Eat, Drink, Savor: Celebrity chef holds cooking classes in Hollister

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During his career as a celebrity chef, David Jamrock has palled around with the stars, sharing a behind-the-kitchen smoke with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., serving up banquets for Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan (who was joined by then-vice president George Bush), took in a post-dinner hottub with Sylvester Stallone and had his favorite pizza chef hired away from him by Sonny Bono.

Starting in the business when he was just 15 years old, Jamrock has worked in restaurants coast to coast, sometimes for himself, sometimes coming in to reorganize and launch new operations for others before moving on to his next project. 

“There is a lot more than food to being an executive chef,” he said. “You have two to three hundred customers. You have to be able to manage every part of the experience, and you have to make everyone happy in every situation.”

Tiring of the grind, he spent a decade as an organic farmer on Lovers Lane, growing edible flowers for upscale restaurants in San Francisco. Now he has gone back to his first love, cooking, and is sharing his skills with the community at his new Culinary Arts Center.

“I worked for an organization in San Jose called Taste Buds,” he said. “They had a great concept and I just adapted it to create my own kitchen here in Hollister.”

Jamrock’s extensive experience in the kitchen has provided him with a repertoire of around 200 recipes that he will be rotating through his weekly schedule. His kitchen is also available for private bookings and team building events where menus can be crafted to individual tastes.

“You can pick any three items that you want to learn how to make,” he said. “I want to cook all my favorite things that I put in all those menus for all those years. The word “no” is not in my culinary vocabulary and I’ll make what people want.”

I attended the June 14 class, where I would be learning how to prepare pan-fried zucchini blossoms, potato gnocchi and vodka sauce. I did not come in as a beginner, having learned how to cook from my mother, grandmothers, and aunts who always found something for me to do on family occasions.  

I was joined by Cindy Mallay and Ron Albert of Hollister, who were also taking a class for the first time.

“I met Dave at the Hollister Farmers Market,” Cindy said. “I bought some tomato plants and herbs from him out there, and when I learned about this cooking class, I was very excited about it.” 

While Jamrock was introducing himself and talking about the evening’s recipes, we had tuna tartare appetizers that he had prepared just before we arrived. He had also set up two cooking stations: one table for preparing the ingredients and one, with an induction stove, where the cooking would be done. Mallay and Albert took one station, and I took the other.  

There were trays beneath the table containing the various ingredients we would need, one tray for each dish. Everything was portioned out and waiting for us to prepare them according to Jamrock’s instructions. He led us step by step, working along with us, and sharing helpful tips on knife handling, easy ways to deal with garlic, handling the induction stove, achieving the proper textures, the right oils to use for different kinds of frying and more.

We began with one of my earliest-learned cooking skills, peeling potatoes. We peeled four potatoes, quartered them, then placed them in boiling water. While they cooked, we prepared the zucchini flowers—the dish that first captured Mallay’s eye when she saw the list of upcoming classes at Jamrock’s plant stand at the Farmers Market.

“I’ve always wanted to learn how to do something with those,” she said. “I planted several zucchini plants this year, and I am very sure that I’m not going to need all that zucchini. So stuffed blossoms might be my new best friend.”

Next up was the chopping of four cloves of garlic, a large shallot and a bunch of basil that would be used in all of the remaining steps. We mixed a cup of ricotta cheese, the basil and some of the minced garlic together, then piped it into flowers’ openings.

I have to admit I was infinitely clumsy in my attempt. I had a tough time keeping the flowers from folding in on themselves as I squeezed in the mixture and the results looked a bit sloppy.  Jamrock, however, reassured me that perfection is a goal but not a necessity and that any faults would be disguised by the next step: dipping them in flour, coating them with egg and frying them.

But first, we had to make the gnocchi, grating the still-warm cooked potatoes, mixing them with eggs and flour, and creating a sticky, messy mound of glop that we slowly worked into dozens of small sausage-shaped pieces.   

The next step was to make the vodka sauce, a much tidier process. We sautéed the garlic and shallots, then added the tomato sauce and cream, allowing it all to simmer for a few moments.  Jamrock handled adding in the vodka, most likely because he knew it was going to burst into flames.

Adding a few cherry tomatoes, it was left to simmer while the gnocchi was added to boiling water. As the pieces slowly rose to the surface, we skimmed them off and added them to the vodka sauce. A moment or two for the components to mingle and it was dinner time.

As we feasted on the fruit of our efforts, Jamrock prepared a thick, rich strawberry zabaglione topped with fresh whipped cream and crumbled biscotti, offering a running step-by-step how-to commentary. I’ve made zabaglione before, but Jamrock offered a few useful tips that will definitely make it easier for me the next time I prepare it.

Having wanted to learn how to prepare the zucchini blossoms, Mallay was happy with the results.

“He did a great job doing step-by-step directions,” she said. “The blossoms were tender, as was the gnocchi. I loved the addition of the cherry tomatoes in the vodka sauce. I might not light the vodka myself, but I am sure I will be able to make all of this at home.” 

Though I noticed that Mallay was doing most of the work behind the frying pan, Albert was clearly enjoying himself as well.

 “I thought the food was phenomenal,” said Albert. “It was a great experience and I think we’ve already got dates lined up on our calendar to do it again.”

Would I take another class? Absolutely. The classes are $60 a person, and you get a full meal with ample leftovers. Jamrock kept the ingredients simple, using locally sourced ingredients, and was able to help us create restaurant-quality tastes even if our individual presentations were a bit raggedy compared to his.

But, bottom line, I learned how to cook two dishes I had never attempted before, and I am confident that when I cook them on my own, the simplicity of Jamrock’s approach will make it easy. 

Jamrock Culinary art recipes, courtesy of David Jamrock

Vodka Sauce: four servings

2 tablespoons of butter

1 large shallot, finely chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup Vodka

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, sauté shallots and garlic. Do not brown.

Deglaze with vodka. Be careful—on a gas stove, it will ignite.

Reduce for about 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce; mix well.

Add heavy cream; reduce for about 3 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper.

Serve over your favorite pasta or toss with our potato gnocchi

Potato Gnocchi: four servings

1.5 pounds of peeled potatoes

2 large eggs

2 cups Flour

Boil potatoes until fork tender, then remove from water with a slotted spoon

Cool in a bowl for 5 minutes  

Add eggs, and mix softly while adding half of the flour

Folding the potato mixture, adding more flour until the dough is firm enough to roll out.

Make a round, flat shape and cut it into four pieces.

Place a little flour on the table and roll out the dough in long strips.

Cut into one-inch pieces. Roll it on the back of a fork if you want a design.

Boil until they float and remove.

Toss with your favorite sauce.

Zabaglione: two servings

3 egg yolks
¼ cup of sugar

¼ cup of marsala

Cook over a double boiler as you would a hollandaise sauce, stirring until it changes a shade of color lighter.
Pour over fruit, top with whipped cream and serve.

The Jamrock Culinary Arts Center
Fiesta Plaza
191 San Felipe St. Suite H
Hollister, CA 95023

831-537-3500
www.chefjamrock.com

Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.

BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.