(Starting) a Japanese cooking class

[impolyt_one]

An idea I have been throwing around for my girlfriend is having her do a Japanese cookery class in America, when it comes time to move back. She is pretty easy going and doesn't need to work, so it will be for fun and less so for profit (though it needs to be enough for her to keep doing it and get better at, and have something of her creation) with the goal of getting a foot in the door at bigger things, doing something with her time. It will be in a major city in America, either NYC or LA, something like that, and we would run them 7 days a week (though not everyday)

She has one of the one or two year diplomas in French from LCB Tokyo, and she is really quite a talented cook. She has an extensive dining log and adequate skills for an undertaking like this. Her mother in Japan has been a test chef for Ajinomoto for like 40 years, as well.

The problem is that I'm trying to explain to her that people will gladly sign up classes like these, but she needs to make a schedule of dishes that people will want to learn. In her line of (strict, Japanese) thinking, she thinks people need to learn how to make tofu and yuba from scratch and I will be the guy who has to go fetch the seawater. I'm trying to tell her that a rice, miso soup, dashimaki tamagoyaki course, a maki and nigiri course, a noodle soup course, and youshoku-themed curry rice and maybe katsu/korokke course would do for a basic one-month thing, and then have intermediate and advanced levels above those.

What would novices want/expect to learn?

 

[Dragon]

I think you are giving your wife great advice. For the beginner classes, it would probably be best to use dashi no moto, rather than make dashi from scratch. Your wife should keep in mind that it is difficult for everyone to find quality ingredients (for example, good konbu and katsuo bushi) in the U.S., but these days it is really easy to find dashi no moto.

I think miso soup should be on the top of the list. I notice a lot of people want to learn how to make that. Next, probably some kind of maki sushi. I can't really think of anything you haven't already thought of, except maybe tempura.

I imagine she want to teach people how to make "real" Japanese food from scratch (my wife is like that too), but that should probably be reserved for more advanced students. Most people just want to know the basics so they can make something they enjoyed at the restaurant.

 

[untilted]

agreed. i'd sign up.

i dont want to learn how to make tofu...nyc-ers dont have that kind of patience...the ones that do go to culinary schools...