I’ve admired Alex and Aki for years as I’ve followed along with Ideas in Food. I didn’t go to culinary school, just worked my way up in kitchens and stages. You pick up pieces and fragments of knowledge as you go along that route and as you put them together it begins to help shape your individual style and approach to food. Sometimes, though, you need some one-on-one dedicated time with a mentor to really set you on the right course. As I write this three days before officially opening my first restaurant I can’t think of anything in this process that has been more valuable to me, as a cook, than spending a few days with Alex and Aki. Ideas in Food is an awesome blog because it is a source of inspiration and creativity. But the real deal is putting it into practice and for that you need time to work through actual techniques and discuss exceptions, variations, or just general knowledge about a technique, ingredient, or food science principle… enter the Ideas in Food workshop! From the time you enter the workshop until the end of the day, you have Alex’s undivided attention. No holds barred, straight up food-cooking interaction. My sous chef and I went up to discuss/learn hydrocolloids, some sous vide and science… We discussed all of the above and then somehow got into talking about pasta and now I have a pasta extruder in my kitchen! Alex is a great teacher because he knows how to ask the right questions and makes learning exciting. He helps pull out the right answers. It seems everyday now I do something that reminds me of my time at the Workshop. This was such a priority that I actually put a line item in my restaurant budget for “Ideas in Food Education”. It’s been the best money I’ve spent so far opening a restaurant… Priceless! Not only did my sous chef and I learn something, we met two of the nicest people on the planet; friends who are welcome in Texas anytime they get a chance!

As the Corporate Chef of a global food and personal care company it is part of my roll to keep track of the ever changing culinary world and convey my knowledge to my colleagues. I asked Alex to create a demo/lecture class for our R&D community about future trends in the culinary scene.

Alex did a great job teaching people with a wide varity of backgrounds. Walking us through different methods and techniques, Alex explained how to utilize those methods in different applications. The biggest benefit to all was to get us thinking “out of the box”.

The Lecture/Demo took place on our premises and Alex needed very little of me – coming in fully prepared. I gave him a quick tour and could almost hear the stream of ideas he had to talk about – understanding our working frame. Being sensitive to our line of work, the workshop was perfectly tailored to our needs! I can not wait to bring Alex and Aki back.

Want to take your cooking skills to the next level? Whether you’re an enthusiastic home cook or a curious kitchen pro, you will walk away from a personal workshop with Alex and Aki filled with valuable ideas and new skills.

I’ve taken many classes over the years. I’ve read (literally) hundreds of cookbooks and I’m not afraid to make dinner for anyone. I’m also the co-founder of a successful food company where I’m in charge of product development. And while I went with both high expectations and some concern about being disappointed, the days I spent with Alex and Aki gave me far, far more than I could have hoped for.
This is not just about new techniques (although you can learn and understand them to your heart’s content)…and it’s not just about covering basics (how do you really know how to measure “enough” salt?) though you’ll probably now grasp them in a whole new way. This is a workshop designed around you and what you want to learn and master.

Aki and Alex are wise, thoughtful food professionals who will give you not just what you want, but also what you didn’t know to ask for. Smart, generous and incredibly capable, they are worth every single cent and every minute away from your business or home.

I felt overwhelmed with all the modern cooking techniques and did not know where to begin my education – to really get a grasp on the modern pantry. Personally, the one on one workshop was the way to go. Together, Alex and I designed work shops focusing in on my specific needs and ideas in food that I wanted to work out. The most valuable tool I took away from the class was Alex’s direct line. He is always ready and willing to help me out when I get stuck or if something didn’t turn out like expected. Lets just say… It’s like having your own modern Harold McGee, the best part being, you don’t have to read.

After seeing a small advertisement for private workshops and classes on their website Ideas In Food, I decided to sign up for a private group class on hydrocolloids with Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot. Because my knowledge of hydrocolloids was limited, I was intrigued with idea of achieving a better understanding of the subject matter in just one day. I came away from the experience with not only a better understanding of hydrocolloids, but also a profound respect for the overall service that Aki and Alex offer.

Aki and Alex are both great teachers and they presented their curriculum in a logical and easy-to-follow progression. From the simplest example of demonstrating the effects of gradually increasing percentages of xanthan gum in water to the more complex example of understanding the proper dispersion and hydration of Methocel, Aki and Alex made sure that everyone in the class understood the principles before moving on to the next topic. Most importantly, they adapted their lessons along the way to help answer questions from our group. They were incredibly generous and forthcoming with their knowledge – the distillate of their collective experience and experimentation.

The entire experience of working with Aki and Alex was extremely user-friendly. The class took place in my restaurant’s kitchen, which made the entire learning process much easier because we were working in a familiar environment. They custom-tailored the class to suit my interest in specific hydrocolloids which they brought themselves along with the necessary information on how and where to purchase them. They used ingredients from my mise-en-place in the lessons to show how we could apply hydrocolloids to our current menu to alter and improve the food quality. And the post-class support has been unparalleled. I can shoot them an email with any questions or problems and I know they will quickly respond with an answer or resolution.

Hi guys, I am just writing to let you know that Kurt really enjoyed the workshop, and above all learned A LOT! The workshop gave him a ton of ideas and he started experimenting at a higher level now. The workshop really moved his cooking skills a level up and I can say for sure I did the right thing for choosing your workshop. I had been looking, and everything else sounded like teaching a housewife basic cooking skills, and Kurt didn’t need that. Your workshop was a great finding and Kurt might be coming back for more.

Take care,