Our culinary instructors are, bar none, THE best in the Midwest, perhaps even the country. We have more talent in our kitchens than you can shake a whisk at, and we’re growing our pool of rock stars all the time..
Today’s spotlight shines on two of our instructors:Â one a veteran culinary educator who knows a thing or two about food, beverages and BBQ, and the other a newer instructor whose sweet demeanor (and sweeter-still cookie decorating skills!) are things to behold…
Bruce Campbell
Known around The Culinary Center of Kansas City® as ‘The Food & Beverage Guy’, Bruce is a graduate of the Hotel and Restaurant Business School at Michigan State University. With over 30 years in the restaurant business, Bruce brings his passion and knowledge to a variety of culinary topics.
As a founding member of the Rib Stars BBQ team, he has competed on the BBQ circuit for more than 17 years and has won numerous awards. Bruce has been an instructor at CCKC since 2006, and also holds the dubious title of ‘Vice President of Miscellaneous Stuff’.
Check out Bruce’s upcoming classes on the schedule:
·       Grilling with Dad! A Father’s Day Grill Fest for Dads & Kids (ages 0+) (Sun 6/16)
·       Date Night! A Kick-Ass Steak & Seafood Dinner for Two (Fri 6/21)
·       Full-Day Backyard Smoking Workshop / with Chef Richard McPeake (Sun 6/23)
·       Cajun Cocktail Party! (Thu 6/27)
·       Booz-E-Que! Pairing Booze, Wine & BBQ (Fri 7/05)
·       A Culinary Tour of Italy… including a Mini Wine-Making Workshop (Wed 7/10)
·        Girls Night Out! Rum Runner’s Island Escape – Cruisin’ & Boozin’ with Bruce (Thu 7/11)
·       Mixology 101: Skills for the Home Bartender (Wed 7/17)
·       Date Night! A Kick-Ass Steak & Seafood Dinner for Two (Sat 7/20)
·       Junior Chefs in the Kitchen (ages 9-14): Kids Learn ‘Que! BBQ & Grilling Fundamentals with a BBQ Pro (Sun 7/21)
·       Grills Gone Wild… Italian-Style! (Thu 7/25)
·     Peace, Love & BBQ (Sat 8/03)
·       Fabulous Fresh Pasta with Two Sensational Sauces (Wed 8/07)
·       Homemade Italian Lasagna… including the Noodles! (Tue 9/20)
·       A Bad-Ass Saturday Night BBQ Taco Party (Sat 8/24)
·       ‘Girls Only’ Cajun Cocktail Party (Thu 8/29)
·       Date Night! A Kick-Ass Steak & Seafood Dinner for Two (Sat 8/30)
Rachel Van Stratton
Rachel began her cake decorating career at a local cake and candy supply store where she learned the basics of cake and cookie decorating.
In 2014, she opened her own home-based small business, Sweet Ideas, that specializes in custom cookie and cake orders and any other sweet idea one might bring to her. Rachel also shares her decorating talents as an instructor at The Culinary Center of Kansas City since May 2018.
She’ll be teaching a free Cookie Decorating Demonstration this Saturday (June 15) in our kitchen, 9 a.m. – Noon, where she’ll inspire us with decorated cookies with a Farmers Market theme. Stop by to try them – there will even be some here for sale! – and learn tips & techniques for cookie decorating. 
You can even snap a pic of Rachel’s Royal Icing recipe and try it at home.
We’re lucky to have this talented and creative decorator on our team of instructors. To check out one of Rachel’s upcoming classes, click on the title below:
·       Cookie Love! A Cookie Baking & Decorating Workshop (Sun 6/23)
·       Cake Decorating: Basic Techniques & Beyond! (Sun 7/28)
·       Intro to Cookie Decorating (Sun 8/04)
·       Junior Chefs in the Kitchen (ages 9-14): Cake Decorating Fun! (Sun 8/25)
·       Cookie Love! A Cookie Baking & Decorating Workshop (Sat 8/31)
