Even Julia Child had to start somewhere. The Southeastern Academy Culinary Training Center may not be as highbrow as the Cordon Bleu in Paris, but it's a local training ground for a new generation of chefs. Test the progress at The People's Place, staffed by student chefs.
Drop in from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. weekdays to study the constantly changing lunch menu. For $5.95-$6.95, help yourself to coq au vin (chicken with wine), French oxtail soup or seafood pasta primavera. On Thursdays, there's a free dessert buffet. Every five weeks, the graduating class prepares an elaborate themed luncheon. The next luncheon, labeled as New World cuisine from "The Seven Continents," is at 11:30 a.m. July 14, Reservations are $7.95.
