Blanco River Cooking School

Leslie McGrath, 512/847-2583 For years I heard chefs and students alike describe their visits to Leslie McGrath's pastoral cooking school in rural Hayes county as "heavenly," and after attending a class there in November, I finally know what they mean. A food lover and gracious hostess, McGrath has staked out a little corner of heaven where chefs from all over the country can come to relax in a stone castle on the banks of Cypress Creek and teach classes in a well-designed and very functional kitchen. It's no wonder that McGrath is able to attract the best chefs to Blanco River; attending classes there seems like visiting with a chef in his or her own home.

I was lucky to attend a class taught by a man I've long admired, chef John Ash, culinary director of the Valley Oaks Food and Wine Education Center at Fetzer Vineyards in Hopland, California. For many years, Ash has been in the forefront of the movement encouraging cooks to use the freshest seasonal organic ingredients in cooking for maximum flavor and health. The recipes for the class were from Ash's excellent new book From the Earth to the Table (Dutton, $29.95, hard), though Ash stressed the point that to his way of thinking, recipes are far less important than the best quality ingredients. He's convinced that the best cooks are the ones who "invest the most time in finding wonderful ingredients," and he encourages chefs and home cooks alike to develop relationships with local farmers and be very pro-active with grocers, as well.

Everyone who attended John Ash's classes at Blanco River was treated to a simple, phenomenal meal complemented with Fetzer's Bonterra wines (from organically grown grapes) in a relaxed and comfortable country setting. The spring chef line-up will feature Rick Bayless, Hugh Carpenter, Martha Rose Schulman, Stephen Pyles, and Suneeta Vaswani. Call Leslie McGrath to get on the mailing list for her spring brochure and make plans for your own little slice of heaven.

-- Virginia B. Wood