Falls Church Chef Teaches People How to Make Healthy Gourmet Meals

Chef Jackson Yordon had seven pairs of eyes peer back at him Sunday night during a cooking class. The leading chef instructor at D.C. Open Kitchen demonstrated how to bruise herbs. He suspected the people were there to find out why restaurant cooking tastes so much better than home cooking, as most of his previous students have confided in him.

Under his watchful eye, students dice, chop, julienne and bruise ingredients for the mussels and French fries appetizer, chicken and dried cherries main course and an apple dessert meal they are making. Wine as well as friendly banter flow freely as the meal moves from the sauté eyelets on a stove, to the oven and finally to the dinner table.

Along the way Yordon doles out secrets and tips to quick and tasty bistro cooking, like rubbing down chicken with olive oil 15 minutes before finally removing it from the oven or stuffing baked bird with lemon slices for added flavor.

“We are doing an art of sauté class because a lot of people are interested in cooking healthy and sautéing is a wonderful way to cook healthy,” Yordon said. “So we are doing four or five diff dishes on cooking with low fat, low butter, not a lot of oil, quick cooks that are extremely healthy.”

Bistro cooking is one of the many theme ideas like pizza making, knife skills and regional cooking for classes regularly held at the DC Open Kitchen form Sunday through Tuesday. Yordon says paying attention to current events is key in determining a class theme.

Alexa Zenzano said she loved French cooking but the best part for her was the exposure to new recipes like cauliflower puree. A meal she could easily make at home.

“I loved it,” Zenzano said. “I like cooking already but I was interested to learn from somebody else who was more experienced and take home their recipe and try it myself.”

Michael Semzhyshyn does not cook because his wife it all. The couple attended the class because they wanted to spend time with some friends and learn something new together. Semzhyshyn said together with his wife they could make some more delicious snacks at home.

“My wife does all the cooking,” Semzhyshyn said. “However I figured whatever cooking skills I have I can help her it will overall make our experience together that much better.”

After the class, Yordon said most people are fearful about cooking because they are afraid of making something bad, burning food or overcooking it. Cooking classes, he said, are perfect to let go of these inhibitions whether with a date, a sibling or a parent.

“We kind of ease their minds by saying everything is a trial,” he said. “You are going to mess something up. We have messed up. As long as you have fun doing it that is all that matters.”

Unlike class recipes, which are only available to students taking specific cooking classes at the restaurant, ingredients that make restaurant food taste better than home cooking are not secret.

“We are not afraid to use salt and butter,” Yordon said.  “It does not sound great and it is not sexy, but that is the truth.”