Remember the first time you ever cooked something? No, not with real gas or fire. I mean cooking bacon in your Fisher Price Kitchen or perhaps you had an entire imaginary gourmet kitchen via your mom’s basement washer and dryer. We were as great as our imaginations would let us be; even though some of us still burned the imaginary water. Chef Darin Sehnert was no different. Since the age of five, he says all he’s ever wanted to do is cook. After some fancy training and culinary time abroad, he has been cooking professionally for over twenty years now. From London to Disneyworld to The Mansion on Forsyth Park, Chef Darin has had a passion not only for cooking and creating, but sharing his talents with others.
Did I mention he was rated by Travelocity as the No.1 Thing to do in Savannah year after year? So you see, he is kind of a big deal. Fast forward to today…and while he is experiencing some “architectural design” hurdles lately, very soon his ten year dream will be realized. “Chef Darin’s Kitchen Table” will be an interactive cooking school for novices, foodies or anyone with a natural curiosity about how to make something great in the kitchen.
The cooking school and restaurant hybrid, rather, will be mainly comprised of two phases: Phase I equipped with a chef station and gourmet-burner-ranges for you and other students/guests to work through the technique or recipe at hand, as well as room to interact as Chef teaches you the tricks of his trade. Phase II setup as more of a private gathering space, for private lessons and dinners, food styling and plating classes, tapas training. If you want to get your mixology on, you can learn how to shake up the perfect cocktail or pair the perfect class of wine with any meal. He is also hoping to take advantage of the market days located downtown in Forsyth Park for more in depth classes, where you will walk with Chef to pick out fresh, local produce, then accompany him back and prepare your newly purchased local flare. “It’s all about using what’s available and shopping local”, he says. There will be a separate space to sit and enjoy the fruits and vegetable of your labor and the opportunity to purchase some of the fancy cookware you just used will be available in the reception area, as well. All in all, the space will be able to hold anywhere from 40-60 students and guests at a time.
We cook to entertain too, no? Students will learn how to play the perfect guest and host, as you interact with others. Chef Darin will teach you how to NOT cut-off your finger with that fancy chopping knife and whether you really need to be using that knife for this dish anyway. Using fresh local and seasonal products and produce, you will learn the secrets of success to any meal or side dish. His classes are designed to be instantaneous too, simply reserve a class like you would a reservation to your favorite restaurant. For those of you still not married and living with your mother, no long-term commitment required; with all due respect of course. You can sign up for one class or D.) All of the above. Whether you want to learn how to boil water or pair wine with a meal, Chef Darin invites all levels of experience to come and learn something new.
Chef has told us he will be opening his doors, which are perfectly located between downtown and the Ardsley Park area, in October. In the meantime there are piles of dust, dirt and construction debris, but regardless of how long it takes, Chef Darin’s Kitchen Table will eventually help Savannah build on its status as a food city.
