If you’re a bachelor whose idea of cooking is making a peanut butter sandwich or ramen noodles, then it’s time to step into the 21st Century — so believes chef Brian Russell Richardson.Mr Richardson is encouraging men of all ages to turn up the heat in the kitchen and learn to make man-tested recipes like hamburgers, ribs, chilli and steak.He will be teaching a five-week course called Man Cave Grubbery described as a “testosterone filled cooking class” that will turn any man into an at home chef.Other courses on offer by Mr Richardson include a kitchen fundamentals series and another on barbecue basics. All three cost $80 and are part of the community education programme, organised by the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs.Mr Richardson said men would leave the course “with confidence in their ability to prepare a meal for their buddies who come around or at those special events like football games or the Super Bowl”.“This will appeal to those men or couples who want to start off with the simple things. They don’t need to learn the difficult culinary terms or cuts of meat. A lot of things we make are from store bought, prepared, canned or frozen foods.“Instead of going out and buying ground beef and seasoning they can buy beef patties and make a stuffed hamburger with cheese, onions and peppers inside the meat.”Mr Richardson studied culinary arts at the Bermuda College from 1960 until 1965. He went on to work in the hospitality industry for nine years, serving his dishes at hotels like Belmont and Cambridge Beaches.He was inspired to start a course of his own last year, while helping his daughter teach a class called ‘40 Minute Meals’. He also had time on his hands after recently retiring as the director of security at The Bermuda College.An avid fan of television programmes, like Man Caves on the DIY Network, he thought the course would give men the tools they need to thrive in the kitchen.“People are building houses and building man and woman caves so they have their own little private spots and they want to entertain their friends or their girlfriends with a little classy food.“Something quick, but that looks good and makes them feel like they are doing a good job.”Most of the meals prepared on the course will take between 15 or 30 minutes, said Mr Richardson. They include dishes like hand pretzels, grilled barbecue ribs, waffle sandwiches, chicken wings and ‘trailor-trash chilli’, which combines pork, ham and chicken into a “gumbo like” stew.Also on the prospective class menu are whiskey-beer barbecue sliders and a dessert called ‘tipsy hot fudge’. He said several of the dishes were made with alcohol, but people could also substitute it for ginger beer.“Although I use alcohol in some of the dishes, the alcohol is actually burned away. They just get the flavour of the bourbon or black rum, but not the alcohol.”Course participants will also get to try out Mr Richardson’s unique kind of hot dogs, topped with everything from chorizo and salsa to spicy potato salad and coleslaw.Married for 42 years, Mr Richardson takes pride in the fact he’s been the primary cook in his household for many years.He often invites his family down for meals, but doesn’t decide exactly what to prepare until the morning of. One of his specialities is a non-traditional Sheppard’s Pie, made with curry chicken and mashed potatoes on top.“I am very non traditional with my cooking. I don’t use recipes much. I use them as a base and work off of them,” he said.“For instance, I have a fruit cake I make that has a little mixed fruit in it, but I use puréed fruit instead of milk or water. I personally hate fruit cake and a lot of people hate the traditional Christmas fruit cake, but everyone loves the way I make it.”He also makes dishes from recipes he picked up during his travels in Africa, China, the Caribbean and Asia.The barbecue course he is teaching will give people tips and trick on some of his special barbecue sauces and marinades, made from tropical fruits like loquats, cherries, guavas and mangos. He said the fruit flavours give the barbecued meats a fresh, natural flavour, instead of the regular smoky taste.“I came up with the marinade and sauce recipes after seeing fruit go to waste,” said Mr Richardson. “Cherries fall on the road, loquats just stay on the tree and people see the mangoes with a bruise and they throw it away. My recipes are quite popular in the Cove Valley neighbourhood.”While he hopes people register for the Man Cave Grubbery course, he said his other classes were also beneficial. Through the kitchen fundamentals class, people can learn about knife skills, basic cooking methods, how to make sauces and the essentials of food safety.Today is the last day to register for the courses, which start next month at Clearwater Middle School. For more information visit www.communityed.gov.bm.