THE LESSONS
During the Festival concerts in April and August, six students will gather for the preparation of a complete menu with wines. Meats and fish will be simply grilled or roasted with an emphasis on new flavors. Vegetable dishes showcase taste, color, and texture. Desserts will star fresh fruits in granitas, panna cottas, delicate pastries and soufflés. The lessons flow with comparative tastings of the menu's ingredients plus the dishes prepared throughout the session.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Your host and instructor is Elizabeth ("Libby") Hartman, pictured above (left) with Jacques Pépin. Libby trained in France at the Cordon Bleu, in Italy at the Gritti Palace and the Villa d'Este, and in London with numerous professionals. The menus featured in Libby's cooking classes are modern rather than classic and are vegetable centric to highlight the wonderful produce available from local organic farms in Virginia.
FACILITIES
Libby offers these classes to six persons at a time. They are held in a professional kitchen in downtown Staunton. Well-stocked with both domestic and professional equipment, with an emphasis on introducing students to innovative, time-saving new kitchen tools. The kitchen is located on the ground floor with extra wide doorways, providing full accessibility and convenient street parking nearby.
The Classes for 2026
Classic Italian Highlights
$125 per person
Includes all materials & printed recipes
Limited to six persons
Friday, April 10 from 2 - 5 pm | Location provided after booking
In conjunction with April's Italian BaroqueFest, learn classic recipes and professional techniques to elevate your Italian menus at home.
The recipes in this class are strictly from scratch and will include Venetian Seafood Risotto, Fresh pasta rolled by hand and by machine, creamy polenta eaten immediately or chilled and sliced to grill and classic Italian desserts. Each lesson begins with a cocktail and continues with dining on the featured menu items along with paired wines. Students also receive printed recipes to take home. All proceeds benefit food services provided to musicians performing at Staunton Music Festival.
The Dinner Party Battle Plan
$125 per person
Includes all materials & printed recipes
Limited to six persons
Tuesday, August 18 from 2 - 5 pm | Location provided after booking
Have no fear of hosting a dinner party! Two menus will fully equip you to provide an impressive menu for entertaining: 1. An "Easy and Casual Supper with Close Friends"; and 2. A "Knock their Socks Off Dinner" for eight people. The dishes will be mostly make-ahead, not too complicated and truly delicious. Each lesson begins with a cocktail and continues with dining on the featured menu items along with paired wines. Students also receive printed recipes to take home. All proceeds benefit food services provided to musicians performing at Staunton Music Festival.
Spices of The Middle East
$125 per person
Includes all materials & printed recipes
Limited to six persons
Friday, August 21 from 2 - 5 pm | Location provided after booking
With the August temperature spiking, it's time for a deep-dive into the exotic power of Middle Eastern spices. This class will feature the unique flavors from Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine and North Africa. The lesson will include mezze, flatbreads, slow roasted and grilled meats, accompanying sauces, and exotically perfumed desserts. Each lesson begins with a cocktail and continues with dining on the featured menu items along with paired wines. Students also receive printed recipes to take home. All proceeds benefit food services provided to musicians performing at Staunton Music Festival.
