Salt Lake Culinary Center

The Salt Lake Culinary Center is now officially open for business at 2233 South 300 East, Salt Lake City. I went to a “last hurrah” party on Friday, Aug. 30 to congratulate owner Diane Sheya on her new enterprise. But it’s actually not a big change, since Diane has been teaching cooking classes in the Salt Lake area for many years. When I was food editor at the Deseret News and she was with Ivy House Herbs, I covered her Thankgiving class that gave several fun turkey-cooking options. A few years later when she had a regular appearance on Fox-13 noon news, I covered her class on interesting veggie-and-grain side dishes.
For the past year-and-a-half, Diane has been the culinary director of the Viking Cooking School, part of a nationwide franchise where high-end appliances are sold. Diane said that Viking earlier this year, and the new company has decided to close the culinary schools. When she realized that 15 people would be out of work and the opportunity presented itself, she decided to buy the center and run it. And since she no longer has to follow the schedule or format of the Viking franchise, she can offer a wider range of classes, including those with local emphasis.
As you’d expect, there were some interesting party foods at the event. The lemonade was spiced with ginger — something I’m going to try as a switch from infusing it with basil or rosemary. I liked the Watermelon Gazpacho, Chicken SKewers with Mango Salsa, and BBQ Pork, too. I was curious about the “Stovetop smoked salmon” and was shown a cool pan where you place wood shavings, then heat it up over a stovetop to get them smoking. The Lemongrass Basil Sherbet was a cool, refreshing finale. If this is an idea of the dishes that will be turned out at the classes, I’m all for it!
The Salt Lake Culinary Center kitchens are beautiful and inviting — a great place to learn how to cook, and brush up on skills. In addition to classes, I can see a lot of fun events taking place here — parties, maybe wedding showers with a cooking demo?

You can find out more about the Salt Lake Cooking School here.