Melbourne Food & Wine Festival 2015: The Essentials classes

Want to make pizza like a pro, turn out sushi with panache or make your salads sexy? Learn from the likes of pizza world champion Johnny di Francesco of 400 Gradi, Shaun Presland of Sake and Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson in a new series of classes for 2015 that will teach participants "how to do one thing exceptionally well".

"Essentials" classes, making their debut in 2015, aim to teach a skill in just one hour, with tickets priced at $50 and single-session bookings permitted.

Benjamin Cooper, of fast-paced Korean and Thai restaurants Kong and Chin Chin will "lift the lid" on pickles and fermentation, while Dave Verheul of the acclaimed Town Mouse will show how to turn vegetables into heroes. Ethical farmer, meatsmith and blogger Tammi Jonas will demonstrate how to make bacon; cheesemaking godfather Richard Thomas will hold a class on cheese; and cult bartender Matt Bax of Bar Americano will run a cocktail show-and-tell.

Cooper has spent much of the past two years focusing on fermentation while developing dishes for Korean-themed Kong. "It's a massive part of what I do now," he says. "Some pickles are finished in a minute and a half; some take 20 minutes but they're not ready for six months or more. But once you have the techniques you can do so much."

"As cooks, we become so used to seeing results immediately but with something like kim chi it doesn't take long to make but then you wait six or 12 months – and come back and think 'wow'."

Wilkinson will be demonstrating simple ways to turn salads from "just leaves" into hero dishes with texture, acid and crunch. "Having one or two salads at the centre of the table to share, and just a simple piece of grilled fish or meat is a beautiful way to eat," he says.

Simple tricks for pimping salads into something special might include the addition of seasonal vegetables – perhaps carrots for sweetness – or cheese, to deliver mouthfeel. Expect plenty of ideas lifted from Wilkinson's forthcoming second book, Mr Wilkinson's Simply Dressed Salads.

Jonas, whose classes usually require participants to travel to her family farm at Eganstown, will break down half a pig to show where different cuts come from. She will have tips on the best ways to cook them, and then demonstrate an easy way to make bacon at home with no special equipment.

"If you understand all the muscles and what they do on a living animal, you've got all the information you need to cook them properly.

"Butchery has taught me more about cooking meat than 20 years of serious cooking did, so I want to share that muscle knowledge. As for bacon, it's important to me because I've learned that once you crack the code of curing meats, you can do anything with meat, salt and time."

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival chief Natalie O'Brien says the sessions have been designed to let festival-goers "dip their toes" into the Langham Melbourne Masterclass experience.

"For those who hadn't perhaps considered attending a Masterclass, The Essentials and the Outdoor Essentials will give people a taste of what that's like. They can expect to have a fun session together and walk away learning one thing exceptionally well from some of the brightest culinary stars in Australia."

Great outdoors

Two Outdoor Essentials sessions will focus on learning a single outdoor cooking skill – and since fresh air is known to stoke the appetite, these sessions at the Testing Grounds will include lunch.

On March 7, Paul Wilson will introduce his class to the delights of masa, the "Aztec gold" flour that underpins much of Latin American cooking. Wilson will share recipes from his recently published Cantina cookbook and put his own spin on the ubiquitous taco.

On March 8, George Calombaris delivers a step-by-step guide to making the souva so many Melburnians have come to love at Jimmy Grants.

These classes will take three hours, including time for lunch.

The Essentials, March 7-8, The Langham Melbourne, single session tickets $50; Outdoor Essentials at the Testing Grounds, $100 includes lunch.