FOCUS: ORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY NEWS : CYPRESS

The Cypress College culinary arts department will offer a class at the Italian Culinary Institute, housed in a 13th-century castle in northern Italy, next year.

The three-unit course from May 28 to June 11 in Asti, Italy, will feature culture and language lessons, techniques of Italian regional cooking, baking and pastry-making, wine appreciation and a night at the opera in Milan.

The total cost of the trip is about $3,600, including visa, registration, uniforms, utensils and textbooks.

For more information, call chef Michael Bird, Cypress College culinary instructor, who will lead the trip: (714) 484-7209.