Behind the Line: Two Chefs Cooking Class

Jacob Katel

Two Chefs cooking class of March 2009.

Two Chefs is a South Miami culinary mecca. They've been plating their innovations in contemporary American cooking for 15 years and are known for having some of the best souffles in town. Sous Chef Jose Guerrero leads a cooking class of up to ten people once a week on Saturdays. Two Chefs owner Jan Jorgensen says of Jose "he's one of my best proteges."

Chef Jose, who nine years ago started at Two Chefs, the first and only restaurant where he's ever worked, says "I was here peeling potatoes and washing dishes. Here's where I learned how to cut myself, how to burn myself, what it means to have an angry chef yelling in your face. I'm 26 now, once I'm more known I'll open a restaurant. This is the only kitchen I ever worked. I fee like my heart belongs here. I'm just a chef, I cook for a living, I have a good personality, and I love talking to people.

The cooking class is meant for anyone with a love for food. I joined on a recent Saturday and worked alongside a recently married couple who got the class as a wedding present and a couple of friend-girls who work together. We went behind the line with Chef Jose and cooked up and ate a feast. He said "See what I'm doing here? I'm improvising, being creative, going out of my bounds. This is what I try to teach my students. I motivate you to be more open minded."

Check out this slideshow to see how it all went down.