Chef Cory Oppold has been working on his restaurant concept since 2016 and if all goes as planned Fall of 2022 Course will become a reality. Serving dinner, Course will be a hyper-seasonal 5 and 8-9 course dining experience changing menus every two to three months. There will be cocktail program but his focus will be on wine pairings to compliment his cooking.
“This has been a long process for me and almost an obsession to make it work. The pandemic was actually what kind of kick started Course. During the shutdown I started a smaller company called “Simmer Down”. The menu was driven to be extremely easy for the guest to make as most or part of the meal was pre-made but sealed in Cryovaced pouches for easy heat up and clean up. More importantly it was designed to be safe alternative at that time of the pandemic for delicious food that was easily delivered to the public”.
The cooking philosophy of Cory Oppold
Cory studied at the Scottsdale Culinary Institute and built his reputation as Executive Chef at Atlas Bistro. He credits other valley restaurants including Binkley’s, Tarbell’s and Different Pointe of View as shaping his cooking philosophy. It wasn’t until he started teaching at Le Cordon Bleu that his philosophy made sense. “In order to teach you have to research and learn for yourself. This was the time period in my life that I really started to understand my approach to food.”
His philosophy is vegetable driven and believes Mother Nature is the “greatest menu writer”. “I approach each ingredient as to take as much care of it as possible. There is no ranking system in ingredients importance – The carrot is just as important as the caviar or lobster tail. I try to create the complexity of a dish from multiple simplistic items allowing each component of a dish to be pure and a direct representation of itself.”
Until Course is ready to open he will continue his in-home dining where he prepares 6-7 course meals. Cory loves the intimacy of cooking for people in their homes but the menu’s lack consistency so he felt a brick and mortar restaurant was needed. Course will be in the “Restaurant District” of East Shea Village on Shea Blvd. just east of Scottsdale Rd. For more information and to book Cory Oppold for an in home dining experience visit his website.
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