His students take home new abilities and confidence.
Scott Clapp
Cooking instructor
Scott Clapp, award-winning caterer and owner of a catering business and cooking school combined, teaches fun and light-hearted classes. After a cooking lesson with Scott, students gain new confidence in their own abilities.
Scott Clapp and his partner, Gwyn Florio, met in culinary school. After graduation, the two went their separate ways, then reunited and decided to come to New Mexico, so that Scott could add southwest cooking to his repertoire. They spotted an unfilled niche in the local catering scene, and began offering catering services. Word spread, the calls grew more frequent, and they decided to open Blue Plate Special, a catering business with a cooking school. Blue Plate Special is gaining some fame in New Mexico for the quality of its food. Their kitchen is a professional facility that our cooking students enjoy.
Scott and Gwyn teach a broad range of imaginative cooking classes with Continuing Education. With titles like Grilling & Smoking, Culinary Skills I & II, The Intuitive Cook, Fish & Shellfish, Oaxacan Specialties, and Mediterranean Flavors, they impart a professional level of expertise or a specialty cuisine, as well as the basics of being a good cook, to their students. Both Scott and Gwyn are passionate about teaching the art of cooking. Students experience new and innovative flavors and techniques, and share ideas and recipes in a positive, encouraging environment.
“I want to make food and cooking a positive thing for my students,” says Scott. Scott’s lighthearted approach relaxes everyone.
Scott’s introduction to his class sets the tone: enthusiastic and fun. He starts off by sharing some of his concepts of the basics of good cooking with his students: build your dishes around very fresh ingredients. Utilize fresh fruits, well-known and lesser-known vegetables, and fresh herbs, usually gathered from the market down the street that same day, in building a dish. Scott makes the presentation and appreciation of fresh foods — by sight and smell as well as flavor — an integral part of the educational introduction to his classes.
The students then enjoy preparing their own meal. They learn new twists on the tried and true, while discovering entirely new ingredients and their characteristics.
The vivid colors and wonderful smells of the fresh herbs and vegetables stimulate his students’ senses, and they are encouraged to tap into their creativity. Scott is a natural at turning mistakes into discoveries. He loves to introduce an ingredient or two that challenges a student’s expectations. “There are different levels of cooks in each class, and I try to give each one a new challenge.”
Scott says, “I like to get my students to think.
If they are skilled in a certain area or dish, I like to expand
on that. Whether it’s a knife technique or an ingredient, I
want them to try and succeed at something new.”
“It’s a great feeling to hear a student say, “wow, I made this meal.” They realize they did learn something, they did succeed and that they can cook.” Each class is designed to empower its students, bring out the creativity in the cook, and give the student new abilities that make them feel at home in their own kitchen after the class.
Scott's current classes may include:
Note: Titles above link to our online registration site, which does not post courses after they are held. Course lists are updated at the beginning of the semester. Depending on when you click a title on the list above, some items may have already passed. You may always refer to the course index or to the printed course catalog for course information.
Teach a class with us
Have you spent a lifetime of learning on a favorite subject? Is there something you can do that nobody else can do? You can teach a class with UNM Continuing Education!
Turn in a course proposal. (PDF file to download, instructions on the file.)
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Contact
For information call 277-6320 or email ddel@unm.edu
