When Brehon Garcia-Dale assumed her position as Food and Wine Program Manager at the Boston Center for Adult Education (BCAE) in February 2010 she did not have any verifiable cooking experience.

She, in fact, did not cook.

This might seem puzzling, having a culinary novice design, schedule, and creatively execute a plan that involves an impassioned understanding of food; her job is to effectively manage classes in which inexpert students, with varying cooking skills, pay to be become slightly more cultured. Yet, the program has flourished under Brehon’s watch because of her intense work ethic, easy-going likability and, most importantly, the intelligence to accurately gauge what will draw the general population into the intimidating beast that is the kitchen: name recognition, and more specifically, celebrity.

In the last fifteen-or-so years, with the advent of the Food Network and the resulting cooking-competition-based network and basic cable shows, the rise in the public’s interest in the culinary world has been astronomical. As a result chefs are now celebrities, nearly canonized by their fans and legitimately hated by their detractors. Food professionals have become pop-culture figures to the point that each demographic of Americans has a personality aimed directly at them. Do you have an affinity for deep-fried bacon served over grandma’s meatloaf and adjectives stolen from Swingers or Jim Rome, all while believing that the late 1990’s were the absolute peak of male style in the United States? I give you Guy Fieri. Do you read Kerouac and wish people would listen to better music (like The Stooges, man) while yearning for a world free of xenophobia? Try out Anthony Bourdain.

Brehon recognized this trend and, with a little help from her PR background, effectively recruited a veritable who’s who in the Boston restaurant scene (along with the existing, steady group of professional culinary educators) to teach classes at the BCAE’s newly renovated, state-of-the-art kitchens on Arlington St. in Boston.

Born in New York City, Brehon grew up around food. “My father is Cuban, and my mother and grandmother are Italian cooks”, she said. “We were always eating something good.” She also worked in restaurants and was interested in the dining scene in New York and then Boston, where she moved to attend school.

After graduating from Emerson College with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and public relations she ended up at Regan Communications. She did not work on any of Regan’s many restaurant accounts, but made the necessary connections in the industry and recognized the importance of establishing deep, genuine associations in the business world. “My time at Regan helped out a lot with my ability to facilitate relationships,” Brehon said.

“When I started at the BCAE I spoke with a lot of consumers and found out what they were looking for,” said Brehon. “I wanted to figure out how to get people through the door.”

Her successful tactic led to such noteworthy Boston figures as Gordon Hamersley of Hamersley’s Bistro and Rebecca Newell of The Beehive casually instilling their wisdom on small groups of students, many who are young professionals, over a couple glasses of wine in a comfortable setting.

As someone who has allowed professional busyness to breed complacency in the kitchen, I decided to take a class to brush up on my skills with Brian Poe. Brian started out as a bartender-line cook combo at a dive bar in Alabama. Through curiosity and drive he quickly moved up the ladder and became one of the top chefs in Arizona, then LA. He moved out to Boston to serve as executive chef at The Seasons before taking over The Rattlesnake on Boylston Street.

Since opening the Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake concept in 2009, the reputation of the restaurant has risen precipitously. With Brian turning the casual southwestern concept on its head (at one point Vermont Quail Tacos were on the menu), The Rattlesnake’s customers have evolved from twenty-somethings looking to copiously imbibe to an amalgamation of serious diners seeking good food that is lovingly prepared out on a limb.

Poe taught the class of eight students with a gregarious, self-deprecating style that erased any feeling that my learning experience was going to be an awkward few hours. He told us a bit about his background, and then dove right into teaching. The aim of the class was to take several, inexpensive common ingredients and use them in a multitude of ways to make different dishes.

We made a Basil-Chipotle Salsa, then added a few ingredients and pureed those into a Basil and Tequila Vinaigrette. We took leftover rinds and threw them in a bucket, along with some basil, to make sangria. We seasoned a duck breast with the salsa ingredients, and then took the fat trimmings and starting rendering them with the sangria to make a reduction. All in all we made four dishes, including a dessert of couscous pudding with duck-fat-fried cinnamon-dusted tortillas. The highlight of the whole meal was a seared duck taco with upland cress and the sangria reduction. The class was informative and benefited from the fact that the atmosphere felt like a 100 level college class mixed with happy hour.

“I love the energy and excitement that comes from people who love food, love to cook and have a hunger for learning,” said Poe. “The BCAE designs their classes to be very hands on where the students are cooking right alongside me as opposed to having me just talk about what I love to do.”

“There isn’t a science to it,” added Brehon. “I tell all the chefs to do their thing and just let the experts dictate what will be taught.”

The freedom that Brehon gives the chefs is one thing that attracts them to the program, but the fact that teaching a class works as a form of networking, a face-to-face form of marketing if you will, is also beneficial to their participation. If you meet a chef and get to know them, you are more than likely going to visit their restaurant at some point (from the BCAE’s perspective, if you have been to a restaurant you are more likely to participate in a class with the chef from that restaurant.)

With all the social media outlets, the restaurant customer now has a voice. In an industry once relegated to worshipping known restaurant reviewers and VIPs, now any person can make or break the reputation of a restaurant via yelp!, or any of the other customer review sites. This has forced smart restaurants to explore ways to incorporate the masses more and ingratiate themselves with the hand that feeds.

“It’s extremely rewarding and gratifying when a former student walks through the door of Poe’s Kitchen for dinner after taking a class with you, especially if it’s their first time,” said Poe. “The BCAE food program connects you with Bostonians who love food at a real grass roots and personal level.”

Brehon has combined all these things into an extremely successful program (she’s also learned how to cook.) Because of the success of the celebrity chef series, the classes with the culinary teaching professionals have gained in popularity as well. People like to learn from someone they respect as an expert, and it doesn’t hurt that it might give you a solid story to tell friends.

“No one is going to forget how Gordon Hamersley taught them to chop an onion correctly,” said Brehon. “My job is very gratifying.”

For more information visit: http://www.bcae.org/

What makes for the perfect Super Bowl party? Whether you have a vested interest in the game, or just the commercials, a few Boston area experts have you covered with tips to improve your experience via all five senses.

Many would consider the television to be the most important part of the big game, and we went to the best in the business for the right recommendations. “You need a big TV for the big game, and the bigger the better,” says Brian Gibson of Elite Media Solutions in Wellesley. Gibson recommends having at least a 55-inch screen, but if your wallet allows he’d gladly push you to go for the 60-inch Sony BRAVIA 810 Series. The BRAVIA will give you the smoothest motion in fast action sports and it’s 3D ready, so whether you are rooting for the Packers or Steelers, you are sure to have a sensational viewing experience while watching the game.

Boston-based celebrity chef Rebecca Newell of The Beehive, has done it all, from the Food Network to Martha Stewart Living, but now we know what she’ll be cooking up for the Super Bowl. Her favorite Super Bowl dishes have a unique take on classic tailgating fare.

Newell starts guests off with one of her favorite snacks, Rosemary Truffled Parmesan Popcorn.

Add two cups of popcorn kernels to a heated deep pot with canola oil. Shake vigorously until all kernels are popped. Add freshly shaved parmesan, white truffle oil, dried rosemary and salt and pepper to taste.

While her guests are on the offensive with the popcorn, Newell rubs pork tenderloin with cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Heating the oven to 425 degrees, she adds fresh garlic cloves, poblano peppers, tomatillos and red onion and cooks for 15 minutes or until medium. Take out and let rest for 15 minutes. Sliced on the bias, she adds the pork to warm flour tortillas with the freshly roasted veggies, avocado, cilantro and crème fraîche.

For the last dish, Newell turns a pedestrian standby into a new classic. For her Savory Sweet Chicken Wings she marinates chicken wings in soy sauce, maple syrup and Srirachca for 24 hours. If you don’t have access to a grill, Newell recommends broiling these savory-sweet gems in the oven on high with the oven rack in the center, turning occasionally to ensure perfect caramelization.

Finally, with all the effort you’ve put forth on the perfect experience, ditch the beer and select wine instead. Tina Messina of the Wine Connextion in North Andover recommends both red and white. “Sasyr, is a great Tuscan red and the Rosenblum Paso Robles Zinfandel will go great with any appetizer. However, I would recommend The Villa Mount Eden Chardonnay; that way it won’t matter if guests get too excited and spill a white.” Valued at $10 or below, these wines will wow your guests at a reasonable price.

Come celebrate 2008 in style at The Beehive’s first annual New Years Eve celebration. The Beehive is offering an extravagant night of bohemian decadence and eccentric fun. Spend your New Year’s Eve exploring your senses as you take in the wonder of a Parisian Burlesque show and dance the night away to the live Latin sounds of Grupo Fantasia, a seven piece Salsa band.

Executive Chef Rebecca Newell will feature passed plates of gypsy fare and desserts (including chocolate fountains and a cotton candy machine) throughout the evening with influences from Europe, the Mediterranean and good ol’ Americana, all served in a cocktail setting. Continue your celebration and toast the evening with The Beehive’s list of over 25 Champagnes!

The event Begins at: 9:30 p.m. and runs until 2:30 a.m. Cost is $95.00 per person plus cash bar. Tickets/Reservations are available by calling the Beehive at 617.423.0069.

Quick hits:

Where: The Beehive, 541 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02116

When: Monday, December 31, 9 p.m. — 2:30 a.m.

Cost: $95.00 Reservations/Ticketing Available by logging on to: beehiveboston.com

About:

The Beehive or "La Ruche" — was an early 20th-century artists’ colony in Paris where the likes of Matisse and Chagall worked and made merry. Today The Beehive is an underground Bohemian bistro featuring amazing cuisine, libations, artwork and live music nightly. Nestled below the Boston Center for the Art’s historic Cyclorama in Boston’s South End, The Beehive serves the eclectic fare of Chef Rebecca Newell, rustic comfort foods infused with American, European, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern influences. Open for dinner 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. seven days a week, and with cocktails and live entertainment available nightly until 2:00 am.