Viking Cooking School: Cook Like a Pro BY SUSAN MARQUEZ
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ne by one, a dozen women come through the doors of the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood. It’s a Saturday night, and the women are there to celebrate the 40th birthday of a friend. For a couple of hours, they forget about their jobs, children and husbands as they check their cares at the door. They visit for a bit, then settle in as the instructor talks about what they will be cooking that evening. The women take notes during a demonstration before donning aprons to chop, stir, whisk, grill and sip wine. The Viking Cooking School is the offspring of Viking Range, a Greenwoodbased company that has gained a worldwide following. Started by Fred Carl in the late 1980s, Viking manufactures restaurant-style ovens as well as other kitchen appliances and cookware. Kimberly Gnemi has been the general manager of the cooking school for nine years. “I started at Viking in June 2003 as an accountant. At one time, there were cooking classes held at the Viking Corporation’s manufacturing facility, but in 2005, Viking Cooking School opened on Howard Street in downtown Greenwood.” With the Alluvian Hotel, opened in May 2003, across the street, it became a perfect scenario for people to come from across the country to experience the Mississippi Delta and to learn cooking techniques from worldclass chefs. “We had chefs who flew in from all over to guest-teach classes,” says Kimberly. “Covid put a stop to that for a while, but we will bring that back the end of this year.”
26 • April/May 2022
