What to do in winter: take a cooking class

 

As I look out the window at drifts of snow and sugar frosted trees, I realize this is a perfect day to spend cooking and baking in a warm, cinnamon scented kitchen. I have visions of teenagers trooping in from playing in the snow for cups of hot chocolate, warm soup, fresh bread and orange spice cookies. I firmly push the reality of wet carpets, cold drafts and piles of dishes to the back of my mind and start looking up recipes.

If you cook, need to learn to cook, or want to learn a specific recipe or cuisine, there are a number of places around town offering cooking classes and events. You can create your own event with a private group class with Culinary Communion or take one of their many public classes, such as Dim Sum on December 27th, Cuisine of Vietnam on the 28th and Cuisine of India on the 29th. January classes include wine, Spanish tapas, Thai, sauces, cheese-making and much more. Check their calendar. Whole Foods in Roosevelt has a number of hands-on cooking and wine classes, as does PCC Natural Markets. The Bon Vivant School of Cooking can do everything from teaching the basics to the perfect Tuscan dinner. Cook's World also offers private and custom cooking classes as well as mouth watering classes like Rustic Breadmaking and Chinese Take-Out From Home. Dish it up! offers a Winemakers's Dinner in January and a demonstration class, Cuisine of Southern France, given by Chef Daisley Gordon of Campagne, among other offerings. Dish it up! regularly has featured chefs from fine area restaurants teaching classes and can help you throw your own cooking party.

Long, cold winter nights are the perfect time to hone your cooking skills and try something new. Bon Appétit!