In October of 2012 Wilcox hosted his first TRE Cooking Concepts course. (The acronym stands for Technique Recipe Execution). These classes were created to give discerning food lovers the opportunity to learn the importance of culinary techniques and execution from his very kitchen.
Limited to six seats per class, guests enjoy an intimate culinary experience straight from the personal kitchen of Wilcox - former Executive Chef of Village Marquee Grill and two-time alum of Bravo TV's Top Chef (Season 3 and 8).
I was recently invited to attend one of his classes and experience the magic of Wilcox for myself. When I confessed that I liked to drink and eat way more than I liked to cook, I got the famous Tre Wilcox laugh that's a combination of guffaw and hee haw. You literally cannot hear Wilcox laugh with laughing yourself. It's contagious. "Come on, girl. We'll have a good time," he said. And so we did.
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| Tre's custom cocktail for us consisted of cucumber vodka, basil & cucumber blend and Yuzi juice |
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| Seared Scallop and Pork Belly over a Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad |
Now, this is not a traditional cooking class. YOU don't actually cook anything. You meet Wilcox at his Downtown loft and sit at his bar while he prepares and serves you a four-course meal, providing instruction and tips and tricks along the way. Everyone in my class was clearly a Top Chef fan and Wilcox did not disappoint as he regaled stories from his seasons, dishing gossip about other contestants and sharing behind-the-scenes secrets. He also shared his philosophy on health and food and talked about the partnership he is developing with Equinox to help extend his message.
Everything Wilcox made us was fantastic and I did learn several things that day:
- Use Grapeseed oil to sear. Not Olive Oil.
- You need a good knife in the kitchen.
- The only difference between a sauce and a soup is the thickness. Think about it.
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| One of Tre's many tattoos. |
Classes are $195 per person. To see date options and purchase classes, visit http://bit.ly/IV6XxI.
