Photo courtesy of: Culinary ServicesChef Tim Bruce prepares food for his attentive audience

It’s always nice when the opportunity presents itself for you to learn something new, but getting to eat what you learned is such a delightful bonus.

Learning and simultaneously eating, a concept that many are familiar with, is now a part of Ohio University’s programming. 

This year, Ohio University began the “Chef’s Table: A Demo Dining Experience” events, where a variety of chefs teach guests new cooking techniques during live demonstrations. While preparing the food, the chef explains each step of preparation, and once it is finished, the guests eat the food.

The second Ohio University Chef’s Table event took place at the Culinary Studio Jefferson Marketplace on Wednesday, March 7.

Eight guests were in attendance as Executive Chef Tim Bruce prepared Irish cuisine. The St. Patrick’s Day themed meal included Guinness and cheddar soup, colcannon, Irish soda bread, corned beef with cabbage and carrots and Chocolate Guinness Cake for dessert.

Bruce began his presentation with the Guinness and cheddar soup. The guests enjoyed the fact that it was not only easy to make, but also very flavorful. One guest even asked for suggestions on how to enhance the delicious recipe.

“Well my motto in life is that everything is better with bacon,” Bruce joked in response, “but you can add any protein you want and it will be just as delicious.”

After the soup, Bruce continued preparing the meal and explained the reasoning behind some of his ingredient choices. The night’s menu contained two items that featured Guinness beer and Bruce’s explanation behind that was simple, “Usually foods are made with wine, but beer makes the flavor more intense.”

He also gave tips on how to approach everyday cooking.

“A lot of cooking, baking, or whatever it is you’re doing in the kitchen is just basic science.” Bruce explained.

The expert chef reassured the guests that no two meals are going to turn out exactly the same, but sometimes deviating from the recipe can get you a result better than you had initially anticipated.

Each guest also received a recipe book with detailed instructions so that they can recreate the dishes at home.

The next Chef’s Table will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 22, and will feature authentic Vietnamese cuisine prepared by Chef Robert DeWitt from the University of Texas at Austin.

Tickets are limited, so reserve your seat at the Chef’s Table at https://commerce.cashnet.com/culstudio