Culinary Offerings
Laura Cole Launchpad Dinner
AUGUST 23 AN ALASKAN CATCH MULTICOURSE LAUNCHPAD DINNER
Join LAURA FOR CLASSES
AUGUST 20 The Whole Halibut: Tail to Fin to Nose
August 21 Cooking with Reindeer: Ragu & Lemon Pasta
Chef Laura Cole has been defining Alaskan cuisine since the 2013 opening of 229 Parks Restaurant and Tavern in Denali National Park & Preserve, which she ran for 18 years. A Top Chef Season 15 participant (which was filmed in Denver, Boulder, Aspen and Telluride), Laura was also honored as a semi-finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Northwest for four consecutive years, 2016-2019.
Laura earned a degree from the New England Culinary Institute and a master certificate for confections from the Ritz Escoffier L’Ecole de Gastronome in Paris. After working in kitchens throughout the world, including a stint as Head Chef at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, she eventually settled in Alaska to fulfill her dream of opening a restaurant. She has since developed deep relationships with small-scale farmers, ranchers, fishermen, beekeepers, and an assortment of artisans of Alaska’s natural bounty. As a chef, Laura continually pushes boundaries, developing flavor profiles and dishes that define true Alaskan Cuisine.
For her August 23 Launchpad Dinner at Ah Haa School for the Arts, Laura will serve a seven-course menu that highlights Alaskan cuisine, including King Crab, Black Cod and Reindeer, complete with wine pairings.
Tanya Holland Launchpad Dinner
OCTOBER 25 A SOULFUL MULTICOURSE DINING EXPERIENCE LAUNCHPAD DINNER
Join Tanya for CLASSES
OCTOBER 22 & 23
This October, Ah Haa is honored to host award winning chef, author and restaurateur Tanya Holland for its multi-course, wine-paired Launchpad Dinner. Known for her inventive take on modern soul food, as well as comfort classics, Tanya Holland is the founder of the famed Brown Sugar Kitchen restaurant and author of three cookbooks – Tanya Holland’s California Soul, Recipes from a Culinary Journey West (2022); Brown Sugar Kitchen (2014) and New Soul Cooking (2003). She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the The James Beard Foundation and is the Chef/Chair of its Awards Committee. She is the host of Tanya’s Kitchen Table cooking show on The Oprah Winfrey Network and the host of Tanya’s Table Podcast. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Language and Literature from the University of Virginia, and a Grande Diplôme from La Varenne École de Cuisine in Burgundy, France.
Tanya’s West Oakland-based restaurant Brown Sugar Kitchen received multiple Michelin Bib Gourmand awards. Today she is an in-demand public speaker who frequently leads the conversation on inclusion and equity in the hospitality industry. In 2017, Tanya competed on the 15th season of Top Chef: Colorado, which included an episode filmed at the Peaks in Telluride. She has been the host/soul food expert on Food Network’s Melting Pot and has made numerous television appearances including The Today Show, The Talk, CBS This Morning, Iron Chef, Master Chef and Selena + Chef. Tanya is a member of the prestigious Les Dames d’Escoffier Bay Area chapter, and was honored by the City of Oakland, which in 2012 declared June 5 to be “Tanya Holland Day.” A year later she was awarded the Key to The City. Internationally, Tanya serves as a Culinary Diplomat for the US State Department with tours in Kazakhstan and Mexico and has taught classes in Brantôme, France for gastronomic travelers.
For more information on Tanya Holland, visit tanyaholland.com.
In The Culinary Classroom
Core Classes
With the overarching goal of cultivating community, cultural connection and a sense of place, Ah Haa’s culinary offerings bring people together at a fundamental touchpoint – the preparing and sharing food. As a resource for skill building, sustainable practices and connective storytelling with chefs, cooks, farmers, winemakers; Ah Haa nourishes and nurtures culinary students of all ages and skill levels.
Locals’ Lunches & Seasonal Suppers on Wednesdays
Wine Tastings on Thursdays
Market Day Cooking on Fridays
Date Nights & Multi-Course Dinners on Fridays & Saturdays
GUEST CHEFS
Ah Haa invites regional, national and international chefs into the kitchen to bring their unique flavors into our kitchen and to your plates! Guest Chefs at Ah Haa offer classes, skill building, story telling and multi-course Launchpad Dinners.
Guest Chefs have included
Iliana Regan – Six Consecutive Michelin Stars
Justin Pioche – James Beard Award Finalist Best Chef of the Southwest
Lucas Wentzel – Swiss Trained Fine Dining
Alexi Mandolini & Taylor Herbert – Easy Vegan – Winners, Great Food Truck Race 2023
Brendan Kelley – Amass, Copenhagen & owner Confidant, NYC
Youth & Teen CUlinary Classes
Fun in the kitchen begins at age 5! Kids learn skills, recipes, baking and presentation they can take to their own home kitches!
Thank you to our sponsors!
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