I don’t have a culinary degree, and I’m not a professional chef. But when I first started toying with the idea that I’d like to work in food, I turned to the Institute of Culinary Education. Back then it was called Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School, and you had to climb several flights of stairs so steep they felt more like ladders just to reach the cramped, cozy kitchens on E. 92^nd Street. Everything felt old—but sturdy old, like it had been used for hundreds, thousands of meals. The school grew and grew until finally they opened a glamorous facility on 23^rd Street (coincidentally, two doors down from the former offices of Viking Penguin, my first employer). Now everything’s shiny, and ICE offers more than 2,800 classes each year, for more than 22,000 students. Their instructors include countless culinary luminaries.

And on Friday, October 12, I’ll be one of them.

That’s right, Parents Need to Eat Too, the class that inspired the book, is coming to ICE. Rather than a series of classes, in which we cover one new-parent cooking technique at a time, this will be a four-hour, one-day affair. Perfect for folks who weren’t able to commit to multiple sessions! We’ll go over the New Mom’s Pantry, Nap-Friendly Cooking, Quick Suppers, One-Handed Meals, and Easy Indulgences, and then we’ll cook, and then we’ll eat. With wine. That part’s been missing from my classes all along—I’ve never actually sat down with my students to share our work. On the menu:

• Minestrone with Parmesan Gremolata
• Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas, Dried Fruit & Almonds
• Curried Kale & Apple Empanadas
• Grilled Eggplant Parmesan
• and for dessert, Jammy Oatmeal Shortbread Bars

One small difference between teaching at ICE and here in Brooklyn: No babies allowed this time. Can you imagine the liability issues involved in baby-proofing a professional kitchen? Instead, consider this a mini-getaway. Line up some childcare and have fun cooking again!

I’m barely containing my excitement over this. And truth be told, my nerves. Seeing my mug adjacent to Jonathan Waxman’s in the official ICE catalog ain’t helping.

I love that man.

If you’re in the New York area, please join me. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun.

Did I mention the wine? Oh, and that every participant receives a signed copy of my book? Click through to register.

class miscellaneous my cookbook parents need to eat too zen