Bringing in a former White House chef or best-selling cookbook author involves risk and expense, but Western Reserve Cooking School owner Catherine St. John says her visiting chef program is like the special garnish on her business’ everyday offerings.

“As long as I can run a [visiting chef] class at a break even, I’ll run it,” she says.

Northeast Ohio’s culinary schools are embracing the rising role of chefs in pop culture with a full menu of offerings and approaches that range from licensed instruction for aspiring pros to culinary boot camps for armchair Iron Chefs.

Loretta Paganini’s school in Chesterland gives its professional-prorgram students a taste of the business, using its 35-seat Sapore Restaurant as a training site, while Boardman’s Culinary Arts Center embraces cooking as a spectator sport by offering its guests demonstrations and fine dining wrapped in the feel of a live cooking show.

Here’s how those and two other Northeast Ohio culinary schools stack up.

	The Culinary Arts Center	Laurel Run Cooking School	Loretta Paganini School of Cooking	Western Reserve School of Cooking
Location	On the 10-acre campus of the John Zidian Cos. in Boardman	Country gatehouse near Vermilion	Two charming homes and Tuscan Village-style facility in Chesterland	Along Hudson’s historic Main Street of shops
Ambience	Like stepping onto the set of Emeril Live.	The 11-acre property with produce and herb gardens offers a country inn feel.	Five commerical teaching kitchens offer an all-around professional atmosphere.	With an emphasis on the right tools, methods and processes, it’s like being part of PBS’s America’s Test Kitchen.
Head Chef	Executive chef Mark Canzonetta, a gregarious showman who fuses cultures and cuisines	Owner Marcia DePalma, a farm-to-table chef and fresh herbs expert	Owner Loretta Paganini, a native of Bologna, Italy	Owner Catherine St. John, a serious cook wth a passion for food
Competitive Edge	“Fresh, over-the-top, original food and a show that takes all the fear out of cooking,” Canzonetta says.	"We're an avocational school in an open, relaxed setting," says DePalma.	“High-quality faculty with a low-intensity approach,” says educational director of professional programs Tim McCoy.	St. John says the school's classical “science of cooking” approach “gives students confidence to trust their instincts, to go beyond the recipe.”
Food Network Match	Guy Fieri	“A laid back Barefoot Contessa,” says DePalma.	“Alton Brown on Good Eats,” McCoy says of the team approach.	“Alton Brown in his early days,” says St. John.
Instructional Style	Demonstation and fine dining. A 2 1/2-hour group event for 24-56 is $60 per person.	60 percent demonstration, 40 percent hands-on with plenty of tasting. Bring your own wine. 2 1/2 hours, $48-$55.	Licensed professional school plus a selection of recreational classes for all skill levels. Prices vary.	Mostly hands-on, but some classes offer some demonstration. 3 hours, 12 students max, $70 and up.
Perennial Favorites	Gourmet Italian nights that focus on Rome, Sicily, Venice and more.	Holiday dinner and appetizer classes in the fall and cooking with herbs classes in the spring.	The Cooking With a Partner series pairs teams with a chef and incorporates competition.	Sushi, lobster workshop, gnocchi and risotto, bread classes, pasta making.
Trending Now	Wednesday Restaurant/Patio Nights, come for the food — no pre-registration needed	Hand-on, guys-only classes auch as Game Plan for Grilling	New York pizza class and Tots in Toques for young children	Friday night date classes with themes like Caribbean cooking

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