The Sandpoint Eater The art of food

nities to attend an accredited culinary school. Many of us received training on the line — “cooking in the trenches” — and earning certification through the American Culinary Federation (ACF).

Today there are hundreds of schools where you can become an accredited chef. There are also online courses, virtual academies and apprenticeships where you can learn the art of cooking and more. Schools offer specialty courses and certification for caterers, food truck operators, butchers, bakers and chocolatiers. The ACF even has a Young Chefs Club.

Some of these schools can set you back as much as a degree from an Ivy League school. The Culinary Institute of America offers prestigious culinary degrees in the U.S. at its Hyde

Park, N.Y.; Greystone, Calif; and San Antonio, Texas campuses. Internationally, Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, offers a world-class program.

The most notable international culinary program is Le Cordon Bleu, founded in Paris in 1895. Le Cordon Bleu has campuses worldwide, and though the 16 U.S. campuses closed in 2017, the school still has a presence in New York to assist U.S. student placements worldwide.

The famous film Sabrina was set in Paris, starring Audrey Hepburn, who took classes at Le Cordon Bleu and learned to make a classic French omelet.

Renowned chef and cookbook author Julia Child studied there in 1948, beginning her illustrious culinary career. She was not only known for her teaching, but also entertained us while she whipped up classic French cuisine. Armed with the Le Cordon Bleu Complete Cookbook and televised tutorials from Julia and her great pal, Chef Jacques Pépin, I did learn to master a lot of French dishes.

I’m not crazy about many of today’s celebrity chefs on the Food Network Channel, but I learned a lot in the television kitchens of Julia and Jacques. Many of their recipes were simple, and while they took their craft seriously, the pair of fun-loving gourmands weren’t over-the-top intimidating. I learned a lot of helpful food handling and cooking techniques from the shows and their cookbook, Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.

Before farm-to-table crusades became popular (thanks partly to Alice Waters, owner/chef of Chez Panisse and a founder of the Slow Food movement), Julia encouraged us to use all the fresh seasonal foods — especially vegetables and fruit.

In honor of National Culinary Arts Month (and a great harvest of huckleberries), it seems the perfect time to prepare one of my favorite huckleberry desserts. And it was fortunate that Ryanne left me with a partial loaf of her perfect homemade sourdough bread. The tanginess of the sourdough balances nicely with the sweet ingredients. It’s a favorite dessert at my house and never lasts long.

I’m sure Julia and Jacques would even ask for seconds if they were here. Bon appetit!