Antsy Nancy will launch a seven-week cooking class series in Tucson inspired by the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. The local “how-to” skills studio is bringing celebrity chef recipes from the Aspen festival to its kitchen classroom this summer.
Now, owner Heidi Yribar is turning her Aspen adventure into a series of classes for Tucson foodies. For three days each June, top chefs lead cooking demonstrations and tastings at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. Additionally, she met several culinary stars at the festival. They ranged from Food Network personalities to James Beard Award winners, and each shared advice and techniques.
“I am beyond excited to share what I learned with Antsy Nancy customers,” Yribar said.
Food & Wine Classic series begins Aug. 6
The new Food & Wine Classic-inspired cooking classes will take place at 6 p.m. each Wednesday. The series runs from Aug. 6 through Sept. 17. The lineup is part of Antsy Nancy’s “Celebrity Chef” series. Previous classes have featured recipes from icons like Gordon Ramsay, Julia Child and Martha Stewart.
Each weekly session spotlights a famous chef’s signature dishes. Participants will recreate the recipes those chefs presented in Aspen. The schedule includes:
- Aug. 6: Giada De Laurentiis’ cioppino and orange olive oil cake
- Aug. 13: Nyesha Arrington’s corn gnocchi with tomato-corn chili crisp
- Aug. 27: Tyler Florence’s French Dover sole and bananas foster
- Sept. 3: Andrew Zimmern’s Singapore chile crab
- Sept. 10: Ayesha Nurdjaja’s Moroccan spiced tagine with jeweled couscous
- Sept. 17: Stephanie Izard’s “This Little Piggy” pork dish with disco fries
- Sept. 24: Martin Yan’s wonton soup and dan dan noodles
Participants will learn the same culinary skills and trends showcased by these chefs at the Aspen Classic. Yribar said Tucson food lovers who missed the Aspen festival can get a taste of it through this series.
Hands-on learning for Tucson foodies
Additionally, each two-hour class features a multi-course menu with both hands-on cooking and instructor-led demonstrations. Students will prepare portions of the meal themselves and then sit down to enjoy the finished dishes together. Also, those age 21 and up are welcome to bring their own wine or beer to sip during class.
However, note that the celebrity chefs will not be present at these classes. Yribar will lead every session, and neither the chefs nor Food & Wine magazine have officially endorsed the series. Each class holds about 16 participants at most. In-person registration costs $95 per class, which includes ingredients, materials and taxes.
Yribar founded Antsy Nancy in late 2021, naming it after her adventurous Aunt Nancy. She aimed to make learning new skills fun for everyone. The studio has since built a reputation for exciting, hands-on cooking classes and events for the Tucson community.
For more information, visit antsy-nancy.com.
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Article written by:
Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.
