Perched on the banks of Newburyport’s Merrimack River, Tuscan Sea Grill & Bar has earned a reputation over the past five years for its coastal Italian-inspired dishes served alongside locally sourced seafood. For diners, it’s a culinary trip to the heart of the Italian peninsula, sans the 4,000-mile flight across the globe, and for some, the meals here have sparked a deeper interest in the traditional flavors of Italy—flavors they can learn to make under the guidance of an expertly trained chef. Tuscan Brands founder Joe Faro grew up working in his parents’ bakery in Haverhill, eventually rolling up his sleeves and dedicating himself to the craft and business of Italian cooking. He refined those skills after college while launching his own brand of pasta and sauces, working closely with renowned area chefs. That hunger for learning helped shape his vision for the Cooking School at Tuscan Market, a natural fit on his 170-acre Tuscan Village culinary campus in Salem, New Hampshire.
The Tuscan Brand juggernaut to date includes more than half a dozen restaurants, cafes, markets, and a boutique hotel. Jared St. Amand joined the company as an executive chef two years ago and today leads as its culinary director. One of his initiatives has been broadening the scope of cooking classes at the school, balancing a curriculum that offers both beginner-friendly and advanced classes. At a ricotta cavatelli, broccoli rabe, and walnut pesto class, for example, students learn how to make and shape ricotta cavatelli pasta from scratch, homing in on the delicate hand technique needed to make the small, hollow seashell-shaped pasta alongside an earthy broccoli rabe with just the right balance of bold and bitter, and a rich walnut pesto. It’s hard to decide if the best part is savoring one’s own handcrafted creation (with a perfectly paired wine, if you so choose), or walking away with the know-how of how to recreate the dish at your next dinner party.
St. Armand is also conscious of being inclusive to those with dietary restrictions, offering classes on making gluten-free pastas and other dishes. There are also cheese, bread, and arancini making classes and even one on how to make the perfect cannoli. “Beveragewise, they do Italian cocktails and classic martinis. Making your own limoncello has been fun, and that goes with desserts, and I’ve noticed in the morning classes, like the breakfast pizza and mimosas, we see a lot of bridal showers or even bachelorette parties, or day after the wedding events,” says St. Armand.
Kitchen Partnership
During his tenure, the company has embraced a partnership with Williams Sonoma, the global retail brand, not only with products and gourmet goods but also integration of Williams Sonoma tools at the cooking school. The partnership is helpful to students and instructors, including Chef Jarrett Kellerman, who can often be found at the helm of the classroom, guiding students of all ages through each step. He said he’s seen a steady increase of people curious to learn or sharpen their skills over the years. “Summer is often the slowest season, but this past summer, I was in classes every single day,” he says. It’s critical to Kellerman that the culinary curriculum appeals to everyone from newcomers in the kitchen to seasoned cooks. “Something like a pizza making class is very enjoyable, very light, a lot of fun and lots of laughs,” explains Kellerman. His pasta making class, he says, is easy enough for a three year old to do, but interesting and nuanced enough that adults of any age can hone their skills. “It’s designed so a beginner or novice can do it, with a slow method to see the transition of the texture. I like to think of myself as an individual that teaches the form and visuality of it so people can feel confident about doing it again in the future.”
Ravioli making is also on offer at Tuscan Market.
In an increasingly digital, on-demand society, Kellerman takes pleasure in teaching an age-old craft that not only stays with participants, but historically brings people together. He acknowledges that not everyone grew up in situations where cooking was intrinsically taught at home, where skills, recipes and tools are passed down through generations. But the cooking school meets people where they’re at in warm, jovial surroundings. “We definitely live in a world where we can get everything at our fingertips but we meet people all the time, whether it’s couples or individuals, who maybe just didn’t have that guidance,” he explains. While a Shrimp & Saffron Risotto class or Short Rib Ravioli with Veal Demi-Glace class have their place, the chefs of tomorrow—little kids—can enjoy making one of their favorite foods, pizza, in a hands-on class where kids get to roll, top, and bake their own personal pie. Classes at the Cooking School at Tuscan Market are à la carte, so people can sign up to ones that specially appeal to them. At the same time, each one offers a new layer of knowledge and skill, inviting students to take what they learn and add to their culinary acumen.
“You can do one where it’s learning how to make the pasta, and the next one learning how to use that pasta to make, say, cacio e pepe. If you’re taking the Three Mother Sauces of Italy class, and you’ve taken the pasta class, you can make any type of pasta with a pomodoro, bolognese, or alfredo, he says. Kellerman adds that seeing a class together from its inception on paper to the warm smiles and wafting aromas of people cooking and making connection has been rewarding beyond measure, “They’re falling in love with it as much as I’m falling in love with it because it’s completely brand new,” he says, “and I’m working with them to build something together.” The Cooking School at Tuscan Market lists classes at tuscanbrands.com/cooking-classes
Dining and Cooking