Cooking Boot Camp with Kathleen Flinn Oct. 9

"Casserole nation, Michigan" as Kathleen Flinn describes her home state, was un unlikely stomping ground for a kid who loved to cook. But with the help of Julia Child (watched two to three hours on TV every day) while her mother worked and her dad was sick, it was a way for Flinn to help out at home. "I made Boeuf Bourguignon for my Girl Scout badge when I was eight," she proudly explained to The Georgetown Dish.

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After graduating college with a degree in journalism, and a corporate career which came to an unexpected pause, Flinn took it as a sign to enroll in culinary school. Not just any culinary school but Le Cordon Bleu. "At the least, I wanted my obit to say ... and she studied at the Le Cordon Bleu." With the support of her boyfriend who followed her to Paris (now husband), she quickly learned how much she didn't yet know, starting with how to hold a knife properly.

As Flinn later exlained in her cooking classes, "They tell you to eat whole foods, but you have to cut them up first!" After a first memoir about her experiences in Paris, The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry, Flinn was inspired to help people 'take back the kitchen.'

She decided to find nine volunteers, all who admitted they weren't good cooks, but who were willing to have her go into their kitchens, invade their cabinets, sample their cooking, and arm them with basic cooking skills.

After a year with Flinn, their lives and cooking were changed and The Kitchen Counter Cooking School was born. Released just last week, Kathleen Flinn will be in town next week to share some of her secrets.

She was gracious enough to give The Georgetown Dish a preview of the top skills she teaches: 1) always use good knives and keep them sharpened, 2) how to make a great vinaigrette, and 3) how to roast vegetables.

Meet Kathleen Flinn at Politics and Prose for Food Writing Boot Camp on Tuesday, October 9th at 1:00 pm

Politics and Prose is located at 5015 Connecticut Avenue, NW.

Price: $40 ($35 members), includes copy of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.