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Thursday, March 20, 2003
The main course
Cheryl-Anne Millsap - Correspondent
Christopher Anderson - Photos
Char Zyskowski's innovative cooking class attracts students from
around the region.
Get Cooking
Within minutes of stepping into Char Zyskowski's antiques-filled
South Hill kitchen, one thing becomes crystal clear. This woman loves to cook.
She moves swiftly, flashing lethal-looking blades and pouring
generous dashes of olive oil into hot pans. "Don't be afraid of it," she commands
the ring of gourmet wanna-be's surrounding the marble-topped island. "Show some
authority with that knife."
Zyskowski owns Apple Charlotte Cooking Co. For the last five
years she's been teaching weekly cooking classes in her home in addition to running
a full service catering business.
Each of the five sessions focuses on something different, from
chicken or beef stock and minestrone, to French apple tart with almond filling.
She's got room for eight to nine students per class, which costs $270.
"I want to teach people -- whether they are expert cooks or can
barely boil water -- to think about food differently," Zyskowski says. "There
is so much more to cooking well than just following a recipe."
That's exactly what Julie Ukich, of Coeur d'Alene, was looking
for.
"I decided at age 53 that what I really enjoy in life is cooking,"
Ukich said. "And I want to be able to cook without being tied to a recipe." She
inquired about cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma and was directed to Apple Charlotte.
"Char teaches you to think outside the box," Ukich says. "She
gives you the confidence and makes it enjoyable."
The first class covers soups and stocks, what Zyskowski calls
the "basis of all wonderful cooking," and she makes the point that soup is fast
food.
"If you have stock already made, just add vegetables and throw
it in the microwave," she said. Classes on roasting, braising, bread making,
and desserts follow. Everything Zyskowski uses is homemade. Even the croutons
sprinkled over the soups and salad are from homemade focaccia bread.
Michelle Halverson of North Spokane has taken several classes
from Zyskowski.
"I hesitated to take the basic cooking class, because I thought
I was a pretty good cook," she said. "But I was surprised by how much she could
teach us."
Zyskowski notes that since Sept. 11, people are staying home
and cooking more meals together.
"Half the fun of cooking is the conversation, the wonderful smells,
and watching it all come together," she said.
She also is seeing more men in the classes. "One gentleman came
because he wanted to host dinner parties when he retired," she said. "His wife
told him `If you want to do it, learn to cook.' So he did."
Occasionally parents will sign up for classes with their children.
One woman signed up with her 14-year-old son because she wanted him to be comfortable
in the kitchen as an adult.
Steve Kijima, who lives in Spokane Valley, received the classes
as a gift from his wife. They'd heard about Zyskowski from a friend and signed
up for the basics classes.
Kijima, who estimates he does at least 60 percent of the cooking
in his family, says the classes taught him more than he expected.
"I learned as much about the `why' of cooking as anything else,"
he said. "I knew how to cook and I like to cook, but Char taught us why certain
spices and the right pieces of equipment make such a difference."
Michelle Halverson found the mix of people in the classes to
be as interesting as the classes themselves.
"It was so much fun," she says. "We had everyone from a 16-year-old
girl from Gonzaga Prep, to retirees."
Zyskowski has always loved to cook, so in her late 40s -- when
her children were grown -- she left Spokane and a successful career in pharmaceutical
sales, to attend the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
"I waited a long time to make my dream come true," she said.
"But it was the right time for me."
Her experience at the academy was eye opening. It didn't take
long to realize she was playing in the big leagues.
"I thought I would be a hot shot," she said. "The first day,
I realized I knew nothing."
Zyskowski studied for nearly two years while her husband Marty
-- a music professor at Eastern Washington University -- remained in Spokane.
"It was wonderful to immerse myself in something I loved, but it was very hard
work," she said.
Due to the high cost of living in San Francisco, the experience
cost twice as much as they expected. And was twice as lonely "Once a month, we
took turns traveling." Zyskowski said. "But, oh, when Marty came to San Francisco,
the lights of the city came on!"
Zyskowski is proud of the success of her business, and the things
the couple have done. "But," she says, "we don't ever want to be separated again."
So, the couple spent more than $20,000 remodeling a laundry room
and adding a professional stove and ovens to meet the criteria of a licensed
commercial kitchen. A 90-inch antique Irish kitchen counter, now used as a table,
holds court in the eating area.
"It's the star of the show in my kitchen," Zyskowski said. "I
found it in a shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and I had to have it." They paid
$600 to have it shipped to Spokane.
Glass cabinet doors showcase vintage red and white transferware
dishes, which belonged to her husband's family, and colorful French fabric frames
the windows.
In addition to teaching the cooking classes and leading occasional
food and cultural tours to France and Italy, Apple Charlotte is a full-service
catering company.
"When we do a dinner for 20, we make the stock and the bread
before we arrive, but we prepare and finish the meal on site," Zyskowski said.
She arrives with two to three assistants, such as sous chef Erin Hojnaki, who
has worked with Zyskowski for four years.
"It's a wonderful way to host a dinner party and still feel like
a guest yourself," she said.
For Julie Ukich, the mother of four, cooking is a way to keep
her family close. "I grew up in an Italian family and meals were always our meeting
place," Ukich said. "I want to keep that going."
Food and entertaining are a big part of the lives of the Zyskowski
children. One son and his fiancé just completed the cooking classes. The
three other siblings all live in the Seattle area and get together two or three
Sundays a month to eat and visit.
What about cook's night off?
"Marty is great in the kitchen," Zyskowski said. "And I always
say it's the love you bring to the table that makes everything taste wonderful."
For more information about the Apple Charlotte Cooking Co., contact
Char Zyskowski at 443-8252 or 448-1205.
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