Amid growing anxiety about the sagging economy, chefs nationwide are doing their part to lure diners to their culinary lairs with another form of entertainment.

Taking a cue from New York and other cosmopolitan cities, several chefs in Southern California are teaching people how to cook at home like a pro. And the chefs are doing it from the comfort of their own homes, so to speak — their restaurants.

"With the slowed down economy, with gas prices going through the roof, that equals food prices and restaurant prices going up," said Bernard Guillas, executive chef of The Marine Room in the upscale San Diego seaside community of La Jolla. "Look at the difference it can make economically to someone when you as a chef can help them have a great gathering of friends and family at their home that is affordable. It's wonderful."

Guillas has taught for years in various venues worldwide, including on cruise ships. He began teaching classes in his restaurant in May as a way to help people re-create good times for themselves.

"The most important thing chefs have to remember as teachers is to not make recipes that are too complicated or involve ingredients that are impossible to find," he said.

Guillas has a reputation for serving elaborate dishes dusted with fennel pollen in his restaurant, but he teaches less heady concoctions to his classes — recipes that can be executed in 20 to 45 minutes from chopping time to the clang of the dinner bell.

To lessen the intimidation factor, he talks about ingredient substitutions, uses a minimum of equipment and knives, cooks from a portable gas stove top on a table, and tells his guests to view recipes as guidelines, not the bible.

Adding value to his 90-minute sessions, Guillas concludes with a relaxing lunch incorporating the dishes the guests just learned to make. The format, which includes wine with lunch in the surfside dining room and a parting goody bag, has proven wildly successful, packing in sellout crowds of 60 people, mostly women.

"Somehow, I get the ladies. The ladies kind of like me," Guillas said. "It could be because I'm very passionate. Women love that."

The biggest tip Guillas likes to impart? "It is very important that you write your notes on the recipes in your cookbook," he said. "Years from now, your great, great-grandchildren will read your notes. They are an imprint of your time on this Earth."

ELEGANCE AT ADDISON

When William Bradley, the executive chef of Addison at the Grand Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif., and Addison general manager Mark Steenge set out to create a series of cooking classes, they wanted not only to share Bradley's impressive culinary knowledge, but to offer an entertaining, elegant evening befitting the resort's opulent reputation.

Students first congregate in the restaurant's lobby for champagne and elegant nibbles such as mini crab cakes and short ribs served on silver spoons lined up on a tray. It takes only a minute before the group of a half-dozen strangers sheds its shyness and starts chatting about everything from the well-appointed resort to vacations to Africa and Japan.

After hors d'oeuvres, the group is ushered back to Addison's sleek kitchen, where Bradley — also sleek in his white chef's kit — awaits. A kind of star-struck hush falls until he begins outlining the evening's recipes — seasonally obsessed in keeping with his style, but simple dishes nonetheless, with just a few quality ingredients and easy techniques.

"We put a good amount of thought into not making the recipes overkill and keeping them home-cook friendly," said Bradley. "I try to let everyone know what my secrets are."

Throughout the three courses — served formally with matching wines — the class is lined up at a counter within a couple feet of Bradley's work space. In this intimate setting, he extolls the virtues of Murray River flake salt and imparts his philosophy — "season in layers," "cook very low and slow and not too aggressively."

Bradley prefers these close quarters because he can interact more with his guests, and they feel more comfortable asking questions. "When I have a chance to talk to the customers, they have a better understanding of the restaurant in general," he said.

"I like teaching everywhere, but the classes I do in my kitchen are like being in my own home," he added

QUARTER KITCHEN ADVENTURES

Executive chef Damon Gordon's Monday night cooking classes at the Quarter Kitchen in the Ivy Hotel downtown are part of the hotel's Ivy Enticements program, designed to draw in conventioneers and people who live downtown, but the classes are free and open to all. (Cocktail demonstrations and pole dancing are offered on other nights.)

Amuse-bouches are served as guests sit around a counter overlooking the restaurant's open kitchen. In one hour, Gordon, ably assisted by his executive sous chef and line chefs, demonstrates dishes on the restaurant's menu or follows a theme. Other times, he bases his recipes on an ingredient that looked particularly good that day.

Recently, Gordon led a class on sashimi and nigiri, all hands-on to encourage chef-guest interaction.

"We do a full spectrum of things and try to make it interactive so people feel comfortable," he said. "I give professional tips and ideas about the way we do things.

"We omit some of the recipes that take three to four hours to make, like the tomato marmalade on our caprese salad, but we give them the recipe so if they want to take the time to do that, they could."

The most common questions Gordon gets are about substitutions and the best places to get ingredients. Nobody ever asks how to boil water.

"Sometimes, I wish I did get those kinds of questions," Gordon said. "The people who attend these demos are very knowledgeable and mindful of what they are looking at and what they are doing."

HONEY-ROSEMARY GLAZED PORK TENDERLOIN

4 (5-ounce) pork tenderloin medallions

Sea salt, to taste

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, plus more if needed

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 rosemary sprigs

2 tablespoons honey, preferably buckwheat

Yields 4 servings.

Season pork with sea salt. Place grapeseed oil in a hot saute pan. Sear pork on each side for 1 minute, adding more oil to the pan if needed. The pork should be light brown in color. Reduce heat and add butter, rosemary and honey to pan. Cook pork for an additional minute on each side, basting frequently with the rosemary-honey glaze. Remove pork from pan and place on a cutting board. Allow meat to rest for 5 minutes.

Slice each medallion in 1/2. Place halved medallions on individual plates. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle remaining glaze from pan over meat.

— Executive chef William Bradley of Addison Restaurant at the Grand Del Mar.

COASTAL SUMMER GAZPACHO

3 cups diced heirloom tomatoes

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup chicken stock, chilled

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sambal Asian chili sauce

Juice from 1 Meyer lemon

1 cup peeled, seeded and finely diced cucumber

1/2 cup peeled, cored and finely diced apple

1/4 cup minced scallions

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Yields 6 servings.

Place tomatoes, cilantro, red onion, olive oil, chicken stock, garlic, rice vinegar, chili sauce and lemon juice in blender. Pulse at high speed about 15 seconds, until coarsely chopped. Transfer to glass mixing bowl. Stir in cucumber, apples and scallions. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Refrigerate about 1 hour before serving.

— Executive chef Bernard Guillas of The Marine Room.

DAMON GORDON'S PB&J

6 slices white bread

1 1/2 cups peanut butter (divided use)

1/2 cup raspberry preserves

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup sugar (divided use)

2 tablespoon butter

1 cup water

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

Yields 6 servings.

Place bread on cutting board. Spread 2 slices with 1/4 cup of peanut butter each. On each of 2 more slices, spread 1/4 cup of raspberry preserves. Place the remaining 2 slices on top of the slices with preserves and then place peanut butter slices face-down on top of plain slices. You should have 2 triple decker-style sandwiches.

In small bowl, whisk together eggs milk. Dredge sandwiches in egg wash like French toast.

In an oven-proof saute pan over medium heat, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar and caramelize it to a light brown. Place sandwiches in caramel and then add butter to pan.

Flip sandwiches once the 1st side becomes golden brown and place sandwiches in the pan in oven heated to 400 F for 3 minutes. Remove pan from oven and cut sandwiches in 1/2, corner to corner.

To make sauce: Pace remaining 1 cup of peanut butter, water, cream, remaining sugar and salt in saucepan and whisk together over medium heat till warm. Place in bowl and serve with sandwiches as dipping sauce.

— Executive chef Damon Gordon of Quarter Kitchen.

Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune. Contact her by e-mail at [email protected].