(San Diego)(January 2010) - Cooking With Love, a new series of cooking classes debuting on January 24, 2010, will help raise much needed funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego (RMHCSD) to benefit families staying at the House while their child is being treated for serious, often life-threatening illnesses at San Diego hospitals. . The classes will be held in the state-of-the-art kitchen at the new Ronald McDonald House at 2929 Children’s Way.

“We are so thrilled to have these six prominent San Diego area chefs step up and share their culinary expertise to help raise funds for our families,” said Carol Clark, RMHCSD board member and organizer of the classes.

Six, three-hour classes taught by some of San Diego’s top restaurant chefs are scheduled through the end of 2010 featuring a variety of cuisine. The first five classes are cost $75 to participate in a hands-on session or $50 to observe. The final class with executive chef Brian Malarkey is $100 for the hands-on session and $75 to observe.   Classes are held on Sunday from 3pm – 6pm. Following are the classes scheduled for the year:

·       Sunday, January 24^th  – Chef Jesús González is the former lead of the culinary team at the legendary spa Rancho La Puerta’s cooking school La Cocina Que Canta. In his classes, Chef González emphasizes flexibility and creativity based on what is fresh and he has mastered the art of adjusting and changing the ingredients in his recipes with the season. Chef González will autograph copies of Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta: Recipes from the World Famous Spa which will be available for purchase.

·       Sunday, March 21^st – Chef Philippe Verpiand is the visionary behind the good food and relaxed environment of the Cavaillon Restaurant in Santaluz. Hailing from the Vaucluse region of France, Chef Verpiand is inspired to combine his native regional fare and the agrarian idea of fresh, local ingredients with modern food concepts to create delicious and distinct cuisine.

·       Sunday, May 23^rd –Chef de Cuisine Jeffrey Kaplan of Luc’s Bistro in Poway is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy, Chef Kaplan has worked throughout the Pacific Region and now combines the freshest of ingredients with a touch of sophistication to prepare Southern favorites.

·       Sunday, July 18^th –Chef Michelle Ciccarelli reveals her secrets behind her delectable delights at Cups Organic Bakery in downtown La Jolla. She is the creator of the signature Ronald McDonald House Love Cup, a yummy lemon-vanilla bean cup with lemonade Swiss meringue frosting and fresh strawberries. For every Love Cup sold, half the proceeds are donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities, San Diego.

·       Sunday, September 26^th – Executive chef Victor Jimenez is the owner of Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop. Working with a palette of the finest ingredients available, Chef Jimenez creates menu masterpieces which embody the spirit of the American West and utilize the season’s freshest offerings.

·       Sunday, November 21^st – Executive chef Brian Malarkey formerly of The Oceanaire Seafood Room in San Diego and of Top Chef fame brings his passion for cooking and entertaining to his classes. Seduced by the fresh seafood and abundant produce of his native Oregon, Malarkey puts a healthy and fast spin on his award winning dishes. Chef Malarkey plans to open a new restaurant downtown San Diego in the fall of 2010 with Stingaree Nightclub owner James Brennan.

With a state-of-the-art kitchen and six individual cooking stations, as many as 24 people can participate in each class to learn the hands-on techniques of preparing the selection of special dishes. Participants, audience members, and Ronald McDonald House families will then enjoy the menu together.

Attendees of each class will have the first opportunity to purchase From Our House to Yours: Cooking with Love at the Ronald McDonald House of San Diego cookbook, a compilation of dishes featured in the 2010 series. For those who call three weeks prior to the class you wish to attend will receive a 10% discount on the ticket price.

Refreshments will be provided and all attendees will receive programs in which to write down the techniques they learn. To
RSVP for any class in the Cooking with Love series, contact Sarah Lara-Toney at (858) 598-2445 or SLara-Toney@rmhcsd.org.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities:

Since opening its doors in 1980, San Diego’s RMHC has provided more than 140,000 nights of lodging for more than 14,000 families whose children face life-threatening illnesses and are receiving treatment at area hospitals.  With the opening of the new House located atop a six-story parking garage across from Rady Children’s Hospital, the new 47- bedroom Ronald McDonald House quadruples the size of the old 12 bedroom House. It features a new Family Care Center that is open daily to anyone with a child in an area hospital and will serve the needs of 20,000 families each year. The Center offers dining services, a computer lab, arts and crafts room, children’s play room, teen center, play yard, faith room, outdoor play areas, laundry, day resting rooms and shower facilities.

RMHC is a 501(C) (3) non-profit that receives 10 percent of its funding from local McDonald’s Restaurant owners and operators. The remaining 90 percent needed to operate the house and serve families must be raised through donations from individuals and campaigns such as Cooking with Love.