Gnocchi: A Family Affair

Last night we met up with most of Alison's family at the Harmons at Traverse Mountain for a cooking class. This was our Christmas gift to her family. This cooking class was originally going to take place on Christmas eve, but we had to reschedule because of Covid. 

We chose to do the gnocchi class with Chef Frekya. Alison and I took a pie-making class from Chef Frekya in 2020. So we knew she is a talented chef and teacher. Today we learned how to make: Caprese Salad, Gnocchi, Bolognese Sauce, and Quattro Formaggio Sauce. 

We all arrived for our class and Chef Frekya jumped right in. The class consisted of some demonstration and instruction followed by a cooking session where we got to make the items Chef Frekya demonstrated. The demonstration portion can be a bit long for the adults, much less the kids. Chef Frekya was amazing with the children. She invited them to participate in her demonstration and kept them entertained throughout the evening. Skylee and Anna Holly were thrilled to assist. Anna Holly wanted to assist the entire time and Skylee was so good at following directions. Anna Holly also learned she loves parmesan cheese. She even tried to take a big bite out of a hunk of parmesan. It was so funny. By the end of the night Chef Freyka had both girls making gnocchi like champs. 

Eating the gnocchi she rolled herself!

We all got to try our hand at making the Gnocchi, salad, and some sauce. One of our favorite parts was learning to finish the gnocchi in a large cast-iron pan by rapidly pushing and pulling the pan back and forth. 

After we made all of the food we got to enjoy the finished product. It was delicious. Chef Frekya's sous chef also made us a dessert - pistachio ice cream and orange chocolate meringue cookies. It was a fun evening with family - we all learned something new and I wouldn't be surprised if we all try our hand at making gnocchi at home.