Chef Mike Backouris has over 15 years of culinary experience including working at local restaurants like The Hobbit and Le Quia. Chef Mike will share his professional cooking philosophies and teach future CulinaryLab students how to develop a deeper understanding of various techniques while constantly challenging the status quo.
We’re excited to spotlight our Pro Pastry student, Soo Kim who began our Pastry Programs last Fall. Learn more about the journey to Culinary Master!
It wasn’t an easy decision to leave my job to pursue one of my passions as an aspiring Chef. I spent a little over a decade in high-stress corporate sales environments, but I was always searching for something more fulfilling than a commission check.
So, I wanted to give animal fats some extra love and attention because I so often hear people say “LARD?!?! EEEEW!!” But lard, tallow, schmaltz, bacon fat, and duck fat are all awesome ways to really maximize your meat and also add flavor to your dish. There is disagreement among the different professionals regarding where these fats fall on the health scale. For me, I once again go back to the idea of moderation, and high quality product.
Meet our new neighbor at the Anaheim Packing District – Urbana Anaheim! Urbana is best known for their Mexican street food concept with a focus on seafood. Their culture and flavor is from the belly of Mexico, Michoacan and Jalisco. They are a boutique restaurant, serving made to order dishes with fresh produce and ingredients. Urbana’s tortillas are prepared in house, fresh to order from non-GMO, gluten-free masa. Their salsas and sauces are house made.
We recently caught up with the owners, Javier and Andrea Cuadra, and Executive Chef, Ernie Alvarado, to learn more about this amazing restaurant!
Choosing Kitchen Knives
We received a question recently about sharpening knives and thought this would be a good time to address some points on knife construction, materials, maintenance…and the one that most people are not sure of so they just skip it…sharpening! No matter what knife you have bought on TV that will cut through a brick and then a tomato, there is no way possible that you can own a quality knife without having to maintain and sharpen it. I will address how the brick/tomato knife thing works later on, but for now you have got to trust that there is not a quality knife in existence that will perform well in the kitchen and require no maintenance or sharpening.
Friendship Between Chefs
One of the best things to come out of North Left’s kitchen, besides the food, is the chemistry and friendship Chef Aron Habiger and Sous and Pastry Chef Ashley Guzman share. They undoubtedly have a special connection that resonates within their food.
Chef Mike Backouris has over 15 years of culinary experience including working at local restaurants like The Hobbit and Le Quia. Chef Mike will share his professional cooking philosophies and teach future CulinaryLab students how to develop a deeper understanding of various techniques while constantly challenging the status quo.
Grilling Like a Pro
Around this time each year I start getting questions about how to grill “like a pro”, without foods getting stuck or burnt. Like anything in cooking, grilling is more fun when you know how to get great results. The steps below will get you off to a great start with grilling foods the way the pros do.
The Chef Special – Mike Backouris, C.E.C. Copy
What Is a Personal Chef?
How to Become a Pastry Chef
Want to Become a Chef? Here’s What It Will Cost
What’s the Difference Between a Chef and a Cook?
How Much Do Chefs Make?
Ultimate Guide On How To Become A Personal Chef
What Is A Sous Chef? – Everything You Need To Know
Baking and Pastry School: Read This Before You Enroll
6 Things You’ll Learn in Culinary School
Submit the form and we’ll be in touch with more info about the workshops
Tel: 714-252-4944
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
201 E 4th St,
Santa Ana, CA 92701
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