This is a course for people who have an old house and/or an old barn, want to, or just love them! The first session is in the classroom. After that, meetings will be held in the old homes and barns of class members. There will be as many sessions as are required to visit the houses of class members who want their houses visited. The last class will be a potluck supper at the instructor’s house, where class members can visit the historic features of Alna, see the instructor’s cabinet-making shop and barns, and delve into his reference library on early buildings. Les Fossel is one of Maine’s foremost experts on early buildings. His award-winning business has specialized in preserving our early buildings since 1975. Class meetings are held based on accommodating everyone’s schedules.

Participants will learn how to season, care for, and use a Chinese wok and cleaver. The recipes for the class will include stir-frying, oven-roasting, and preparing steamed rice. Each student will take home a specially selected kit including a lightweight cast iron wok, wok spatula, carbon steel cleaver, honing steel, a heavy-duty cutting board, and one of Chris Toy's 6 cookbooks. The retail value of the kit is $230.  (Those in the know bring containers just in case!)

Your instructor, Chris Toy is the author of 6 popular cookbooks, a private chef, and has taught Asian-fusion cooking for several Maine community education programs.