EVER DREAM of taking a culinary class from a top chef? No need to travel to Le Cordon Bleu or the Culinary Institute of America. Not when you can learn the basics of cuisine and more from several accomplished chefs here in Indiana, including Regina Mehallick, a five-time James Beard semifinalist.
Mehallick, who owned the popular R Bistro on Mass Ave for 15 years, teaches two classes at Ivy Tech Community College’s Culinary and Conference Center in Indianapolis. And better yet? Those courses are tuition-free if you’re 60 or older.
It’s part of Ivy Tech’s Senior Scholars Program, which covers tuition for all credited classes at Ivy Tech’s 19 campuses across the state, including courses in photography, theater appreciation, the fundamentals of gardening, and the history of architecture.
Senior Scholars, however, pays for supplies and any additional fees. That means culinary students must buy the uniform—a chef’s jacket, pants, apron, hat, and shoes, along with a proper knife kit. While scholars can’t earn a degree through the program, in this case, they’re likely to earn kudos from family and friends eager to sample their work.
Jennifer Vigran signed up for the Basic Food Theory and Skills class in 2022 after retiring from Second Helpings, where she was CEO. It was her first culinary class and one Mehallick teaches. “It was a way to explore something I enjoy and a personal challenge,” Vigran says. “And how often do you get to study with someone who’s a James Beard finalist multiple times?”
Not yet 60, Vigran didn’t know about the Senior Scholar’s program until later. She would ultimately take six classes over three years, including baking, soups, stocks, and sauces. To be clear, the culinary program is not a cakewalk. It’s chop-chop. I know—I took that first class with Vigran and a dozen other students preparing for careers in the food and restaurant industry.
The class met twice a week with the first hour and a half in a classroom, while the remaining three-plus hours are on your feet in the kitchen. There were pop quizzes and practicals. As Vigran says, “It was stressful but real.” We learned how to make composed salads, stock, and sauces, and we learned knife skills, critical in the culinary world.
And even if Senior Scholars aren’t working toward a degree, Mehallick emphasizes, “They need to take quizzes to show they’re learning, and it’s hands-on. … You have to support each other, build a team, and work it out.”
The class also included washing dishes, pots, and pans; mopping floors; and sanitizing workspaces. And because we worked in teams, we were only as good as our cohorts, so there was no slacking off.
While Vigran described the class as especially challenging at times, she learned a lot. “I never really understood the whole concept of stock or the process of caramelization and creating emulsions,” she says. “Cooking is chemistry.”
And, she says having her tuition covered made it easier to keep taking classes and to continue donating to Ivy Tech after she retired.
I, on the other hand, “retired” from culinary classes. As they say, if you can’t stand the heat … But occasionally, I still pull out my recipe book and put on my apron hoping to wow a friend or two, grateful for my brief entree into the culinary arts world.
—–
Attorney Michael Blickman, 71, became a Senior Scholar in 2023 after retiring from Ice Miller law firm. Having “never been under the hood of any car,” including his prized 1991 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, he signed up for an entry level automotive maintenance class. “I never thought I’d become a ‘car whisperer,’” he says, “but I thought trying something very foreign and not me would be good.”
His class was held at the Ivy Tech Automotive Technology Center near Lafayette Square, which Blickman describes as “an unbelievable state-of-the-art facility” with bays that hold 15 to 20 cars and hydraulic lifts.
Like the culinary classes, it was mostly hands-on and challenging. “There was a 600-page textbook, quizzes every week, and on-the-job tests,” he says, noting these students also worked in small groups. A bonus? “It was fun to be around young people very interested in learning” and pursuing careers in the automotive field, he says.
Best of all? He’s no longer mystified at what lurks below the hood of his Wagoneer. Blickman says he can change the oil, rotate his tires, and “replace some little instruments under the hood.”
He too was unaware of the Senior Scholars program when he signed up and made a donation to Ivy Tech after completing his class. Blickman calls the Senior Scholars program “a tremendous opportunity” and one he hopes more Hoosiers will take advantage of.
Running for more than 20 years, Ivy Tech notes that nearly 1,200 students have applied for the Senior Scholars program since August of 2023. If you’re interested in taking a class, it’s not too late to sign up for the next semester, which begins in mid-January.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the Senior Scholars program, a person must meet the following requirements:
- Be an Indiana resident
- Be 60 years of age or older at the start of a semester
- Possess a high school diploma or GED
- Be retired from your primary vocation (does not apply to homemakers)
- May not be employed on a full-time basis
The post Senior Scholars Turned Super Students appeared first on Indianapolis Monthly.