A La Carte Cooking Live Online

The future of cooking is here, but no, we are not talking about molecular gastronomy. Rather, we are referring to A LA CARTE COOKING LIVE ONLINE (32 Atlantic Avenue, Lynbrook, NY 11563; 516.599.2922; www.alacartecs.com), an interactive, culinary concept that is certain to revolutionize how people learn to cook.

Beginning in February 2012, A la Carte will offer real-time, live and interactive, hands-on cooking classes that will be broadcast on the web from the school's state-of-the-art kitchen facility in Lynbrook, NY. For the first time, cooking enthusiasts around the world will be able to sign up and view an actual class with real people learning to cook by Professional Chef and Owner, Polly Talbott, CCP and her experienced staff. The once-weekly program at A la Carte will be available for viewing both simultaneously and interactively by anyone online.

"My vision is to teach America (and beyond!) how to cook with our newly installed, state-of-the-art technology," explains Talbott. "We've been teaching students how to cook at our recreational, hands-on cooking school in Long Island for over 12 years. Now we're excited to bring our expertise and enjoyable education to people in their homes around the world. The technology is finally here to make this concept possible."

How exactly will A LA CARTE LIVE work? It's simple. A la Carte's recreational cooking school has been equipped with five stationary cameras, a roving camera and microphones, linked with computers to provide live webcasts and hands-on interactive cooking classes (see Page 4-5 for details about the technology.) Broadcast classes will have two chef instructors and up to twelve students (each student will be required to sign a consent form.) The class format will be as follows: fifteen minute overview with any pertinent information, safety lecture, breaking up the groups, cooking, and of course, eating! Cameras will be filming over each of the three work stations, as well as two of the stoves.

Online students will be able to purchase classes from their computer, login, and cook along with Talbott and her students. Viewers may ask questions or give comments during each broadcast over the internet. In addition, every webcast will be recorded and saved for A la Carte's library, providing unedited and/or edited class programs available for purchase at any time. A la Carte's ability to record classes will create more opportunities for teambuilding, private events, and memories! Plus, it will allow anyone to create their own A la Carte cooking class conveniently at home.

With its user-friendly, functional design, A la Carte's kitchen is ideal to capture the cooking experience, and the timing is perfect as consumers are becoming more accustomed to viewing all types of programs online. A LA CARTE LIVE will turn the traditional cooking class into an educational reality-type program that may include cooking blunders that need to be fixed and personal student conflicts in the classroom. Talbott and A la Carte's chef instructors will show both the in-class students and web viewers how to correct mistakes and deal with the challenges they may face in the kitchen. A LA CARTE LIVE is real people cooking, just like the home viewer.

The mission at A la Carte is to help people find more quality and satisfaction in everyday living by teaching them to enjoy and understand the rewards and pleasures of cooking and eating good food. A la Carte is breaking new ground with its LIVE, interactive, webcast classes. The new interactive program will allow the school to reach and teach more people, and to "attend" from afar, from friends to students to parents to corporations. In addition, the video component will allow anyone, from dad to grandma, wh