The holidays are over. It’s cold and dark and gloomy outside. Why not chase away those midwinter doldrums by taking a cooking class or two? A variety of cooking classes are being offered locally that should appeal to cooks of all levels, from total novices to experienced home chefs.
The first months of the year are prime time for cooking classes. The reason is that it’s the slowest time of the year for restaurants, chefs, caterers and other food professionals; so this is when they’re able to find time in their normally frenzied schedules to share their knowledge.
The amount of hands-on participation in local cooking classes ranges from mostly all demonstration, to a combination of demonstration and participation, to students preparing a meal under the guidance and watchful eyes of the instructors. Some include a full meal, others tastes. Some courses explore the cutting edge of gastronomy; others feature traditional and classic menus and dishes. Some focus on a particular skill or ingredient, and others focus on ethnic cuisines. Some provide aprons, others are BYOA (Bring Your Own Apron) — either way, it’s always a good idea to wear clothing that’s washable. Some classes include wine or beer in their cost, others have them available for purchase. There are classes about chocolate and cupcakes, and classes on Sunday brunches for which students are encouraged to show up in their PJs. There are classes that teach participants how to make food look and taste as if it were made by professionals, and others about “tablescapes” that demonstrate how to make settings that are as special and professionallooking as the food.
For most of the last decade, I taught cooking classes in my home. I quit in the winter of 2007 after having to cancel three classes in a row because of ice storms that caused more than two weeks total of power outages (though, thankfully not all at once) as well as roof damage over the kitchen. Repairs made rescheduling the classes impossible; as well I’d begun writing this column and selling a few articles to papers around the U.S.
Sometimes I think I’d like to teach classes again, though as time passes it seems less likely. But I’m always interested in seeing what cooking classes are being offered locally.
Lincoln Land Community College’s Culinary Arts Classes are being held in the Pasfield House again this year. Pasfield House owner and innkeeper Tony Leone designed the historic building’s basement kitchen with cooking classes in mind. This season, 12 different classes will explore a wide range of topics, each with different instructors. Most are chef/instructors or graduates of LLCC’s Culinary Arts Program, but there are others, such as bon vivant and amateur chef extraordinaire John Dale Kennedy, who will teach a class on the Spanish bar snacks known as tapas. Sangamo Club manager and chef David Radwine and Corkscrew owner Geoff Bland will offer a night of French Food and Wine Pairings. A Creole class will combine learning with a Mardi Gras celebration. Josh Sonneborn, chef and co-owner of Five Flavors Catering
