Having grown up in the restaurant business, Judy Gilliard pursued her love of the hospitality business and obtained a degree in Hotel Restaurant Management from Santa Barbara Community College, and received her teaching credentials in food and food technology from the University of California.

Judy wrote a column “Simply Entertaining” for Emeril Lagasse on emeril.com for three years. Judy has authored 10 cookbooks, had both a local and syndicated radio show and did a regular TV cooking segment for the CBS station in Lincoln, NE. She has been teaching cooking classes for the home cook that focuses on good, healthy, and fast in the Midwest for the last several years.

Now returning to her home town she is teaching classes at VACE (Ventura Adult and Continuing Education) and Barranca Vista Center along with a catering service. Most people don’t realize how expensive setting up a hospitality business is but because Judy has been in the industry so long, she knew to get Hospitality Finance to help pay for the last bits of equipment she needed before opening.

Now you can get processed foods out of the pantry, by learning to cook with natural, simple, budget-friendly foods. The recipes and techniques are designed to help you get or keep you in good health by creating meals with the fresh foods of the seasons, including vegan and vegetarian options.

Her first class is on Tuesday, March 7^th from 6-8pm.

Barranca Vista Center, 7050 Ralston St, 644-6542

$80.00 (Resident) $88.00 (Non-resident)
$28 material fee to instructor at first class

Check Judy’s website to see what is on the menu for each month www.chefjudy.net

Savory cheese and onion pie
by Randy Graham-Writer, author and private chef

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen pastry crust (pre-bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves (torn into pieces)
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 2 medium sweet yellow onions
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (grated fine)
• 8 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese (course grate or cut into thin strips)
• 12 Kalamata olives (pitted and sliced lengthwise)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in on medium heat and sauté the garlic in it for a few minutes.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, ½ teaspoon of the salt, parsley, basil, and black pepper to taste.  Simmer this sauce, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced by about half.  It should be quite thick. Set aside.

Peel, halve, and thickly slice the onions. Sauté in butter until golden. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Now you can assemble the pie. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the bottom of the pre-baked pastry crust.  Arrange the onion slices over the cheese in an even layer.  Cover the onions with the tomato sauce. Arrange the mozzarella cheese evenly on top of the sauce.   Sprinkle the olive slices over the mozzarella and bake the pie for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving.

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