Dining Del Lago 2011

Silver Whisk Cooking School

In April this year, chef Myrna Kallergis gave birth to twins: a healthy baby boy and the Silver Whisk Cooking School. For most people, the gauntlet of new parenthood and a new career commitment might be overwhelming. But Kallergis is indefatigable in her ability to meet new challenges with a smile and a constructive attitude. She's positively ebullient about her new endeavor: "This is the happiest time of my career." After years of working for others in the corporate food industry, she is finally doing just what she wants with her life.

Her agenda is simple. With Silver Whisk, she wants to help busy Americans get back into the kitchen, even if it's just once or twice a week, to prepare healthy family-oriented meals. Kallergis cites studies that show kids who regularly eat home-cooked, sit-down meals tend to be healthier and better-adjusted than children whose meals come from a can or from the fast-food joint down the street. Silver Whisk aims to teach both adults and children how to cultivate improved eating habits through home cooking.

At Silver Whisk, all the classes are hands-on. Kallergis encourages her students to get in and use the knives, the stoves, the counters, and the mixers in her state-of-the-art kitchen. The school offers an array of classes arranged thematically: Thai Made Easy, Sexy Summer Seafood, Tasty Tapas & Paella Party, and Meals Made Simple are among the popular classes offered for adults. The school also has summer culinary camps designed for children and teens. While Kallergis teaches most of the classes herself, she will occasionally bring in guest chefs such as cookbook author and cooking instructor Suneeta Vaswani, the Carillon's Josh Watkins, and celebrity chef Monica Pope. But Kallergis looks less for superstar status in her guest chefs than their abilities to teach and provide great culinary instruction. "When you are really passionate about something, it's contagious; that's how I am about cooking." Austin and Lakeway residents seem to agree. Response to the school has been better than anticipated, and classes have begun to sell out, so book early. Class prices range from $49 to $89 for two hours of instruction.