BYU Education Week, Amazing Experience.

I have my Saratoga Jack Thermal Cookers and I am ready to go.

         Education Week was amazing.  I loved it.  It was a really great week of classes this year.  Each year it just gets better and better.  This year I taught 8 classes, 2 each night.  The first was a lecture on grains and health and nutrition.  The second was a cooking demonstration. 

       This year I cooked up all the grains I would be needing on Monday in the Saratoga Jack Thermal Cooker, (available at www.chefbrad.com).  Each cooker holds two different grains at a time.  There are two pans inside the  thermal cooker.  In the bottom pan I can cook five cups of grains, thats five cups of grains to ten cups of water.  In the top I can cook three cups of grains,  thats three cups of grains and six cups of water.  The way it works is that you place the two pans on the stove top and add the grains and water and bring them to a boil.  When they are at a boil place them in the thermal cooker with the pan lid on and close the lid of the thermal cooker.  I left the lid on for a few hours and then placed them in the refrigerator out of the thermal cooker in the pan they were cooked in.  When I was ready for Ed week  I pulled them out of the frig and placed them into the thermal cooker again.  They stayed chilled until needed.  

     For those of you who don't know BYU Education Week is one of the largest gatherings in the United States at any given time for Education.  There are hundreds of classes offered on the BYU Campus and over twenty thousand adults and youth attend classes for one week.   I have been teaching there for twelve years and each year I learn so much.   BYU Education Week is amazing and I highly recommend it to everyone.  

My good Friend and assistant Kristina from "For Your Kitchen", in Clearfield.  

In this class we did Grain Bowls with the cooked chilled grains.  

After the Demonstration the crowd gathers around quickly for a taste.  I remember the first year I asked if they wanted a taste.  I nearly had a heart attack as the entire group jumped up and ran to the front of the room for a taste. 

The BYU Ed Week staff is amazing.
They set up a camera  so the entire group can see what is going on. 

The Second Class was all about Bread Making.    I love making Bread.

Making the Dough

The classroom is great.  I love the three screens.  It allows
everyone to see it all.  

Samples  always go great.  

Adoring Fans,  not for me, but for Marvin and Vanessa Joy.

These are my two new best Friends and Hero's   I adore them and I have to say
I have never taught a more enjoyable  class.  

      This year I had the most amazing experience ever.  Marvin Goldstien and Vanessa Joy were special guests for my last class.  Marvin played the piano and Vanessas Joy sang and I cooked.  Friday night class is Challenge the Chef Night, that is where someone shops for me and I have no idea what they are bringing.

      This year Honeyville Grain employee Lisa Baker shopped for me and she really brought some fun stuff,  from freeze dried grapes, my personal favorite, to lots of wonderful Honeyville products.  It was great.  I provide the grains that are cooked and I create from all the ingredients two salads.  A savory and a sweet salad.  Every year it is a wonderful experience, but this year it was amazing.

      Marvin is a whitty, sarcastic Jewish man,  Vanessa is a sweet adorable singer.  It was an hour duel of whits and charm, Vanessa was the charm.  I have to tell you that it was as if we had rehearsed for a year.  Truely an amazing experience.   I loved every minute of thier charm and whit.  Words cannot express how much I enjoyed thier pressence in my class.  I will hold forever in my heart the wonderful way they charmed the group and made cooking even a better experience.   If you have never  been to BYU Education Week, maybe you should plan on it next year. I am hoping to be able to do another class with Marvin and Vanessa Joy.  That would be fantastic.  Have a great day.
Chef Brad~America's Grain Guy