By Tanya Henry
Some exciting changes are afoot at the Cavallo Point Cooking School in Sausalito. After eight years as the culinary director, Jayne Reichert has stepped down and Chef Tony Adams has taken her place. Along with Adams, two additional chefs—Viola Buitoni and Camila Loew—have been added to the culinary team. Between the three of them, a roster of compelling new classes is on the books for 2017.
“During my first week here I kept stopping on the side of the road to pick all the fennel that was going to seed,” explains Adams, who says that he would pay $30 an ounce for fennel pollen in New England. The enthusiastic chef hails most recently from Nantucket, where he spent several seasons running high-end restaurants including the Boarding House. Before that he was at the forefront of the culinary scene in Orlando, Florida, opening some of the first pop-up and underground restaurants along with a food truck.
Adams grew up in Maine and received a degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He spent years working in fine dining restaurants, but his most satisfying work was as an instructor for Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, where he spent more than five years teaching over 4,500 students.
“I really like sharing the secret of cooking—it’s really all about remembering tricks and tips and learning seven basic methods—everyone can do it,” says the chef, who hit the ground running when he arrived in October. The cooking school is housed in an airy demonstration kitchen above Cavallo Point’s restaurant and bar. Its farmhouse-style room is warm and inviting and feels more like someone’s kitchen than a classroom. In many ways, this amazing resource is one of Marin’s best-kept secrets—and hopefully with the school’s new leadership, the community will be more encouraged to participate in its many high-caliber offerings.
Adams has already taught a candy-making class for the holidays, and hopes to introduce a new series that will include both a cooking experience and private chef dining opportunity.
“For me, it is all about making the classes accessible,” Adams says. Cooking From the Farmers’ Market, Taco Utopia and Gluten Free, The Way to Be, along with a free olive oil tasting, are just a sampling of the enticing classes coming up in the new year. To learn more, visit cavallopoint.com.
