Inspiration can strike different people at the same time — like Newton and Leibniz discovering calculus at the same time. Two of our longtime cooking instructors, Christie Maggi and Kirk Warner, started making potato-wrapped shrimp, and neither remembers who did it first! This shrimp is one of our favorite party appetizers.

Get the recipe here — plus our favorite dipping sauce for the shrimp, Sweet Chile Sauce, which is sweet, tart, spicy, and irresistible. The Potato-Wrapped Shrimp is Number 22 on the Top Thirty Recipes of Kitchen Conservatory celebrating our thirtieth anniversary.

The potatoes in this recipe are made using a spiral slicer, which turns vegetables into thin spaghetti strands.

To see and taste this appetizer made in cooking class, sign up for “Weekend Dinner Party: Table Conversation” on Friday, March 28 at 6 pm.

Guacamole is now a typical American food and served at most parties. What makes one guacamole any better than other? This recipe contains an unusual addition: smoky and spicy fresh poblano peppers. Chef Dave Rook, whose creative skills were on display in the kitchens of Crazy Fish, Aqua Vin, Copia, and now Oceano restaurants, created Roasted Poblano Guacamole in a cooking class in 2005 at Kitchen Conservatory. His “guac” was so superior that night, we made him make a second batch during class!

This addictive guacamole is Number 23 on our list of Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Get the recipe here.

“Roasted Poblano Guacamole” will be featured in cooking class on April 13 in “Date Night for Couples: Enchanting New Mexico.” Register Now.

What makes one cheesecake better than another? Texture. A good cheesecake has a creamy, luscious custard on top of a buttery crust. Cheesecake never excited me until I met this cheesecake. Get the recipe here.

We learned how to make superior cheesecake from pastry chef extraordinaire Marla Scissors, who passed away from ALS at age 39 in 2008. Marla took no shortcuts in the kitchen and her perfect pastries showed her attention to detail. We are featuring two versions of her cheesecake: Vanilla Cheesecake with Tart Cherry Topping and Double Chocolate Cheesecake. Both cakes are sensational. Cheesecake is Number 24 on the Top Thirty Recipes Celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory.

To taste this cheesecake, sign up for “The Big Cheese…Cake” on April 3 with Naam Pruitt.

We all scream for ice cream, but this ice cream is the ultimate crowd favorite. The intense flavor of blackberries makes for a luscious and creamy gelato. Blackberry gelato is Number 25 on our list of the Top Thirty Recipes celebrating the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory. Not only is the gelato delicious, but the mauve color makes a sensational presentation. Get the recipe here.

Blackberry Gelato in Pizzelle Cones is a staple in our all-time favorite “Tuscany for Two” cooking class, next offered on Monday, March 17 or Saturday, April 19, or Sunday May 25. Sign up for “Tuscany for Two” and also master shrimp and scallop scampi, garlic-rosemary rib-eye steaks, baked polenta, and roasted vegetables.

To make this recipe, you will need an electric ice cream machine and an electric pizzelle maker and cone to shape the warm cookies.

Please welcome these chefs for some exciting new cooking classes at Kitchen Conservatory. St. Louis is awash in fresh culinary talent:

• Vincent Marsden of Vincent van Doughnut on March 25 for “On the Go with Vincent Van Doughnut”
• Adam Althnether from Pastaria on April 1 for “The Sauces of Pastaria”
• Wilfrin Fernandez-Cruz of Winslow’s Home on April 2 for “A Morel Victory”
• John Perkins of Juniper on April 8 for “Willing to Biscuit All”
• Lauren Loomis of Lulu’s Local Eatery on April 13 for “Lulu’s Mexican Vegan-omics”
• Reine Bayoc of SweetArt Bakeshop on May 12 for “The Sweet Art of Vegan Baking”

Also, please welcome back these chefs for a return to teaching:

• Phatcharin Wanna and Saengwan Paisley of Fork and Stix on March 31 for “Fork and Stix – Thai It!”
• Ben Edison of DeMun Oyster Bar on March 31 for “Going to Pot Pies”
• Mathew Unger of Mathew’s Kitchen on April 7 for “Cast Iron Heavy Weights”
• Cassandra Vires of Home Wine Kitchen on April 22 for “Let’s Meat for Dinner”
• Anthony Devoti of Five Bistro on June 11 for “Farm to Kitchen”
• Cookbook author Laura Russell on June 17 for “Bright and Bold Brassicas”

Our favorite title: “India – Chile Chile Tang Tang” on May 10

Register Now.

Our countdown of the Top Thirty Recipes that celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory continues with the irresistible and decadent Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes. Cupcakes are still the most popular of all of our dessert classes and this special cupcake is memorable.

Join Dawn Meyer in making this sinfully good cupcake on Tuesday, March 4, along with three other cupcakes in “Best of Cupcakes.”

The cupcake recipe is available here.

Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory! Thirty favorite chefs will demonstrate their talents over six different cooking classes. Sample the extraordinary creations of our culinary stars.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION I

The March anniversary class features Christopher Lee (River City), Jon Lowe, Jack MacMurray (Joe Buck’s Downtown), Vito Racanelli (Mad Tomato), and Kirk Warner.        Saturday, March 22              10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!      —————————————————————————————-

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION II                 The April anniversary class features Jean-Pierre Augé, Jim Fiala (The Crossing, Acero), Christie Maggi, Ben Poremba (Elaia, Olio), and Naam Pruitt.        Saturday, April 12              10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!      —————————————————————————————-

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION III                   The May anniversary class features Bob Colosimo (Eleven Eleven Mississippi), Frank McGinty (Kaldi’s Coffee), Bernard Pilon (Norwood Country Club), Jason Tilford (Milagro Modern Mexican, Mission Taco Joint), and Brenda Vanden Bos.        Saturday, May 3              10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!      —————————————————————————————-

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION IV                  The June anniversary class features Josh Allen (Companion Baking), Josh Galliano (The Libertine), Kevin Nashan (Sidney Street Cafe), Dawn Meyer, and Cassy Vires (Home Wine Kitchen, Table).       Saturday, June 7              10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!      —————————————————————————————-

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION V                  The July anniversary class features Kelly Gardner, Margi Kahn, Barry Marcus, David Molina (Sugarfire Smoke House), and Mark Sanfilippo (Salume Beddu).        Saturday, July 12             10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!      —————————————————————————————-

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION VI                  The August anniversary class features Helen Fletcher (Tony’s), Mickey Kitterman (Gallagher’s), Barb Nack, Lou Rook (Annie Gunn’s), and Maria Sakellariou.       Saturday, August 9            10:30 am to 1 pm             Register Now!

When Mickey Kitterman presented a non-corned beef menu for St. Patrick’s Day, we said, “great.” When we tasted the Irish Whiskey Butter on Guinness Rib-Eye Steaks, we said, “wow.” Don’t wait until March to eat this superb entree! Make extra of the butter sauce just to slather on bread.

Adding flavors to butter, known as compound butter, is a simple way to make a tasty sauce. The butter can be make ahead of time and stored in the freezer.

To see Mickey Kitterman make and flame this butter in class, register for “Dublin Your Pleasure” on Sunday, March 16 at 1 pm.

The recipe for Guinness Rib-Eye Steaks with Irish Whiskey Butter is available as an unlimited digital download for $1. This recipe is #27 on our list of Top 30 Recipes for the Thirtieth Anniversary of Kitchen Conservatory.

Everybody knows and loves tomato soup, so what’s special about this recipe? The tomatoes are slow-roasted and the addition of fire-roasted red bell peppers intensifies the tomato flavor. The soup may look unassuming, but take one taste and you will declare it the best tomato soup ever. Celebrate our 30th anniversary with our Top Thirty Recipes; the Roasted Tomato-Pepper Bisque Recipe is now available online.

To taste and enjoy this delicious soup, sign up for “A Smashing Success” cooking class on Sat, February 15 at 10 am. Chef Brenda Vanden Bos, who has taught many exciting classes at Kitchen Conservatory, will demonstrate some of her favorite recipes in addition to this sumptuous soup: goat cheese ravioli, roasted chicken with mushrooms and red wine cream, rustic caramelized onion smashed potatoes, plus pavlovas with fresh raspberries.

Our recipe countdown continues with #29: Roasted Asparagus with Salsa Verde. We have never tired of eating this fresh, colorful, and piquant salsa. Originally created by Kirk Warner of Kirk’s Traveling Kitchen, the asparagus salsa is a favorite topping for grilled fish, but the salsa is also delicious on omelets, beef, and chips — or just serve the grilled or roasted asparagus as a first course. It’s memorable.

Kirk Warner teaches this salsa as a part of his Day in the Kitchen: Fish and Shellfish class, which we have offered every other month for 15 years. The students meet at Bob’s Seafood to purchase the fish, then return to Kitchen Conservatory to cook all of the fish in a five-hour extravaganza. Sign up for this fish class on Saturday, March 29.