One of the best ways to build knowledge is to either read, take a class, work in the industry, find a mentor, volunteer or all of the above. Let’s start with reading. I know many folks who have hundreds of cookbooks and love to look at the photographs or read through the recipes.

Many students ask how to increase their knowledge of their craft. Do you have cooking classes or baking classes? The answer is no, not at this time. There are few quality online cooking classes that I am familiar with and if someone knows of some please pass that information on, I would love to enroll and check them out for myself.

If you are willing to consider learning from a cookbook, there are some great books out there. Almost thirty years ago I was fortunate enough to live in Japan and had access to all sorts of exotic ingredients. I decided to cook like a professional and attempted to make everything that was in The Creative Cooking Course by Charlotte (edited by) Turgeon.

It was good old fashioned training that Julia Child would have been proud of and the sort of training every adult should experience. Building my knowledge of classic recipes and techniques, I covered recipes from every corner of the global, it was Food TV Network in book form and a journey that has taught me to experience food as it should be, one recipe at a time.

The next time you want to expand your horizons and learn more about your craft, a cuisine, the cultural background of food, find the best cookbook out there and go for it.

My favorite  savory recipe in the book is in the Pork Section/Number9, the Pork Casserole with Cider, the perfect fall day recipe.

My favorite dessert is the Baked Cheesecake in Pastry, one of the most luscious cheesecakes I have ever made. Dessert Section/ Number 92-93.