Julie Hathaway at Door County’s NWTC

Julie Hathaway prepares appetizers before an NWTC cooking class. Photo by Gary Jones.

Imagine cooking first time dishes for a dinner party of twelve and not worrying about whether or not they’ll be successful. The secret? All of the other dinner guests are also preparing unfamiliar soups, entrees and desserts.

Julie Hathaway, who is a cooking instructor for the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) at Sturgeon Bay, views the non-credit classes she offers as impromptu dinner parties. The guests are her students who will each prepare a food and then at the end of the class sit down at a table set with china and glassware to enjoy each other’s creations over conversation with new friends.

Julie Hathaway takes a peek in the oven at NWTC.

As a cook, Hathaway emerges from a folk rather than a culinary arts tradition. “I came across a picture of myself at four years of age kneeling on a stool and rolling out biscuits,” she said, explaining that she came from a long line of great cooks. Her mother was born in Kentucky and Hathaway grew up in Missouri, learning to cook in a Southern style at the knees of the women in her family.

While she is fond of all kinds of cooking and baking, hardy Southern food especially appeals to her. “I love my mother’s gumbo,” she said. “It is delicious!” This past May she offered two classes on Southern cooking at NWTC, sharing the recipe for her mother’s gumbo, as well as for jambalaya, shrimp and grits, and other Southern favorites.

Although Hathaway has a degree in elementary education and presently serves on the Sturgeon Bay School Board, she has always enjoyed cooking, experimenting with new recipes, and entertaining. As she has four children and is active in her church, she never wants for occasions to cook.

But a life change brought her to the NWTC position. She noticed an advertisement for a cooking instructor in the local paper, and thought the work might fill a void in her life. At first she worried that she might not get the job, but then the NWTC Sturgeon Bay Coordinator told her that she was exactly what they wanted for the program.

And then her real worries began. “I panicked! I had no idea what I’d do, no guidelines. I called my mom and sister, telling them that I needed recipes and help. Then a great friend suggested that I do a practice run with some of our friends. It was fun! I had a ball! I had ten or twelve people and the class worked well!”

That first class became the prototype that Hathaway uses for her NWTC courses.

Her cooking students will typically find themselves part of a group of ten or more, each one issued a white apron for the class. As they enter the room Hathaway will be putting the finishing touches on an appetizer or two, or perhaps a beverage. Each of the five workstations will have two or three recipes and an assemblage of ingredients.

(Left to right) John Ingrisano and John Rankin participating in Hathaway’s NWTC Southern Cooking class. Photo by Gary Jones.

Students choose the foods they’d like to prepare and their work partners. As the class begins, Hathaway introduces the recipes, explains unfamiliar cooking techniques, notes preparation and cooking times, and points to the location of refrigerated ingredients and pantry staples.

After inviting students to sample the appetizers she has made, she tells cooks to begin their work, encouraging them to ask questions of her. Then, as vegetables are being chopped, sauté pans are sizzling and pots are simmering, she circulates offering encouragement and complimenting the smells of cooking.

While the culinary experience is planned for the students’ convenience, the class in some respects is like a swan that glides across a pond: the fledgling chefs don’t see the feet paddling below the surface.

Before offering a class, Hathaway assembles recipes (in addition to her family, other sources include Southern Living, Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, and the Food Network Web site), groups them by themes, word processes recipes into a standard format for reproduction (each student receives a complete set of recipes used in the class and a binder for storage), considers the variety of choices and the preparation times, shops for ingredients, and prepares the work stations.

“I want everyone in the class to participate in an enjoyable experience of creating new and interesting recipes together,” Hathaway said, “and then to sit down to enjoy the food with each other’s company.” Occasionally couples will take a class as a date. And one mother plans to bring her teenage daughter with her to a class this summer.

Julie Hathaway. Photo by Gary Jones.

While Hathaway often explains techniques that might be unfamiliar to student cooks, such as working with filo and puff pastry, or making roux and sauces, or trying unusual ingredients, she prefers hands-on learning to demonstrations.

Although in some respects she is a purist (she will never use a cake mix), she is also a realistic cook. “You don’t have to use the most complicated recipes with a million ingredients to produce a delicious menu,” she said. “I enjoy cooking, but I don’t want to dedicate my life to it!”

An example of this sort of recipe is Hathaway’s Chicken Potpie. Her daughter Gretchen, now fifteen, had friends over for a pre-dance dinner party. When Mom asked her what she’d like served at her supper, rather than the standard pizza Gretchen said that she’d like her favorite, Chicken Potpie. Hathaway laughed, recalling the compliment she received from one of the boys; “It tastes a lot better than it looks!” he said.

Hathaway’s other children share her interest in food, too. Her son Toby, who is Dean of Admissions at Harvard Law School, became interested in cooking after earning his law degree when he realized that girls liked guys who knew how to cook. Her two older daughters initially planned to become chefs and attended culinary schools for a time. Joni now works for Celeste Wegman Interiors in Ephraim, and Sally is married and expecting her first baby in Portland, Oregon. Both women are accomplished cooks.

This summer at NWTC Sturgeon Bay, Hathaway will be teaching Seafood and Poultry, Summer Salads, Summer Desserts, 4th of July, and Light Summer Meals food classes. In the past she has taught Fiesta!, Appetizers, Holiday Cookies, Holiday Brunches, Vegetarian, Italian, Soup & Bread, and Stews, Casseroles & One Pot Meals.

Single session fees are about $20 ($12 for seniors over 62); double session fees are about $35 ($20 for seniors), the cost of ingredients included. For specific course listings consult NWTC’s Continuing Education Magazine and for updates call the NWTC Sturgeon Bay Campus office (920.743.2207; 920.746.4900).

Not only will you be sharpening your cooking skills, but you might be signing up for the least expensive dinner party you have ever helped to host!