Looking for a gift that’s thoughtful, unique, and guaranteed to delight? Custom gift certificates for my cooking classes and private chef services are now available—beautifully printed on card stock and tucked into a ready-to-gift envelope. You can even add a personalized message to make your present truly meaningful. For the foodie who has everything: Give an adventurous eater the unforgettable treat of a private dinner party cooked right in their own home. Whether it’s an intimate celebration or a special surprise, I bring the experience to you—no trip to Chicago or flight to Paris required. My private chef services are just $50 per hour, backed by more than 200 kitchen-tested recipes and the option to design brand-new dishes to match any theme or fantasy. Learn more here: www.cooking-with-paul.com/private-chef.html For the curious home cook: A hands-on cooking class at Urbana Park District’s Phillips Recreation Center might be the perfect present. With only 12 students per sessio...

As part of our Czech pop-up dinner event next week, I made this delicious honey cake for dessert. A throwback to the Soviet era, this very popular treat is available at almost all Czech restaurants and coffee shops during the Christmas season. Although this cake is fairly easy to make, the process does take three days. So plan ahead! On day 1, you'll want to make the caramel cream filling. Because you're boiling a can of condensed milk, it is recommended that you chill the unopened can in the refrigerator overnight. This way, you won't risk burning yourself when you open the can the next day. On day 2, you'll make the cake itself, but you should let it sit overnight in the refrigerator so that the flavors meld together as the wet cream filling moistens the sponge cake layers. It'll be so much better the next day! You can serve the cake on day 3, but be sure to let it sit out for an hour or so before dessert time. Since there is a lot of butter in the cream f...

Our monthly Sunday night pop-up dinners continue this month with AN EVENING IN ČESKÝ KRUMLOV on March 17 at 6pm. In the tradition of featuring gourmet meals from exotic destinations around the world, we'll be recreating an authentic five-course "Old Bohemian" dinner featuring Czech classics like:  Kulajda  • A rich and creamy mushroom soup with potatoes and dill Vepřové Koleno  • Pork knuckle marinated in dark beer, baked until crispy on the outside and fall-off-the-bone tender on the inside Braised Red Cabbage  • Stewed for hours with caramelized onions and vinegar Fried Cheese  • A Czech national treasure Medovník  • A luxurious and rich honey cake with layers of caramel cream infused with rum Of course, there will be imported wine and beer pairings all evening long, plus a few surprises! While Prague is a great city, the best-kept secret in Czechia is a picture-perfect town called Český Krumlov. Just two hours south o...

In July 2023, we launched a series of Sunday night pop-up dinners featuring gourmet meals from exotic destinations around the world. We are happy to announce that these special themed dinner parties will continue in 2024 with a brand new season of exciting new culinary adventures. We're lucky that Champaign-Urbana is home to an amazing variety of restaurants serving a broad range of international cuisines. Despite this abundance, we’re still missing a few important culinary traditions. Our goal is to fill in that gap with unique dining experiences not typically available locally. Here's what we've planned so far for this upcoming year: February 11 - Valentine's Dinner in Napa : A romantic five-course gourmet meal with wine pairings for every course March 17 - An Evening in Český Krumlov : An authentic five-course traditional Czech meal with wine and beer pairings April 14 - Mumbai Street Food Tour : A guided survey of all the best eats available in this vibrant India...

It's only December, but our February 11, 2024 pop-up dinner has already sold out. So we're pleased to announce that we're now taking reservations for our March 17 event called " An Evening in Český Krumlov ." At this pop-up event, we will be serving an authentic five-course traditional Czech dinner with wine and beer pairings. The Czech Republic (a.k.a. Czechia) is at the crossroads of Eastern and Western Europe and its "Old Bohemian" cuisine reflects their storied historical influences. While Prague is a great city, the best kept secret in Czechia is a picture-perfect town called Český Krumlov. Just two hours south of Prague, this charming fairy tale village of 13,000 is a Unesco World Heritage Site with a stunning castle, an old town square, and a great place for gypsy music and amazing food. At this upcoming pop-up dinner, I'm going to recreate a traditional Old Bohemia dinner that I had in this town ( see pictures from this trip ). Full menu ...

It's going to be a busy fall season at both Common Ground Food Co-op and Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center as we've scheduled a full season of six cooking classes starting in September.  The first class will be "A Taste of Palestine" on September 21 at the Phillips Recreation Center's James Room Kitchen . For the first time, I will step back and assist Fairouz AbuGhazaleh who be the chef du jour and cook up several of her family recipes. According to Fairouz, "Palestinian food begins at home with recipes that evoke feelings of homesickness, happiness and nostalgia that have been passed down by generations." This class is part of my continuing series called "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" where we travel around and sample the best tasting ethnic cuisines available ( see full menus and details ). If you want to attend this class or the other classes in this series, please register today . From past experience, we know...

As we wrap up the summer season of my "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" series, I'm starting to test recipes for the fall season which starts on September 21, 2023. But here's a more important date: August 2, 2023 . Mark your calendar as this is the first day registration opens for all fall events at Urbana Park District. From past experience, we know that this series sells out fast. Even though we've increased the seating to 12 people per class, we anticipate this series selling out within days.  The "Flavor Principles of Ethnic Cooking" is a very popular long-running series of classes at Urbana Park District's Phillips Recreation Center. The class meets on Thursdays from 6–8pm and the tuition is $40–$75 per person which includes a full two-course dinner along with wine and beer tastings.  The sixth season of these long-running "dinner party-style" cooking classes will continue in the fall when we visit Palestine, the Czech Republic...