Cooking Classes
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Cooking Classes
Nov 2007
I'm interested in improving my cooking skills. i have become reasonably
proficient learning on my own, making dinner every night, but would love
to learn some of the basics from a real chef (eg. knife skills, making
stock, etc). Does anyone know of any such classes offered for cooking
amateurs? preferably in the East Bay and on weekends. Thanks.
wannabe chef
Hi there!
The Williams-Sonoma in Emeryville offers free (I'm fairly certain they are
free) skills, or techniques, classes. I know I get notifications about it
via email every quarter or so.
Their other classes, such as cooking a particular style of food or meal,
are at a charge.
Good luck, and have fun!
Check out Pauldings in Emeryville. http://www.pauldingandco.com/.
anne
My husband took a class at Sur La Table in Berkeley and enjoyed it a lot.
Their catalog of classes is online.
April 2007
My son, who's 12, is interested in a cooking camp this
summer. Anyone know of one?
Archway School has a summer cooking camp ''Cuisine and Art''.
We've never done it, for purely logistical reasons, but it
sounds intriguing, and one avid junior cook we know recommends
it highly. Their phone, per a post in the April 2 newsletter,
is 510-849-4747
Feb 2007
My 12-year-old daughter has discovered cooking after receiving a Betty Crocker cook
book for Christmas. (Yay!) I would like to find a learn-to-cook course or class on
the weekends for her to attend. Does anyone have suggestions for a class that is
targeted for older kids/teens?
kg
Spun Sugar bake shop on University Ave. has a cooking camp in the summer, a week- long
session where the kids cook all morning and then eat lunch together. My two boys have done
both the kids and teen class and really enjoyed it. I wish that the teacher paid more
attention to cooking healthful foods, but the menus are fine and accessible for the kids
(pastas, baked goods, soups, etc.) Carrie
Oct 2006
My mother has generously gifted me with a trip, the caveat being that she gets to come
with. Fortunately we get along fairly well. However, we realized that it might be best
if we have a focus of some sort for the trip. We agreed that we'd start looking at tours
with a culinary theme. I started off looking at France and Italy, but they are super
expensive. Mexico is our other choice but there are so many towns with so many chefs
offering cooking classes it is overwhelming. Has anyone out there on this list gone to
one of these in Mexico? I'm mostly interested in the 3-4 day or longer programs which
take you out to markets and other activities instead of the single day classes.
Otherwise we'll drive each other crazy
I love San Miguel d'Allende in Mexico! I went to art school there in '86, and my brother
took cooking classes there about 8 years ago. It's a beautiful colonial town with lots
of artistic gringos. I don't know which cooking class would be best, but see if you can
find something on the web. It's friendly, small, with lots of interesting cultural events
and delicious food. I am still thinking about a chicken pomegranate dinner I had there.
Yum yum.
Oct 2005
Hello,
I live in the east bay and would like to take cooking classes.
Can anyone suggest where I can find a reasonably priced cooking
school. I don't need anything fancy or gourmet, my main goal is
to learn how to make tasty low calorie meals.
Thanks
pvs
There is a personal chef in Pleasant Hill who loves to teach
cooking classes! He would teach you just what you need to know
and the class would be personalized for you. If you want to
bring the price down (I do not know how much it would be), you
could go in as a group!
www.bottsbest.com is the website. Have fun!
love to cook!
I highly recommend Terry Paulding's cooking classes. She offers
a wide variety of classes and teaches some of them for Piedmont
Adult School. Her classes always include fresh seasonal fruits
and vegetables incorporated into lovely dishes that suit the time
of year. You can check out her website at
http://www.pauldingandco.com/
Judy
I am not sure where you live, but Mt. Diablo Adult Education
cooking classes are reasonably prices, great teacher(s) and
definitely have the type of class you're looking for.
Otherwise, check some of the other adult ed classes in your
neighborhood.
k
Here's a link to the cooking classes section of the on-line
catalog of the Piedmont Adult School:
http://www.piedmontadultschool.org/c_homemaking.html
The Piedmont Adult School holds its classes in the evening at
Piedmont High School in Piedmont, which is easily accessible
from I-580 and is near the Grand Ave. and Piedmont Ave.
neighborhoods of N. Oakland.
The one class I took there (not cooking, alas) was delightful
in every respect.
You are so smart to be doing this!
Wishing I could go with you
Compassionate Cooks in Oakland offers vegetarian cooking
classes. Here's the menu for the Nov 12th Class, ''Thanksgiving
for the Birds'':
Harvest Stuffed Winter Squash
Sensational Stuffing with Toasted Nuts and Raisins
Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions
Glazed Garlic Green Beans
Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Crust
Classes are 3 hours for $40.
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
anon
Dec 2003
I'm looking for cooking classes. I've never been a very good cook and
feel I'll never learn on my own from going through cookbooks the skills
needed to be an excellent cook. The California Cooking Academy
offers Saturday classes covering cooking basics, but they are expensive
($175 each). I am open to any and all types of cooking, including
vegetarian. Grace
My cousin Alain DeLangle is the chef at Le Charm French
Bistro. He is starting a cooking program offering pastry
classes on Sundays from 9:30 to 11 am. The dessert for Jan/Feb
is financier, baked pear, caramel cream, and florentine
cookies. Le Charm is located at 315 5th Street in SF, cross
street is Folsom. Please call 415.546.6128.
Amy
A friend of mine, Robin Levine,recently started her own company
called KitchenGirlfriend. She teaches cooking classes in your
home, either to individuals or to groups. She knows a lot about
food and really loves what she does.
If you want more information about her classes, she has a
website: www.kitchengirlfriend.com
Bon Appetit,
Michelle
Sept 2005
Does anyone know of good ''intro to Asian cooking'' classes in
the Berkeley area? My parents are coming for an extended visit
this winter and were interested in finding a class, either with
a school or a private home. Any suggestions?
julie
My husband has enjoyed the classes he's taken at Sur La Table
on 4th Street. You may want to try there.
anon
I took a series of great Asian classes (Basic and Intermediate Thai and
Vietnamese) at the Piedmont Adult School. The teacher is Chat Mingkwan -
who is wonderful. His approach is to give you the foundation for Southeast
Asian cooking - spending time talking about the ingredients, helping you get a
feel for the taste of each dish and in the
Intermediate Class, you even cook without a recipe! It is hands on and a whole
lot cheaper than at Sur La Table or Home Chef. The challenge is that it is in a
HomeEc classroom so the kitchen isn't great but if you can cook under those
conditions, you can cook anywhere!
His website is http://www.unusualtouch.com/
Dawn
March 2005
Our 8 year old daughter is very interested in cooking, and not
being so great in the kitchen, we were hoping for some advice
on cooking classes for kids. The only place we have heard of
so far is at the Claremont, but haven't talked with anyone who
has done the cooking classes there. Does anyone have any
advice on places to go for this type of class, either a one-
time thing or on an ongoing basis?
Jon
I run What's Cooking. We teach cooking classes and do birthday
parties for children between the ages of 4 and 16. Classes are
typically held in your home, and can be adapted to meet any
special dietary restrictions that your children may have.
Class size is usually limited to 10, so that each child can fully
participate and so there can be adequate supervision. Private
lessons are also available.
Please visit us on the web: www.whatscooking.info for additional
information.
You can also e-mail me for a copy of a newspaper article that was
recently released about our services.
Michelle
Dec 2004
I'd love to find a vegetarian cooking class (or maybe even
Chinese vegetarian?) for my 7-year-old daughter, who loves to
cook but isn't learning much at home from her parents, alas. In
fact, maybe we could even find a class we could take together?
Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
Lori
Hi,
I run What's Cooking, a company that provides cooking classes and
birthday parties for children.
I am very flexible about the recipes that we use, and could
easily focus a class on vegetarian food.
Please visit www.whatscooking.info for more information about our
classes and parties.
Michelle
Hands On Gourmet, which I co-own, does lively cooking class
parties for adults. We have one full vegetarian menu and many
other dishes that could be mixed and matched into a fabulous
vegetarian class. Check out our web site for menus, video of our
chef in action, raves from past customers, and lots more.
www.handsongourmet.com.
Or contact me at 510-207-8827 or anne AT handsongourmet.com.
Anne McCarten-Gibbs
Dec 2003
Does anyone have any recommendations for vegetarian cooking
classes in the East Bay? I am an inexperienced cook in
general, and am thinking of becoming a vegetarian. Any
suggestions would be very helpful. (I checked the web site and
could not find anything) Thanks.
margo
Check out the URL at www.iet.org for good info about the new Berkeley culinary school. Some classes will be taught as mini-series. For more info, call 1-800-987-
7530. They emphasize vegetarian cooking.
Nori
i can't testify as to the quality, but i did notice when perusing
the class offering for the winter-the piedmont adult ed course
offering had a listing for a vegetarian class or two.
www.piedmontadultschool.org
linda
I have taken several cooking classes at Sur La table and really
enjoyed them. I took a veggie cooking class at Homechef as well
but I don't know if they are still up in running. Many of Sur
La Table classes are vegetarian (they have a thai one I liked)
but others just have 1 meat dish out of 5 or 6 prepared so I
read the proposed menu quite closely before signing up but have
really enjoyed some of the ''normal'' classes as well. Only
caveat is that they are not cheap classes!
Loves to cook vegetarian as well
You probably won't get this in time for the December 13 class,
but Colleen does regular monthly classes. Here is her latest:
UFETA’s (Unitarian Universalists for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals) monthly vegetarian cooking classes are more popular
than ever. Join us on Sat., Dec. 13, at 10 AM in the kitchen
for a special holiday treat, as we cook up some delicious
dishes, including Polenta-crusted Tempeh Piccata, Herb
Scalloped Potatoes, Saffron-spiked Moroccan Stew, Holiday Pecan
Balls, and more. Sign up by contacting Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
at 510-482-1927 or colleen AT justgive.org. $25 for church
members (First Unitarian Church, Oakland); $35 non-members.
B Avalon
I highly recommend Compassionate Cooks.
http://www.generationv.org/compassionatecooks.htm
I have attended Colleen's classes for over a year and she is
very knowledgeable. She has everything prepared and goes through
step by step on how to prepare the dish's. The dish's she shares
are easy to follow and usually can be prepared easily. She
answers any questions you may have and her classes are very
reasonably priced.
Dana
May 2002
Anyone know of any cooking classes for the summer for a 13-year-old in the
Albany/Berkeley/El Cerrito area?
Sur la Table (4th Street) offers a great cooking
program for kids 9-14 during the summer. It's pretty
popular so it may be full already. If she's mature
enough and pretty serious about cooking, their regular
adult classes are great as well and fairly reasonably
priced.
toni
Sur la Table has a great cooking class for 9 -13 year olds (my son
took it a few years ago). Call them...it meets for one week in the
mornings with a field trip in the middle of the week. I think Carolyn
is the instructor and she's great!
Rochelle
Cooking classes for young children
2001
Are there any cooking classes in the East Bay for young children? Especially
available on Fridays? I haven't been able to find any. Amy
To the parent who is looking for cooking classes, Montclair Recreation Center
offers them throughout the year. Frances
Montclair Rec Center in Oakland has several cooking classes for
ages 4-7. My daughter is enrolled in "Brunch Bunch -- Scrambles,
fruit salads, pancakes, crepes, muffins and more will be explored
(and eaten!) in this tasty class". Session I April 6,13,27, and May 4th
or session II May 11,18,25, & June 1. Fridays 11:45-12:30.
There's also "Lunch Bunch -- Children will be introduced to
healthful nutritious and delicious foods from all the food
groups. Children will prepare and enjoy a good lunch". That's
on Mondays 12:15-1:00. Cost is $50 per session which includes
the cost of food. (Non-Oakland residents pay an additional $2.)
Contact: Montclair Rec Center
6300 Moraga Avenue, Oakland CA 94611
510-482-7812
Sharon
Montclair Parks and Rec usually offers a cooking class for kids. The spring
session started on 4/2. There is a Book Cook class where the teacher reads a
book and then they prepare related recipes. Also, thee are 2 other classes
that meet for 4 week sessions - Lunch Bunch meets on Mondays at 12:15 and
Brunch Bunch meets on Fridays at 11:45.
The phone number for more info is 510)482-7812
Thai cooking classes
Andrea (11/99)
The millenium approaches so I'm feeling like I'd better hop to it
with those dreams
long on the back burner. Can anyone recommend a sushi making class
and a Thai
cooking class --preferably that are way-fun, with wonderful teachers,
and
affordable? I'd also be interested in any other highly recommended
food-related
classes/ resources. I'm realizing that access to such varied and
wonderful
international cousine is a luxury while we live in Berkeley and
likely won't be
available if we ever move to the boonies.
Thanks.
Adele (11/99)
To the person looking for Thai cooking classes: Kasma Loha-Unchit
teaches
classes in her home in Oakland, and also sometimes at Sur La Table on
Fourth
Street. My husband has taken several classes with her and she is
wonderful.
She also has a great cookbook out call "It Rains Fishes". The number
I have
for her is 655-8900.
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