After spending 40 years in professional kitchens, Deb Paquette is calling her series of cooking classes the only possible name that would fit: “Learning from a Legend.” And a legend, she is. She’s been a mentor to many and a community advocate, but she’s best known for the adventurous, globally inspired dishes at her award-winning restaurants, Etch and etc., and fondly remembered for Zola — also an award winner — where she was chef and owner for almost 13 years.

To celebrate four decades of cooking, Deb’s sharing her tips and techniques so that home cooks can recreate her big, bold flavors on their own. On certain Saturdays, she will be welcoming 12 curious cooks to her etc. kitchen for a hands-on tutorial followed by lunch and a perfectly paired cocktail, which they will learn how to make. Each session will have a different menu and cocktail combination, and classes are intentionally kept small for maximum one-on-one time with Deb.

For the past 15 years, Deb’s sessions during the University School of Nashville’s evening classes have always sold out, and people have constantly asked for more. So, we weren’t surprised that the first Legend class filled quickly and had a waiting list. Although the lessons are on hold for the time being, she let us in on what happened in the first class. “It was great!” she said. “We talked, chopped things and everyone was a part of creating the meal.” As for the cocktail lesson, she confided that “there was a lot of shaking.”

While we chatted, Deb brought out the ingredients that go in her take on the traditional Peruvian dish causa. Her base of amarillo potato aioli was topped by a generous layer of crumbled smoked salmon, a smoky pea pesto, and a mound of mixed greens, parsley and tarragon. To complete the towering, mouthwatering dish, she added capers and a few dollops of panca carrot sauce and made a graduated circle of orange pearls that surrounded the dish. The result tasted even better than it looked!

Attendees also dined on seared pork belly with a romesco sauce and a porcini-seared chicken breast on a smoked chicken tart. The finish to the decadent meal was chocolate torte with banana ice cream, spicy chocolate ganache and peanut butter whipped cream. The bright flavors and layered dishes were classic Deb. Everyone went home with full bellies, a packet of recipes and, for the uninitiated, an understanding of why so many Green Hills residents consider cozy, snappy etc. to be an extension of their own homes.

Cooking Classes with Chef Deb Paquette

Includes: Two-and-a-half-hour hands-on class, food and drinks, take-home recipes

Frequency: Every two months

Cost: $90 per person

Additional info: 21 and older, next class June 20

To sign up: etc.restaurant/cookingclasses