Lobsters. The last day in class is going to be a seafood extravaganza. On today's menu: mussels in white wine and cream sauce, lobster with sauce américaine, seared scallops with parsley coulis and a bevy of clams and oysters we would shuck with our own bare hands. I look longingly...

With our next post, this culinary journey will come to an end. I've met some truly inspiring people along the way, and I'd like to take this time to tell you about them.

Dorothy Cann Hamilton, an entrepreneur who passionately believes in culinary excellence across the globe, founded...

The "steaks" are high when it comes to relationships, and Lisa's young lover liked his medium-rare with a side of perfectly done French-Fried Potatoes.

As I make my way through Central Park, a hint of summer is finally in the air. For any city girl worth her salt, this...

One crème brûlée, two caramel custards and three types of buttercream later, we have officially cooked our way through Lisa's depression. And with temperatures rising and falling all around Manhattan, it's hard to get a beat on anything other than today's lesson and whipping up the perfect chocolate soufflé.

I first heard about Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James, or the "triple-x trilogy," as described on the Today Show , from my best friend Stacey Pashcow, who has a knack for stumbling upon the next big thing. The book had been turning up at brunches...

Lesson 16. 32 recipes to go and I'm officially obsessed with cooking.

Every night after class, I hit Dean & Deluca. After putting the kids to bed, I practice. I cook the steak, filet the fish, add the butter, butter... more butter! Delicious. Instead of a facial, I usually...

Before cooking class, I drag Lisa to Soho for some shopping. We enter my favorite boutique and I am drawn to a cinnamon colorblock dress for her evening of debauchery. However, when the salesperson arrives, Lisa promptly asks if this comes in the size "women who eat." Horrified, I lead...

I happily greet Chef Ray in the elevator, proud that I have arrived early to set up my mise en place (meaning everything put in its place) and eager to make a good impression. I casually inquire about his weekend and accidently lean on the emergency button, sounding the alarm,...

It's the first day of class. I'm so excited that I've barely slept all night. I stop at reception and the girl politely hands me my regulation dress uniform, fully equipped with chef's jacket, toque or cloth hat and neckerchief. (Note to self: Not sexy but definitely a little bit...

I was turning 40. I had always been a glass-half-full sort of girl, so I preferred to look at it as "the new 30" rather than "officially over the hill." Either way, 40 was a hard pill to swallow and I decided to celebrate in Paris, wedged comfortably among the...

Fashion can come and go. These days it seems like the safety of our children is at risk of becoming the new vogue. Drop down cribs, bumpers, sleeping on the belly, to name a few in a long list of things that have become taboo.

As mothers, it's hitting us...

I step through the front door at the Firshein Center for Comprehensive Medicine and glance at the mirror hanging on the wall. I smile, finally recognizing the image staring back at me. The dark circles under my eyes, the 20 extra pounds, the headaches, sinus pain, thyroid issues and rapid...

In August 2005, I walked out on a dream. I was certain that there was no such thing as having it all.

My 20s were defined by an insatiable desire for success. I wanted a voice not just an image. I became obsessed with telling stories and I worked...