Hey!

As I stated in my first post, I'm a professional baker/pastry chef.  What I didn't put in is that I'm looking to reinvent myself within my vocation.  I want to teach.  My initial plan was to open a place that could teach at risk kids and juveniles already in trouble a career.  My opinion is that as long as people need to eat, there will always be a job in the food industry.  Sure the hours can suck initially, the pay low and the work is hard, there will always be a restaurant, bakery, school cafeteria and corporate dining facility that needs trained staff.  I have some background in nonprofit work thanks to my first job back in high school, lots of grantwriting and volunteering in high school and college, and of course to give back to my community.

Of course this scheme needs money.  My next idea is to offer personally cooked meals to families and singles who are either too busy to do it themselves or need extra help in keeping their kids away from the junk food.  I also want to teach kids and singles that there is more to life than restaurant take-out and fast food drive thru windows.  This is a question to the men out there(yes ladies, there will be a question for y'all too, and if you want to answer this one, feel free!)

 Here's an idea I've been thinking about.  In my area of the US(NYC/Northern NJ), there are a lot of co-ed cooking lessons offered.  Usually it's advetised as a singles mixer with cocktails and a cooking lesson where people are paired off into a couple and they get to know each other, and switch partners for each course prepared. What usually happens is that it is all ladies with one or two men. 

Guys: If there were "men only" cooking lessons offered, would you go?  Why or why not?  It doesn't matter to me if the guys answering are attatched or single.  Yes there would still be cocktails<lol>, and your instructor(me, maybe?) would be a woman.  Yes, I'm single but this is NOT for me to hog all the fellas for myself(a very understandable yet cynical thought, shame on you!:-))

OK ladies, your turn:  If you knew that there were "men only" cooking classes, but there were also"ladies only" classes offered, would you A: go to the single sex classes, and B: know that the single sex classes will eventually be blended?  I'm asking because that would be my next step for the lessons.  I'm thinking that most guys need to feel comfortable doing certain things, and need to know that only other guys will be watching, and for the most part, they all would have the same level of cooking skill(some to none at all) and would be more comfortable knowing that they have some knowledge so they can impress you and look like the worldly men they are.  I already have a feeling that some guys can't resist answering this one, so it's open to them as well.  The classes would be small(3-5 people)and not just pastry and dessert.

Thanks in advance for your help and opinions!

I've only been here for two weeks or so, and it's been a lot of fun.  I'm learning so much here!  I now know that folks can get pretty cutthroat when there's something they REALLY want.  I know that's no duh to eveyone who is reading this, but thanks to this site, I'm rediscovering my inner shark. 

So far, my concentration has been on jewelry, specifically the retro stuff from the 40's to the 80's.  I've been branching out though, and now I've bought some leggings(I promised I wouldn't go there again, but hey one pair won't kill me).  I'm also looking at long gloves.  Thanks to curiosity, I'm also looking at (and contemplating)a pair of knee high black boots.  Boots that would cost me $$ in the real world, the kind of money I'd rather put away for emergencies and necessities(like rent and food).  I'm a fashionista, but I'm also practical.  Yes, the two can live comfortably together in one body!  I'm a follower of the "hi/lo" look, with the "hi" found at sales and the "lo" coming from Target, Old Navy and now Ebay.   I've also been perusing the cosmetics listings, and maybe when the weather cools off, I'll own my first Chanel lipstick.

What I haven't seen, or I haven't looked for yet, are the tools of my trade....Baking equipment.  I can always on the lookout for new cake pans, electric stand mixer, cookie sheets, even good restaurant equipment.  Hmmm...I wonder if I can auction off or sell baking lessons....definitely something to look into.