It seems like for some people, cooking just comes naturally. It’s as if they instinctively know which ingredients to add, combine and sift together to make the perfect dish. There’s no measuring, no fretting over a using a rounded scoop of flour vs. a perfectly leveled off scoop, or trying to figure out what just a “dash” of salt really means.

And then there are people like me. I’m what is commonly called “domestically challenged.” I’m not terribly fond of cleaning, I can barely sew a missing button on and I certainly can’t cook. While others can throw together a cup of this, a cup of that and handful of something-or-others and come out with the best cookies on the planet, I can follow a recipe line by line with perfectly accurate measurements and come away with something even my dogs won’t touch (and they’ll eat anything).

So when faced recently with the prospect of attending a two-hour culinary session at EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School, I was intrigued yet terrified. I had visions of being called to the head of the class to describe the difference between a ladle and spoon and shamefacedly having to confess I had no idea. But I needn’t have worried.

When I arrived at EVOO, everyone else was already seated and Chef Bob Neroni was hard at work over a high heat creating a colorful and flavorful salad using ingredients purchased at the Cannon Beach Farmers Market earlier that day.

Co-owner and fellow Cooking School owner Lenore Emery made sure everyone was comfortably seated, understood the basics of how the evening would proceed and that each guest had everything they needed to ensure an enjoyable meal.

I won’t pretend to have come away from the experience with a sudden passion for creating gastronomical delights, but I certainly did learn a few key basic points. Basics that make me far more likely to head for the stove rather than the microwave.

Chief among these, and most important for those like me who think cooking is akin to complex chemistry equations, there are different ways to get the same end result. For example, while Bob says he cooks “everything” on high heat, Lenore cooks her dishes primarily over medium heat because she is more easily “distracted.”

Another key lesson learned was not to be afraid of trying ingredients you might not normally combine. Bob prepared a delicious warm salad using Mountaindale Farms wild arugula spinach, baby gem lettuce, tea roses, ricotta salata cheese and a slightly zesty chili pepper. I wouldn’t have thought to combine tea rose petals with chili pepper but the results were outstanding.

Bob and Lenore also stress the importance of using the right tools. While this typically means having the right sauce pot, baking pan or paring knife, it also means using the best ingredients available as well. Just because a recipe calls for olive oil doesn’t mean any old olive oil will do.

Bob recommends two favorites: Arbequina (a Spanish variety) and Arbosana (and Italian variety) extra virgin olive oils. Both are available for purchases from EVOO.

Also on the menu was a wild Chinook salmon with butter crumb topping that was moist, tender and had an amazing flavor. This was a far cry from my attempts at baking or grilling salmon, which either results in a sushi-like mush or overcooked salmon jerky. The key to cooking salmon correctly, Bob says, is removing the fish from the oven or grill before it is completely cooked. The soy-brined, roasted free range chicken was also to die for.

Despite Lenore’s warnings to eat small portions so we would be able to try a little of everything, I still found myself facing dessert already stuffed to the gills. While the cherry slab pie with sour cream ice cream and hazelnut caramel sauce might sound like an unusual combination to some, it was, in fact, sweet, smooth and delicious.

Whether you’re an experienced gourmand eager to pick up a few new tricks of the trade, new to the basics of cooking, or like me – fearful of all things culinary – EVOO’s Farmers Market Dinners are an experience not to be missed.