When I was a kid, my dreams never contained visions of white-picket fences or playing the roll of “Betty-Homemaker”/ soccer-mom-extraordinaire. After seeing the movie “Annie” at the age of four, I had my mind made up: Someday, I too would live in NYC. While other little girls were fantasizing about whimsical wedding dresses and what to name their first daughter, I was busy day-dreaming about red brick buildings with fire escapes and yellow taxis as far as the eye could see. Fast forward twenty-five years: I’m exactly where I want to be. NYC has been awfully good to me over the past five-plus years, and I have no plans to leave. Ever.“Awe, that’s cute that you love New York, but would you ever raise a family in the city? I hope not.” People ask me this all the time and my answer is always the same: “Yes, absolutely! I can’t imagine a better place for children to be exposed to culture, education, diversity and opportunity.”

While I'm on the topic of bragging and praising all-things-NYC, I have to tell you about the phenomenal cooking class that I took on Saturday: The French Culinary Institute’s “Handmade Pasta for Future Chefs.” Though geared more towards teens and their parents, I simply could not resist learning how to make pasta from scratch...Even if it meant attending the class sans a teenage partner! And by the way, I would have killed to have taken cooking classes as a young gal (thus reiterating the fact that the city is kid-friendly)!

I arrived at the FCI about twenty-minutes prior to our 10am class. As the elevator doors opened on to the fourth-floor lobby, I was greeted by a friendly receptionist who checked my name against the roster and presented me with a royal-blue chef’s apron and skull cap.

Before long, my fellow classmates and I (there were 8 of us: one dad with his son, one mom and her daughter, one super-cool aunt and her niece, and a fellow partner-less woman who would be my co-chef) were lead back to a large industrial kitchen that would be our home for the next four hours. “Wow,” I gushed, “the facilities here are so much bigger than they are at the ICE (Institute of Culinary Education)!”

Chef Instructor Jessica Botta introduced herself and her two colleagues: Fabio, a recent FCI graduate, and Angela, the FCI’s director of the recreational division (classes taken by non-students). I was familiar with Chef Jessica’s resume, as she had previously held the title of “Pasta Chef de Partie” at Michelin-starred restaurant, Fiamma (now closed) in NYC.

After demonstrating to the class how to make three types of pasta dough (basic egg, basic egg with spinach, and potato gnocchi), Chef turned us loose! The eight of us (students) broke up in to our respective pairs and scattered to one of four fully-stocked kitchen stations. We were instructed to make all three pastas by hand, plus a cheese-based ravioli filling, seasoned to our liking. Chef Jessica, Angela and Fabio would take care of preparing the following sauces: Basic tomato, pesto, and Quattro Formaggi (4-cheese sauce). My partner and I agreed to split pasta-making duties as evenly as possible; so we’d each have a hand in making everything that we were assigned.

Of all three pastas, I enjoyed making the potato gnocchi most. I never realized how much precision, time and effort goes in to creating the perfect pasta! The most tedious of tasks was running the dough (with the exception of the gnocchi) through the pasta machine multiple times, until each “sheet” became long and thin. My arms got quite a workout, as well!

As a reward for our hard work, we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor with a fabulous carb-rich feast: Homemade potato gnocchi, basic egg and spinach noodles and raviolis. With three scratch-made sauces (Quattro Formaggi, pesto, or basic tomato/marinara) at our disposal, our plates became a pseudo "mix and match" ingredients game. And paired with freshly-baked bread (from FCI's own kitchens) to sop up any remaining sauce? Fuggedaboutit!

While classes at the FCI aren't exactly cheap (think $195/person), they certainly are worth every penny...Especially if that means getting to spend four hours with your teen. I honestly can't think of a better way to enjoy a Saturday morning/afternoon. I look forward to the day when I get to share my love of cooking with my future children.

Here's a recap of what I learned/took away:

• It felt so good to be back in the kitchen! For me, cooking is familiar and therapeutic

• I forgot how hot it is to wear pants, close-toed non-slip black shoes and a long sleeved shirt in the summertime!

• For something that tastes so simple and delicate, making the perfect pasta is a true art.

• Patience is incredibly admirable.

• For a greener pesto sauce, work with cold ingredients and add basil at the very end.

• Nothing tastes better than a made-from-scratch meal...That you cooked!

…

Until we eat again,

Lindsay, The Lunch Belle