HYDE PARK, N.Y. — As longtime foodies and home cooks, we have attended cooking classes around the world. Most lasted a few hours or so and were demonstration-oriented rather than hands-on. While we learned lots of techniques, they didn't completely translate when it came to cooking at home.

Last spring, after reading about the Culinary Institute of America and its classes called Culinary Boot Camp, we went for it.

The Culinary Institute of America (ENLARGE)

Cele (left) and Lynn Seldon were the only married couple in their boot camp class. Other participants included attendees who had been given the class as a gift from a spouse, as well as students who previously had taken boot camp sessions. Students also ate at a different culinary institute restaurant every night.

Lynn Seldon (ENLARGE)

Chef Corky Clark teaches students about handling fish. Other subjects covered include red meat, sauces and poultry.

Photos IF YOU GO Getting there The closest airport is Stewart International Airport near Newburgh, N.Y., a half-hour south of Hyde Park. Delta and AirTran both fly into Stewart from Atlanta; expect to pay about $200 round trip. Another option is to fly into New York City and make the two-hour drive north, combined with a food-oriented pre- or post-stay in Manhattan. For help planning a stay in the Hudson River Valley, call Dutchess County Tourism at 845-463-4000, 1-800-445-3131 or www.dutchesstourism.com. About the courses To discuss the best course and specific dates, call the Continuing Education Department of the Culinary Institute of America at 1-800-888-7850 or 845-452-2230. There's a menu-full of information at www.ciachef.edu/enthusiasts. Our course was $2,095 per person (including three meals a day), but it is less expensive other times of the year. Shorter courses are cheaper as well. From "Taste of the Hudson Valley" to "Flavors of Asia" and more than a dozen other subjects, the Hyde Park campus offers a variety of boot camps and classes ranging from one to five days, or check classes at the Greystone Campus in Napa Valley, the Institute at Astor Center in Manhattan, and Institute, San Antonio. Where to stay Though there are plans to offer on-campus accommodations, the current options are off-campus hotels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts. For its location (six miles south of the institute) and pricing, we stayed at Poughkeepsie's friendly Courtyard by Marriott. Other possibilities were recommended by our fellow students. Courtyard by Marriott. Special rates for institute students; doubles from $99. 2641 South Road (Route 9), Poughkeepsie. 845-485-6336, 1-800-321-2211; www.marriott.com. Inn the Woods. Doubles from $145. 32 Howard Blvd. Extension, Hyde Park. 845-229-9331, www.innthewoods.com. Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn. Built in 1766, it's called "America's Oldest Inn." Doubles from $165. 6387 Mill St., Rhine-beck. 845-876-7077, 1-800-361-6517; www.beekmandelamaterinn.com. Where to eat All the restaurants at the institute are highly recommended. Breakfast and lunch and four dinners (including at least two glasses of wine) are included in the price of boot camp. Those visiting the campus should expect to pay $25-$50 per person for a multi-course meal, before wine. (Note: The campus and the restaurants are closed for summer break through July 29; restaurants reopen July 30.) CONTEST! Share travel horror stories, win grand prize U.S. Travel stories One city, three price points: A weekend in the Pocono Mountains  Road trip on a budget: 3,000 miles over 10 days  Virtual college tours: Low-cost campus snapshot  Events, exhibits 40 years after man on moon  One city, three price points: A weekend in Minneapolis  Photos: Travel / U.S. Galleries Latest deals! Back to: Travel | U.S. and international destinations

Our five days at the institute's Hyde Park campus were in advanced training. The five-day basic training option was equally appealing, but our hours of other classes and time in our own kitchen made us feel comfortable with the topics covered in the advanced class. Many students return again and again for training at other boot camps and classes.

Top credentials

The institute's reputation is what drew us to the school. A degree from "the culinary" is the calling card for many top chefs around the world — and in Atlanta.

"[It's] a tough school, a long curriculum, and the industry's best starting spot," says 1998 grad Richard Blais, the Atlanta-based chef of TV's "Top Chef" fame.

Founded in 1946 to provide culinary training to World War II veterans, the school originally welcomed 50 students. Today, it enrolls about 2,700 students in degree programs and thousands more in continuing education for professionals and amateurs like us. Along with the Hyde Park campus in the Hudson River Valley, the institute has classes in Napa Valley, Calif.; New York; and San Antonio.

The classes for amateur foodies started in 1999, with three offerings the first year. Many of the 50-plus annual classes are sold out. We're already contemplating our next course in Hyde Park or another location.

An alluring campus experience

The five-day boot camp starts at 6 a.m. Monday, then 7 a.m. the rest of the week. We arrived a day early to explore the beautiful Hudson River Valley, visit several farms and wineries and stop by the institute to get our bearings before our early start the next morning.

The institute's main building is Roth Hall, which is the former St. Andrew-on-the-Hudson, a Jesuit seminary built in 1901. Breakfast is served in the former chapel, with stunning stained glass to go along with early-morning coffee and some seriously tasty food prepared by students.

A busy schedule

The next morning, we each received a full chef's uniform (including the traditional houndstooth pants, formal chef's jackets and a tall white toque) and a three-ring binder packed with information. We completed our new look with comfy chef's clogs from Chef-wear (we'd learn later that the founder and owner is an institute grad). Our group then grabbed a quick breakfast in Roth Hall and rushed to class.

Chef instructor John DeShetler immediately dispelled any concerns about a boot camp experience involving yelling or push-ups. Telling us to call him "Chef D," he said, "We're here to learn and to have fun. Gourmet cooking is cooking good quality food well. It doesn't have to be fancy or complicated."

Chef D then ran through the week's schedule: Each day had a similar format, with classroom time lasting through midmorning, three to four hours in the kitchen preparing recipes (our lunch), more classroom time in the afternoon (with topics such as wine, foie gras and caviar — including abundant samples) and dinner in a different on-campus restaurant each night.

With our concerns of harsh treatment allayed, we relaxed. Chef D told us that recipes were guides and recommended that we try different ingredients and amounts when appropriate.

Our first morning lecture covered red meats, sauces and the science of cooking vegetables. During short breaks, we gathered in the stunning culinary herb garden to discuss food. Then, it was on to the kitchen.

Kitchens well-equipped

The institute spared no expense when it built the sprawling kitchens for continuing education students. The teaching kitchens have five spacious work areas, which accommodate three- or four-student teams (16 students maximum per class). We were divided into teams and then given a tour of our station, which included a huge gas range, lots of work space, knives and the basic ingredients we would need for that day.

Nearby, practically anything a cook would need was at hand, including dozens of pots and pans, loaded refrigerators and a huge spice rack. If it wasn't in our kitchen, Chef D could get the desired item there in minutes.

That first day of cooking was intense, with our team of three learning its way around the kitchen (and one another). Our team prepared grilled strip steak with manchard de vin sauce and sautéed broccolini with toasted garlic. My wife and I cooked the steaks over a very hot grill (making hash marks for presentation) and prepared the broccolini, while our partner Kim Sindel nailed the sauce.

We quickly realized we should have followed Chef D's suggestion of placing us on different teams. We wanted to cook together, but apart we would have learned many more dishes and techniques.

After our boot camp, we connected with a couple from Rome, who had attended two boot camps together. Of the experiences, Janice Bracken Wright said, "We weren't on the same teams at either boot camp. We are much better individual cooks by far [because of the camps]. Would we go back? Absolutely!"

Back in the kitchen, while each team was working on its recipes, Chef D would occasionally yell, "Demo!" — calling for us to gather around while he demonstrated techniques (from butchering beef to making a sauce). After a demo, we'd rush back to our station, with the 12:30 p.m. deadline for plating arriving much too quickly.

We had just enough time to prepare the presentation plate for Chef D to evaluate later and a service platter that would become part of our lunch buffet each day. Each of the other four teams would do the same and, dripping with sweat, we'd head to the dining room.

After lunch, Chef D evaluated each team's performance, plating and taste. Unlike a few drill sergeants, he tempered criticism with compliments.

Before we went back to the classroom, Chef D took us on an insider tour of the campus. A 1968 institute graduate and an instructor since 1982, Chef D roamed the halls, pointing out the huge delivery areas and throwing out numbers like 15,000 eggs a week. He also took us by each restaurant, the sweet-smelling Apple Pie Bakery Cafe (stuffed pretzels highly recommended), several classes that were in session and the excellent bookstore (where we would later buy books, including "Culinary Boot Camp: Five Days of Basic Training" and several logo souvenirs).

Meeting chefs-to-be

That night, we had the first of four dining experiences in the institute's four main restaurants, at the Caterina de Medici, a large Italian restaurant.

As part of their degree program, culinary students cook in each restaurant and work in the front of the house as servers and in other roles. Chatting with them during dinner was a highlight for our class, as was evaluating the food when it was served.

As we would each night, our class practically closed the restaurant. Our classmates came from all walks of life and far-flung places, including the Philippines and Puerto Rico, but we shared a passion for cuisine and hunger for knowledge.

Over appetizers, we learned that a surprising number of students had been given the class as a gift by their spouses; we were the only couple attending together. Several classmates had attended at least one previous boot camp. By dessert, we knew we'd made friends with fellow foodies that would last years (and many meals).

The curriculum

The next four days followed a similar pattern, with each of us becoming more comfortable in the kitchen and Chef D providing tips that we could take back home.

Day 2 again focused on red meat (we made a tasty tandoori-spiced lamb dish). Day 3 provided a poultry primer and we each got our own chicken to bone using the boning knife that came as a gift in our duffle bag. Day 4 focused on fish and Day 5 on bivalves such as oysters and clams.

We learned more about sautéing, broiling, poaching, baking and frying, as well butchering and saucing.

The evening dinners remained a highlight. Our favorite restaurant was American Bounty, thanks to a focus on American ingredients and preparations. However, the French food and atmosphere at Escoffier, the Italian experience at Caterina de Medici and our casual final night at St. Andrew's Cafe were all memorable.

Friday arrived surprisingly quickly and the experience ended with one final analysis of our cooking and presentation by Chef D, as well as handing out photos of our group in full chef's garb — toque to toe. We were ready to sign up for another class.

That "can't wait to get back" sentiment was summed up by Betsy Barry from Atlanta, who'd attended an earlier boot camp with a girlfriend. "We had a great time. We laughed a lot. We ate too much and didn't sleep enough. I'd go back in a second."

Here are some options for cooking schools in the Atlanta area:

• Le Cordon Bleu, 770-938-4711, 1-888-549-8222; www.atlantaculinary.com.
• Viking Cooking School, 404-745-9065, www.vikingcookingschool.com.
• Cook's Warehouse, 404-815-4993 (Midtown location),
• 1-800-499-0996; www.cookswarehouse.com.
• International Culinary School at the Art Institute of Atlanta, 770-394-8300, 1-800-275-4242; www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta.

Farther afield

• Culinary Studio at Château Élan Winery & Resort, 678-425-0900, 1-800-233-9463; www.chateauelan.com.
• Dahlonega's Montaluce Winery (Wolf Sub-Zero Culinary Experience opening in October), 706-867-4060, 1-866-991-8466; www.montaluce.com.
• Mansion on Forsyth Park's 700 Kitchen Cooking School in Savannah, 912-238-5158, 1-888-711-5114; www.mansiononforsythpark.com.
• Savannah's Kitchens on the Square, 912-236-0100, 1-866-912-4304; www.kitchenonthesquare.com.
• Jekyll Island Club Hotel, 912-635-2600, 1-800-535-9547; www.jekyllclub.com.
• Augusta's Partridge Inn, 706-737-8888, 1-800-476-6888; www.partridgeinn.com.
• Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, on Lake Oconee, 706-467-0600, 1-800-542-8680; www.ritz-carlton.com.