STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Suzy and Garry Pearson raised the coffee cups to their lips as they settled back in their chairs at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute.

Like all good cappuccinos, it sported a layer of cream on top. But this was no ordinary cappuccino. This was a Wild Mushroom Cappuccino Soup made to look like a cappuccino.

“It is so good,” said Suzy Pearson.

Indeed, the cappuccino soup was worthy of a Michelin star---rich and robust with an earthy flavor. It was among the items being paraded out at the Bistro 211 Student Pop Up Lunch that marked the graduation of 10 aspiring chefs from the first quarter of their year-long culinary training program at the Sun Valley Culinary Institute.

“We came out to support them,” said Garry Pearson. “And we get the same thing. If I have something different than what Suzy orders and she decides she likes it I lose it!”

The kitchen was bustling as the students piled BBQ pulled pork and apple-fennel slaw on Artisan buns,  spooned Roasted Curry Chicken Salad on croissants and layered Grilled Vegetable Pasta onto plates.

The dining room was busy, as well, with diners taking every chair in the room, while others claimed takeout bags.

Twice as many students are taking part in this year’s program as last year’s. And some already have impressive bios.

Asa Anderson, of Hailey, gained a passion for cooking from his father and elementary school teacher, Mr. George, who introduced him to complex flavors with inventive recipes. When Anderson was diagnosed with celiac disease at 16, he began recreating his favorite dishes as gluten-free. He hopes eventually to open a gluten-free, celiac-friendly restaurant.

Silvia Chavez, a Wood River high school graduate, grew up working in a family restaurant in Mexico and has since worked as a prep cook for Rasberry’s in Ketchum and Roots Wine Bar & Bottle Shop in Hailey.

Owen Garrett, of Orange, Calif., grew up visiting Sun Valley. He earned a degree from Washington State University in hospitality business management and has worked at the Marriott Hospitality Culinary Innovation Center. He also has worked under Italian chefs at the American University of Florence, Italy, and with the James Beard Foundation for the Tutto Toscana Events. His dream is to combine his passion for firefighting to create an emergency response kitchen to provide food and services to first responders working on wildland fires and other natural disasters.

Charlotte Monke grew up in Carpinteria, Calif., and got a bachelor’s degree in media studies with a business minor at the University of Colorado-Boulder. It was there, while working as a kitchen expeditor at the Highland City Club, that she was drawn to the beauty and creativity of the culinary arts. A competitive runner, she enrolled in the Institute of Integrative Nutrition with an eye toward nutrition coaching and teaching others to cook for body fuel. She took a public relations job that represented all of San Diego’s top culinary destinations and launched a monthly gathering called “The Produce Society. Now she hopes to become a private chef.

Marlene Klingenfuss, of Lima, Peru, earned a graphic design degree in her native Lima, Peru, but came to Sun Valley to support her family by working at several local restaurants, including Sun Valley Resort where she was a lead cook under Executive Chef Adam Fisher. “I want to treat my cooking like a great painting while getting my hands dirty in a working kitchen,” she said.

Brandy Neace, of Twin Falls, worked at the Ironwood American Kitchen at the Fairmont and Sumo Maya in Scottsdale, Ariz., while attending Arizona State University. She also has worked at restaurants in Laguna Beach, Twin Falls and at the Glow Juice Bar in Ketchum and the Konditorei in Sun Valley.

Finnbarr Hanson, a Kodiak, Alaska, native who was named after a leprechaun, is a commercial salmon fisherman in Bristol Bay where he created a family recipe for smoked, canned salmon. He has family in Sun Valley.

Ethan Mansecidor, a Wood River High School graduate, was inspired to become a cook while working as a busboy at Ketchum Limelight Hotel.

Landon Corisis, of Meridian, gained hands-on experience as a line cook at Little Pearl Oyster Bar and Fork in Boise. He wants to travel the world seeking out food experiences as he masters traditional dishes and the culture that accompanies them.

Isaiah Leist, of Nampa, has worked at The Tower Grill in Nampa but hoped to learn more about food’s cultural ethical and sustainable aspects by attending SVCI.

These students brainstormed the pop-up menu with SVCI’s Culinary Director Jorge de la Torre and instructor Goose Sorensen, coming up with a Brussels Sprouts Kale Salad with a Lemon Vinaigrette, Almond and Parmesan Cheese, well-seasoned smashed potatoes and a Lemon Posset, a classic British lemon custard with just the right amount of tanginess.

“We made a lot of sauces and soups at the beginning of the year so that’s where they came up with the mushroom cappuccino soup,” said Sorensen, a fly fisherman who moved to Ketchum from Denver. “Mushroom is a friendly vegetable soup—everyone loves mushrooms.”

Several parents stopped attended the pop-up lunch.

“My son Finnbarr is so thrilled he’s getting this experience,” said Laura Hanson, who came from Washington. “He loves to cook –more than he loves to eat even. And the instructors care a lot about each individual student—they’re going go out of their way to make sure they’re looked after.”

“My daughter Brandy Neace was so fascinated with food as a little one in the nursery that she would watch when they were putting out food and pick the plate with the most food on it,” said Jesika Aardene. “This has been a great experience for her because the instructors are very one-on-one.”

Joanne Squire has taken part in the Culinary Institute’s classes, including a sushi making class and a class by Cynthia Nims focusing on family recipes. But this was her first pop-up lunch.

Squire grew up in England where her mother was “a really good cook” who made Indian and other dishes. She trained as a nurse in London before moving to the San Francisco Bay area for six months and staying. Now she lends her nursing skills to the Hospice of the Wood River Valley, while indulging her love of cooking on the side—she recently plunged into baking with a sourdough class.

“The classes are always fun—they do a good job,” she said. “And the pulled pork I’m having today is delicious. It’s not too spicy like some barbecue sandwiches.”

This year’s students have really bonded, said Karl Uri, the Culinary Institute’s executive director. “They support one another. They’ll get a short break, then they will go to restaurants in the Wood River Valley to work during the winter ski season.”

“This is the best,” said Sylvia Chavez of her experience. “Every day I learn new techniques, new salads to make.”