WELCOME TO CLASSIC COOKING ACADEMY’S MOST POPULAR CULINARY PROGRAM:
THE 24-WEEK PRACTICAL SERIES

 Upcoming Time Slots and Start Dates:

For Thursday Evenings at 6:30pm – Starts March 27th, 2025

For Friday Afternoons at 1:00pm – Starts March 28th, 2025

Practical Series – About:

Looking to increase your culinary skill-set from the ground up? Hoping to improve your personal kitchen routine or even enter the food industry? Want to change the way you view food?
 
Consider our Practical Series!
 
As our biggest weekly program, the Practical Series aims to teach you the basics of working in a kitchen. Each week, students will learn conceptual topics, themes, and techniques before applying them practically in the kitchen! This series is open to anyone with no prior cooking experience and everyone looking to improve their culinary know-how!
 
Interested? Scroll down below for more info!

What Makes Classic Cooking Academy’s Practical Series Life-Changing?

The Instructors – Chef Pascal Dionot and Chef Andrew Schmidt

Pascal/Practical

The Practical Series offers students a rare opportunity to learn from an instructor familiar with unique cuisine and sophisticated culinary training – Chef Pascal Dionot. As the founder and head chef of Classic Cooking, the Practical Series has become Chef Pascal’s passion project. With over 40 years of experience and a European education, Chef Pascal has honed and refined his curriculum over the years to provide one of the finest educative programs in the industry. Besides the classroom topics, Chef Pascal also takes the opportunity to inform students of food trends as well as regaling them with stories from his own kitchen experiences.

Staff

As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with over 10 years of hands-on kitchen experience, Chef Andrew Schmidt is proud to help spear-head the Practical Series. Drew has an extensive background in plant-based/seasonal menus, refined and rustic cooking techniques, as well as classical French and Italian culinary training. His passion for, and education of, food history/traditional cultural recipes opens the door for a deeper understanding and appreciation of recipes, covering not just how we cook great food, but rather why we cook it in a certain, special way. In his own words, “I aspire to share the stories and artisanal crafts that illustrate how food and drink is an eternal bond between us all.”

The Curriculum:

The Practical Series Curriculum illustrates the depth and breadth of the instruction provided through the exploration of weekly topics. Students learn through both demonstration and hands-on lessons in the professional kitchen. Our founder, Chef Pascal Dionot, has carefully designed this Curriculum to educate his students in the classically trained cooking techniques which are dear to his heart and the bedrock of his culinary mastery. By the completion of the program, students will have developed the fundamental skills and knowledge to cook almost anything without the use of a recipe. Graduates will be awarded Certificates of Completion that can be used towards a potential career in the food industry. This program is ideal for anyone looking to truly improve their culinary know-how; students looking to enter the food industry, home cooks hoping to impress their friends and families, remote workers wishing to avoid unhealthy take-out and microwavable meals – any and all applicants are welcome!

Starting in 2022, Classic Cooking is now implementing an updated and revised curriculum for the Practical Series. Over 80% of the previous material has carried over, however we have decided to remove the pastry and dessert classes in favor for more general cooking topics. For those who wished to learn more about pastries, desserts, and everything sweet, please consider our 12-Week Pastry Series instead.

 

 

To view each item covered in the Curriculum, click here.

Stats & Figures:

Practical

Class Structure:

Each weekly class starts with the Chef Instructor’s lecture and demonstration before all student chefs enter the professional kitchen for hands-on application in preparing the topics and concepts surrounding that week’s topic. If enough the students prepare enough food, they may be able to take home what they’ve made each week. Classic Cooking Academy does not distribute recipes for the Practical Series; we wish to educate students as succinctly and personally as possible.

If a student has to miss a week of class for any reason, they are welcome to attend a makeup class free of charge. Students will either have to attend the concurrent class the same week (ex: if they miss a Tuesday evening class, they can attend that same week’s Friday morning class) or wait until the next Practical Series session begins. Students must notify Classic Cooking’s staff of any absences and the dates of their makeup classes.

  • Practical Series

Financial Details:

Cost:

The total cost of the 24-week Practical Series is $2,500.00. A deposit of $550.00 is required at the time of the enrollment. Additionally, a $45.00 fee is collected for the purchase of a Classic Cooking chef jacket, required to be worn by all student chefs. Space is limited. Early registration is encouraged.

A zero-interest payment plan is available. For example, a $550.00 deposit plus the $45.00 chef jacket fee is required to reserve your place in the Series, then $325.00 a month, for six consecutive months, is collected to cover the remaining balance.  Please call Classic Cooking Academy for further details regarding the zero-interest payment plan.

NOTE: If you already have a Classic Cooking chef jacket from a prior program and still wish to attend the Practical Series, please call our staff to register.

Discount:

Dual Enrollment Discount:

• If a potential student wishes to enroll into both the 24-Week Practical Series and the 12-Week Pastry Series, we will take 10% off of the overall Pastry Series cost (or the second program if the applicant doesn’t register for both concurrently).

Referral Discount:

• If a potential student enrolls in the 12-Week Pastry Series concurrently with a friend/family member/acquaintance/etc., then both students will receive 5% off each.

Returning Student Discount:

• If you have already taken and received your certificate from the Practical Series, you are welcome to retake the program. Returning students will receive 10% off of their second enrollment.

Cancellation Policy:

Please refer to our Catalog (pages 12 or 13) if you have concerns regarding cancelling your registration.

Notes:

  • Graduates of the Practical Series receive Certificates of Completion that they can use however they see fit. Graduation is based off of overall attendance throughout the program.
  • If a student misses a class during one week, they may attend a makeup class in either the other, concurrent session that same week or wait until the next sessions begin. For any student attending a makeup class, they MUST notify Classic Cooking’s staff first.
    • Registered students are not allowed to have replacement students (friends or family members) attend their spot for a missed class. Missed classes can only be made up in a separate or future Practical Series session.
  • For anyone interested in enrolling, they may attend one single complimentary Practical Series class to see what the program experience is like. Anyone attending their single complimentary class may only sit in for the lecture portion; they may not participate in the kitchen portion.
  • Certain weeks of the program may be pushed back for other events. Classic Cooking keeps all currently enrolled students updated with any schedule changes.

To Register:  

Step 1: Choose your ideal time slot and use the below PayPal buttons to pay the initial deposit (for payment plan students) or the entire lump sum.

Step 2: Download, fill out, and submit your completed Enrollment Agreement.

Step 3: Download, fill out, and submit your completed Credit Card Authorization Form. 

Please call us if you wish to share any questions you have with our staff.

REGISTER HERE (Please call if you run into issues with online payment):  

For the upcoming Thursday Evening time slot:

03/27/25 Start Date – Reserve your spot here!
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Phone Number

 

For the upcoming Friday Afternoon time slot:

03/28/25 Start Date – Reserve your spot here!
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Phone Number

 

Testimonials: