Business Beat: Couple cook up a school for chefs

By Marijke Rowland
mrowland@modbee.com

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If you love to cook or just love to eat, The At Home Gourmet Kitchen is the place for you.

The new Modesto cooking school and restaurant was opened in May by husband-and-wife team Terence and Paula Braxton.

Chef Terence Braxton has 26 years of cooking experience, working his way through the culinary ranks to executive chef in Virginia and Illinois for years before moving to Modesto four years ago.

The cooking school, at 1205 Tully Road, offers hands-on adult and children's classes.

The school also is going to begin a six-month culinary program for people wanting to enter the industry.

Braxton said his school is aimed at the home cook who wants to learn basic techniques and styles.

This month he branched into food service as well, serving a gourmet sandwich menu for lunch.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Braxton was the corporate chef for the Marshall Field's department stores. He moved to Modesto to be executive chef and general manager for Tymeless Cuisine. He left before the restaurant closed to work as corporate chef and consultant for Sysco Food Service.

"My passion is people; I love being able to give opportunities to people though education," Braxton said. "My wife, Paula, and I want it to be a place to have fun, learn and eat."

Each 1½- to two-hour adult class covers a specific type of food or cooking style. Classes run $55 for adults. Children's classes are $30.

Upcoming adult classes, held Wednesday and Friday, include stir-fry, tapas and casseroles.

The culinary program will begin in October. It costs $4,800 and includes uniforms, knives, books and American Culinary Federation membership.

For more information, go to http://theathomegourmetkitchen.com or call 576-5305.

Elsewhere around the Business Beat:

The short-lived Villa Beef House is now the Asia Villa.

San Jose resident Yu Huang reopened the eatery last week, taking over from Tom Chau, who ran both Villa Beef House and Mr. Chau's Chinese Fast Food.

Asia Villa, 1809 McHenry Ave., specializes in Southeast Asian and Chinese food for dining in, carryout, banquets or catering.

The menu includes cuisines from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam such as pad thai, chow mein, kung pao chicken and Mongolian beef.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. every day, with lunch specials daily. For more information, call 526-2288. ...

The downtown branch of Rabobank, the second of two planned Modesto branches, opened this week.

Last month the north Modesto branch opened. The new location, 1407 I St., is the seventh branch in the region to open in the past three months. The downtown Modesto bank is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. Call 557-8888. ...

And, finally, some 1,200 eager fashion fans lined up in the wee hours last Saturday morning to be first inside the new Forever 21 store at Vintage Faire Mall.

While customers started arriving at 2:30 a.m., the line officially formed at 6 and stretched from Forever 21's new home in the old Gottschalks spot to J.C. Penney, back to Cafe Row and out the doors.

The first 400 customers received gift cards ranging from $10 to one $210 prize.

Bee staff writer Marijke Rowland can be reached at mrowland@modbee.com or 578-2284.