You know their names… Wolfgang Puck. Julia Child. Brian McCormick. Brian Hay.

OK, Brian and Brian may not be quite as well known as some celebrity chefs, but they’re celebrities in their own right, heading up the Austin Community College Culinary Arts Program and starring in their own instructional series, “Austin Cooks.”

“When we started ‘Austin Cooks,’ it was aimed at our students,” says McCormick. “It was all about allowing students the opportunity to watch and review various techniques as much as they’d like.”

Professors Hay and McCormick began taping 15- to 30-minute episodes, covering everything from kitchen basics to advanced cooking techniques. The Culinary Arts Program used those episodes to reinforce what students learn in the classroom – or rather, in the kitchen. But ACC also wanted the community to know what’s cooking with Culinary Arts. So the college made “Austin Cooks” viewable over the Internet and on ACC’s cable channel 19.

Chefs Hay and McCormick star in "Austin Cooks."

Want to polish your knife handling skills? There’s an episode for that. Braising basics? But of course. And what would a cooking series be without Grilling 101? Hay says since he and McCormick began “Austin Cooks,” students pick up those important techniques faster.

“Culinary students tend to be visual learners,” explains Hay, chair of the program. “No matter how many times you read about how to fillet a fish, you need to see it done to truly begin to grasp the concept. That makes ‘Austin Cooks’ a huge advantage for our students. The more times they see something, the better they’ll be when it’s their turn in the kitchen.”

Episodes go beyond food preparation. McCormick and Hay visit such locations as a vineyard, a seafood market, and an ostrich farm.

The fall 2009 episodes mark the show’s third season, with planning for a fourth season under way. Hay and McCormick welcome anyone to contact them with questions about an episode.

“We get positive feedback from our students as well as from the public,” notes McCormick. “It’s great to know that through these episodes, we help people improve their culinary skills – whether they’re cooking for a restaurant or just for their family.”

Chef Brian Hay works with Culinary Arts students.

Culinary arts student Adam Dodson agrees that he and his classmates are a step ahead because of “Austin Cooks.”

“I learn something more each time I watch an episode,” says Dodson. “ ’Austin Cooks’ gives you the foundation you need to feel confident in the kitchen.”

Dodson, who owns a candy business and wants to expand his offerings, appreciates that Hay and McCormick spice up “Austin Cooks” episodes with a healthy dose of humor.

“That definitely makes complicated techniques easier to digest,” says Dodson. “These aren’t dry, boring instructional videos. They’re really engaging.”

McCormick and Hay believe that sense of engagement is key to helping students get a handle on what they’re learning.

“If there is one thing I want aspiring chefs to take away from ‘Austin Cooks,’ it’s that cooking is fun,” says Hay. “Have a good time with it – those are the words I live by in the kitchen.”

“Austin Cooks” episodes can be seen at austincc.edu/cooks. They also air on cable channel 19 (Mondays at 6:30 p.m., Thursdays at 9 p.m., and Saturdays at 4 p.m.). To contact ACC’s top chefs with culinary questions, email [email protected].