By Anne Morrissy | Photo courtesy Chef John Bogan
After 16 years of teaching cooking classes in a space inside the former Baptist Church in downtown Lake Geneva, Chef John Bogan will move his popular Lake Geneva School of Cooking into a new facility near the entrance to Geneva National on Lake Como.
Bogan says the move has been a dream for over five years, and will allow him to accommodate more guests in a space custom-designed for the needs of his cooking school. “I looked at this property 5 years ago, with [architect] Scott Lowell, and I loved it, but it just wasn’t the right time to move yet,” he explains. “And then when the pandemic hit, it put my plans on hold for a while. So then last year when I started looking at moving again, Scott said, ‘You know, that property is still available.’ It felt like it was kind of supposed to be.”
Bogan worked with Addis Architecture and Doomis Custom Builders to design a custom space that would feel like “an upscale lakefront home,” while still containing everything necessary to teach cooking classes. “It’s going to feel like a new home,” he explains. “I wanted it to feel like people are coming into your home, not like they’re coming in to a teaching kitchen at a tech school.”
To achieve this, Bogan says the design team created a footprint that allows for group cooking classes in a state-of-the-art kitchen, but also incorporates an elegant dining room where students can enjoy the reward of their hard work in a warm and welcoming environment. “It’s still going to be intimate, we really wanted that,” he continues. “We’re not a restaurant; it’s like you’re in my home, entertaining together. We’ll have the kitchen that feels like a lakefront home, and then you go to the dining room for dinner. This food warrants going to the dining room. The food’s the best part.”
Bogan says he thinks students will be very impressed with the design of the new space. New neighbors Bella Tile and Stone are designing a custom tile hood for the range. “We incorporated about a half a dozen, ‘Oh, wow!’ factors in there,” he explains. “We have some things in [the new space] that no one else has in the whole world … It’s pretty exciting how it’s all coming together.”
The last event Bogan will host at the downtown Lake Geneva location will take place on Oct. 10, and he expects the Lake Geneva School of Cooking to move shortly after that. The chef says he is targeting a date in mid-November for a grand re-opening, giving him plenty of time to get ready for the busy holiday season. “Our New Year’s Eve classes are always extremely popular,” he says. “Starting on Dec. 27, we run six classes through New Year’s Eve, so that will be a big introduction for people to see the new space.” He notes that registration for the New Year’s Eve classes will be posted on the Lake Geneva School of Cooking website after Labor Day.
For those worried they won’t be able to enjoy Chef Bogan’s food and friendly instruction during the transition, he suggests picking up a copy of his cookbook, “Chef Bogan: Recipes from the Seasons of My Life.”
