifying her commitment to the food culture of Sun Valley. Outside the kitchen, you will find Sydney exploring the local trails on her skis, mountain bike, or in her hiking boots.
About In the Kitchen with Sydney, LLC: In the Kitchen with Sydney LLC, is a private chef and catering business, where Chef Liepschutz mixes her Detroit roots and the seasonal offerings of the Wood River Valley, bringing Middle Eastern, Szechwan Chinese, Italian culinary and vegan acumen experiences to the Sun Valley community. Established in January 2020, In the Kitchen with Sydney LLC, has been the backbone of countless intimate and dinner/cocktail parties alike, while also offering a robust drop-off meal service to a diverse portfolio of clients.
Cooking With Lamb
Chef Paul Brown of Sun Valley Culinary Institute
Lamb Shoulder Bocadillo with Muhamarra, Labneh & Pickles on Potato Brioche
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
3:00pm-4:30pm
Sun Valley Culinary Institute
211 N. Main Street - Ketchum
$105.00
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
Chef Chris Kastner of CK's Real Food
Vietnamese Shaking Lamb Salad
Thursday, October 8, 2026
10:30am-12:00pm
CK's Real Food
320 Main Street - Hailey
$105.00
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.
Lamb Provided By: 
Cooking With Lamb
Chef William McCormick
Lamb Stew
Thursday, October 8, 2026
11:30am-1:00pm
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
206 Sun Valley Road - Sun Valley
$105.00
Chef William McCormick
Chef William McCormick is an award-winning executive chef with more than six years of experience leading high-level culinary operations, restaurant management, and private dining experiences. Since joining the Yellowstone Club as Executive Chef in 2022, he has worked alongside some of the world’s top chefs at one of the most exclusive private clubs in the world. Prior to Yellowstone Club, William founded and operated successful restaurant concepts including Acre Kitchen and The Sassy Biscuit Co., expanding operations across multiple states. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, he specializes in farm-to-table cuisine, menu development, catering, and kitchen leadership, and was recognized by the Billings Gazette with awards for Best Chef and Best Overall Restaurant in 2019.
Cheese Making Class
Fromager Kendall Russell of Lark's Meadow Farms
Thursday, October 8, 2026
1:00pm-4:00pm
St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Parish Hall
311 First Avenue South - Hailey
$135.00
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
Chef Mary Clare Griffin
Tunisian Spiced Rack of Lamb with Lebanese Fattoush Salad
Thursday, October 8, 2026
3:00pm-4:30pm
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
206 Sun Valley Road - Sun Valley
$105.00
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- most recently in Estonia and Finland- while gathering stories and recipes for her forthcoming book exploring the connection between food, grief, and love.
Mary Clare has been a private chef and caterer in the WRV for 35 years in addition to being an author and seminarian trained bereavement counselor. Her son Gabriel will join het for this colorful cooking demonstration.
Cooking With Lamb
Chefs Kathleen and Brian Bean of Lava Lake Lamb
Spanish Lamb Stew
Friday, October 9, 2026
12:30pm-2:00pm
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
206 Sun Valley Road - Sun Valley
$105.00
Chefs Kathleen and Brian Bean of Lava Lake Lamb
Chefs Kathleen and Brian Bean owned and operated Lava Lake Ranch, a historic sheep and cattle ranch in the Pioneer Mountains, for 26 years. They quickly recognized that the lambs raised in these Idaho mountains had a unique taste, a “terroir” that came from spending their lives grazing in pristine high desert and montane ecosystems. The brand “Lava Lake Lamb” was known from coast to coast and was especially appreciated here in the Wood River Valley at fine restaurants and the farmer’s markets. Over the years the Bean family developed some favorite recipes. Spanish Lamb Stew is a recent addition to the recipe box.
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.
Lamb Provided By:
Refund Policy
Refunds are available until 5:00pm on September 30, 2026. A $10.00 fee will be assessed and only the ticket cost (but no original processing fees) will be refunded. Thank you.