By Linwood Outlaw III — Daily Staff Writer

MIDDLETOWN — From parsnip pancakes with sour cream and caviar to baby crab cakes with remoulade sauce, Lord Fairfax Community College is offering those interested in enhancing their culinary skills a chance to learn how to prepare Thai dishes and other savory appetizers.

The college's Office of Workforce Solutions is offering three new personal enrichment cooking courses this month designed to teach participants recipes for a variety of meals and desserts. The classes will be taught by local resident Michelle Miller, an experienced chef who started her own business, Panache Catering Co., at 152 Lusitano Lane in Middletown, in 1984.

The cooking courses will be taught inside the kitchen of her catering business, Miller said. The classes will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. and cost $69 each.

"These courses are geared to anybody that loves to cook. You do not have to be a professional [chef]. As a matter of fact, if you just want to learn more about cooking, I'm going to show you as much as I possibly can," Miller said. "This is going to be a hands-on class. ... We always send people home with the recipes and either feed them here or send them home with stuff to take. It's an experience."

The first course, which will be held this Saturday, will teach students how to prepare authentic Thai foods, like homemade red Thai curry paste, coconut milk, jasmine rice, cucumber salad with crushed peanuts, and sticky rice with fresh mango. Miller said Thai cooking is becoming a more popular trend by the day.

"I think it's becoming more popular because it has so many wonderful flavors. And it's got some spice to it, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming," Miller said. "There's a lot of really healthy things to learn about Thai cooking, too."

The second course, to be held on Aug. 16, will teach students how to prepare hors d'oeuvres for parties and other formal gatherings. Miller will teach the class how to make such appetizers as Thai beef skewers with fresh mint and Thai dipping sauce, sesame shrimp with ginger tahini dip, fresh asparagus with wasabi mayonnaise, and bruschetta with tomatoes and fresh basil.

"What I'm trying to do [in teaching the hors d'oeuvres course] is keep it fairly simple, [teaching recipes] that people can make that can either be served cold or at room temperature for the most part," Miller said.

During the final course, which will be held Aug. 23, participants will try their hands at making desserts, including treats like chocolate raspberry ganache cake, frozen white chocolate mousse with strawberry sauce, Grand Marnier brownies and spiced pumpkin cheesecake.

The new courses are already drawing lots of interest from local residents, said Christine Kriz, coordinator of business and industry training at LFCC.

"The classes are filling up very quickly. They're very popular based on the research we've done in the area," Kriz said. "It's a very interactive course offering. [People enrolled in the course] will actually be doing the cooking along with Michelle. ... It is for a vast majority of people, from couples who want a unique date night experience to a single person who simply wants to learn how to cook better."

Miller says mastering culinary skills takes a lot of practice — and patience.

"It really is a passion because it's hard work, and it's tiring. But, the pleasure comes from eating the food and the sharing of it with your friends," Miller said.

Miller said she hopes her cooking classes gives her students that extra boost of confidence they need to prepare dishes on their own time.

"I want them to gain confidence. I want them to feel like 'OK, I may not know how to use a knife perfectly, but I'm learning how to use it' or 'I may not know what every ingredient is, but I know what it tastes like and I know where it comes from,'" Miller said. "The more you experiment and the more you play, it's just like being a child again. It's basically chemistry. It's putting food together in a certain way that makes it taste wonderful and makes it just right. It's a joyful experience."

For more information about the culinary courses or other professional development courses being offered at the college, visit www.lfccworkforce.com or call the Office of Workforce Solutions and Continuing Education at the Middletown Campus at 868-7021 or the Fauquier Campus at (540) 351-1524.

* Contact Linwood Outlaw III at loutlaw@nvdaily.com