If you’re like me, you only ever hear about people’s cooking school adventures until they’re halfway through, and acting all suave about their sabayons and stuff like that.

Here’s your chance to get in on the ground floor: Bookmark or subscribe to Brian Goes to Cookin’ School and follow the adventures of one Brian Jones as he does the intensive weekends-only program at the Institute of Culinary Education…starting any day now.

In just another stroke of fine Astoria luck, I met Brian a couple of weeks ago when he came to the Jamie Oliver dinner as a surprise guest. That was the producers doing a bit of reality-TV setup on us, but fortunately Brian is no [insert name of hateful reality TV person here–there are so many I can’t begin to choose]. He’s delightful and enthusiastic, and already knows a lot about food–and he lives in Astoria, so you know he has excellent taste.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what he goes through in school, since I chose the guidebook-writing route over the culinary-school route back in 2002, and my brain has definitely missed the intensive learning experience.

Good luck, Brian!