Classes Begin at Kensington Quarters

This month, Kensington Quarters is opening its second-floor classroom space for weekly and monthly hands-on classes. Initial classes will focus on butchery and charcuterie, later expanding into preserving, pasta and cocktails. The butchery and charcuterie classes will range in price from $65 to $145 and will include tasting samples as well as butchered product for students to take home.

Weekly classes will focus on specific techniques and will last about 90 minutes. Larger format classes that focus on butchering of a single whole animal will be roughly three hours long.

The classes are led by  Kensington Quarters’ butcher, Bryan Mayer. Mayer has been a butcher-instructor for seven years and has trained with respected butchers across the country and around the world. At Kensington Quarters, he works with local farmers, making trips out to the farms and staying involved throughout the entire process to ensure the animals are being raised free of chemicals, antibiotics, hormones and GMO feed. “Every day, we hope to educate our customers by being knowledgeable and passionate about what we do,” says Mayer. “Now, in our demo space, we’re able to teach them even more about where this food comes from, why it’s great and show anyone at any skill level what to do with it.”

For information on classes at Kensington Quarters, call the Butcher Shop at 267-314-5086 ext. 1 or email classes@kensingtonquarters.com.

Kensington Quarters Class Schedule, January through March 2015

Wednesday, January 7, February 4, March 4
Whole Chicken ($65 per person; 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Attendees will learn how to cut up and utilize a whole the chicken for multiple meals, from frying, to roasting, to making stock from the bones.

Wednesday, January 14, February 11, March 11
Basic Charcuterie ($75 per person; 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Attendees will learn how to make rillettes, chicken liver mousse, and simple do-it-at-home curing projects.

Wednesday, January 21, February 18, March 18
Sausage Making ($75 per person; 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Attendees will learn to develop their own recipes, grind, season and stuff sausages.

Wednesday, January 28, February 25, March 25
Kitchen Butchery ($65 per person; 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.)
Attendees will learn how to purchase, debone, butterfly, and tie various cuts of pork and lamb for roasts.

Sunday, January 25
Whole Animal Butchery, Pig ($145 per person; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Attendees will be walked through the process of butchering a cross-section of one of our wood-lot raised pigs including skinning, de-boning, cutting and tying, while learning about the various cuts (and recommended cooking techniques).

Sunday, February 22
Whole Animal Butchery, Lamb ($145 per person; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Attendees will be walked through the process of butchering one of our fully-pastured lamb including, de-boning, cutting and tying, while learning about the various cuts (and recommended cooking techniques).

Sunday, March 29
Whole Animal Butchery for Ladies, Pig ($145 per person; 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.)
Lead by Butcher Shop Manager Heather Thomason, female attendees will be walked through the process of butchering a cross-section of one of our wood-lot raised pigs including skinning, de-boning, cutting and tying, while learning about the various cuts (and recommended cooking techniques).

*All classes will be demonstration based with some hands-on components.
*Cancellations: If notified & spot is filled from waitlist, refund will be issued.
*All attendees will go home with meat /samples.

The Kensington Quarters class schedule will be announced monthly on their Facebook page.

Kensington Quarters [Foobooz]