Sneak Preview: Cook Goes Live

So this is it.

We’ve been talking about it on and off for months, but today is finally the day when Cook, Audrey Claire Taichman’s new experiment in collaborative cooking, finally becomes a thing.

Today at 4pm, the website and reservation system will go live, allowing everyone in town to finally see what Cook has cooking–who the chefs are, what the classes will be, how this mystery space will actually be used.

But what’s that you say? You don’t want to wait ’til 4 o’clock? Well then you came to the right place, friend, because we’re offering a sneak preview of the September schedule right here.

The fun all starts on September 6 with Georges Perrier in a class that sold out even before tickets were technically available–which is fine because that’s really just the night that the brand new space  is being broken in, and who better to do that than a loveable Frenchman with a history in this town like the Liberty Bell’s.

On the 8th is one of our own events–a night of gin cocktails and (increasingly drunken) conversation which will stand as step one in mine and Victor Fiorillo’s attempt at returning some dignity to that maligned spirit. The ultimate goal? The declaring of a new International & Interstellar Gin Appreciation Day. Stay tuned for details.

Michael Solomonov will be at Cook on Saturday the 10th, wearing his Zahav hat and likely cooking something Middle Eastern. He’ll be followed by a baking class on the 11th, a chocolate-and-wine discussion on the 12th, Michael Schulson from Sampan on the 16th, Scott Schroeder from the South Philly Tap Room on the 17th and Marisa McLellan (of foodinjars.com) doing a class called “Preserving the Summer Bounty” (about canning, natch) on the 18th.

Deep breath…

Shane Solomon from Pizzeria Stella will be in the house on September 19. Then Daniel Stern from R2L (Sept. 21). Then Peter Woolsey from Bistrot La Minette (Sept. 23). That Saturday, Kiong Banh from Twenty Manning will be teaching classic Vietnamese recipes. And on Sunday? Questlove and his crew will be occupying the kitchen, using it to showcase a new foray into the world of edible (as opposed to listen-able) art.

Not satisfied yet? Then how about sitting down with David Katz from Meme–he’ll be behind the burners on the 26th. Followed by Mitch Prensky from Supper on the 27th, Guillermo Tellez from Square 1682 on the 28th, and Rob Wasserman, showing off those Rouge Burgers, on the 30th.

So yeah. Awesome, right? I mean, when’s the last time you had a chance to sit down across the bar from Peter Woolsey and talk about snails, or with Michael Solomonov to chat about eating duck hearts? One thing though: Cook is small. It’s an intimate space made for up-close-and-personal interactions. Which means that the tickets are going to go FAST.

My suggestion? If you see something you’re interested in, be lurking around the Cook website right at 4pm when all the lights go green. But if things go south on you and you miss out on someone you really wanted to see in September, there’s something you need to keep in mind: This is only the beginning. There’s always October. And November. And months and months (and chefs and chefs) to come.

Not only that, but I happen to know a little bit about what’s in the works for October, and trust me. You won’t want to miss it.

Cook [Official website]