Terence Janericco Cooking Classes

With spirits high, our group booked Mr. Janericco’s cooking class as a team-​building activity for our group of six.
He is credentialed (a cookbook author!) and a local darling — this combined with his website gave us the confidence to commit to the gourmet price per head (payable in advance.)
Upon arrival at his beautiful home, we were lead downstairs into the smallish, quaint kitchen.
I immediately noticed the open bottle of Trader Joes-​label Cabernet on the counter, along with assorted Trader Joes-​brand produce and other ingredients. While I was delighted to see an opened bottle of wine at all and routinely shop at Trader Joes myself, this is not a brand I associate with quality fresh meat and produce — never mind «gourmet» «upscale» or similar aesthetics. Perhaps not surprisingly then, my expectations for the evening took the first of many hits.
As soon as we got started, it became very clear that Mr. Janericco does not take kindly to people in his kitchen. He «told» as opposed to «taught» and the condescension! I’d say he spoke to us as one would a 9-​year old, except children should never be addressed that way. His acerbic tone flavored our experience more than any single ingredient of the recipes he cobbled together, which he routinely demanded we refer back to in response to any questions we had about preparation or technique.
I could go on. In short, it was memorable to be sure, and as one member of our group put it — we definitely achieved our ‘team building’ objective: it felt like «us vs. him» all night!
Perhaps we caught Mr. Janericco on an off-​night. I suppose I could have delved into matters of the psyche to break through this tough exterior, but I didn’t want to work that hard. It is possible, I suppose, that he has no idea he comes off with such boorish hostility. He actually joined us at the table when it was time to sit down and it saddens me to say that after I got over my incredulity, I did my best to ignore him. But by then, we were out of his kitchen and he had softened noticeably. Too late for me.
If you’re looking for a Hell’s Kitchen experience, this is the cooking school for you (she says, and only partly in jest).