LOCALadk Magazine

Winter 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 55 LOCALadk at work on his farm by 5:00 a.m. He is right at home on his tractor, and is just as confident there as he is in the kitch- en. He might be clearing brush, felling trees, cutting grass, har vesting wild chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms, or keeping newly drifted snow from blocking the way to his classroom. If not on his tractor, he will likely be walking the property with his wife, Bridget; Alec, his son; or Reese, the family dog. The fresh Adirondack air is intoxicating, and the view from any point on the farm is his inspiration. As he poured another coffee, I asked Chef Curtiss about changes in the average American's connection to food and to cooking. A while back, Americans read and watched Julia Child and Craig Clairborne as their enthusiasm and confidence in home cooking grew. Or they relied on those special recipes handed down from their mother or grandmother. Then we seemed to gladly push aside the task of cook- ing to restaurants as American's adopted eating out as part of their busy lifestyle. The farm to table movement of the past two decades has brought ever ything back full circle. There is a renewed interest in learning how to cook, to make restaurant-quality food in home kitch- ens, to become aware of ingredients and the cooking process, and to take advantage of the tools that mod- ern home kitchens provide. This is where Carriage House Cooking School fits in. The school is busy. According to Chef Curtiss, as soon as he posts a new class, it fills up. He is committed to a balanced life (something that working in the restaurant business nev- er provided), so he offers as many classes as he can without interfering with his family time on the farm. His farm is filled with memories of his dad, and he relish- es the opportunity and feels the responsibility to care for it properly. In the past he has leased some of the tillable land to local farmers, and will likely do so in the future, but right now he is interested in healing the land and making sure that the soil is fresh and clean and ready to nurture the right kind of crops. He would like to see part of the land dedicated to pasturing animals and engaging neighbors in supporting the local food ecosystem. The land can, should, and will support the essence of what the school is all about. I asked whether his students felt somewhat intimidat- ed taking a cooking class from an accomplished chef. He laughed and said, Look, I want the school to be accessible and relevant. I set the stage for ever yone to feel comfortable and never promote myself as a chef, but rather a cook who loves the process and the ingredients that I work with. I encourage participants to feel comfortable making mistakes—we all do, that is how we learn. Learning to cook is like learn- ing to play the guitar. I tell them that Eric Clapton didn't learn to become a master of the guitar without making plenty of mistakes. You learn the fingering for one chord and then practice and practice until muscle memor y takes over and the chord sounds clean and natural. Then you move on to another chord and do the same. Cooking is exactly the same. Confidence comes from practice. We finish our coffee as Reese, his dog, continues to nudge my hand for another scratch to his head. I take another op- portunity to enjoy the view from his bay window, shake the chef's hand, and reluctantly move back to my car. This is a man who loves what he does, has the experience to do it right, has found his place in the beautiful Adirondacks, and continues to contribute to the landscape of what makes living here so special. Time to drive through the apple orchards of Peru and head home. I know I will be back, and encourage each of you to put the Carriage House Cooking School on your calendar. Find out more about this great Adirondack Experience at the Carriage House website: www.carriagehousecooking- school.com. Curtiss Hemm

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