Island Cooking ~ Debbie Wells
Debbie Wells grew up in a family where food reigned supreme, great home cooked meals prepared by great southern cooks. She started cooking professionally at the age of 23, frequently calling her mom to inquire “how do you cook this?” She moved to Ocracoke in 1978 and opened the Back Porch Restaurant in 1982. During her 15 years there, she wrote The Back Porch Restaurant Cookbook and was covered by Saveur, Gourmet, Bon Appetite, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
 
The cooking class is a great opportunity to spend some quality time in the kitchen, learn basic techniques, explore new ingredients and experience some traditional island fare. Class time is fun and creative, with everyone having their hands in the end result—a several course meal that we enjoy together against the backdrop of the historic Sound Front Inn. In addition, every year offers a different outing or special event, a day where we interact with the island community over food. These outings have included clam fritters in Van O’Neal’s garage on Howard Street, lunch at the Fish House with all the fishermen and clamming with James Barry Gaskill. In 2010, we were joined for a day by Moon Denis, renowned chef from our famous local restaurant, Thai Moon. We staged the side yard of the Sound Front Inn for a traditional Thai festival, and cooked and ate outside, overlooking Pamlico Sound. It was a great time, enjoyed by everyone.
 
This year we are proud to announce that Chef Eduardo Chipez, proprietor of “Eduardo’s” and evening chef at The Back Porch Restaurant, will be our guest chef for a day. We will begin the week with Eduardo, preparing tortillas, tamales, red chili sauce and fresh salsas, as we prepare a Mexican meal in celebration of Dia de los Muetros, or Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday which falls on November 2 honoring ancestors and lost loved ones. And, of course, you will always find the expertise of chefs Merle Davis and David Tweedie at your disposal as these two Ocrafolk School regulars join us in the kitchen for the week.
The rest of the week will cover traditional island fare, other gourmet favorites and lots of desserts. Join Debbie Wells and the rest of the gang at the Sound Front for a great week of cooking!
Materials Fees
Additional fees--$100.00 per person
Students should bring for their own use paring knife, 8 or 10 inch French knife, a medium sized cutting board, whisk, rubber spatulas, measuring spoons and cups, and apron.
Contact
dwellsart@yahoo.com
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