Gourmet Cooking Class Date Night

October 28, 2019

A gourmet cooking class is a great option for your next date night.

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For the first 30 years of our marriage, cooking family meals fell almost exclusively to me. That’s why I was surprised when Garth and I printed out a list of dating ideas and “take a gourmet cooking class” was one of the highest-rated choices on his list.

I discovered that there is no shortage of fun cooking classes, and if you are a little adventurous, they don’t even have to be expensive. We opted for a sushi-making class taught through a local grocery store chain, and had a fantastic evening making our own restaurant-quality meal.

Chef Freyka Nuñez Del Prado walked 8 couples step-by step through the process of making sushi rice, proper rolling technique, how to choose fresh vegetables and meats, and how to create mouth-watering sauces for our complete sushi rolls.

harmon's cooking school kitchen — We knew we were in for a treat when we walked into class and saw this setup waiting for us.

Culinary classes are not difficult to come by, especially if you are a little bit creative about where you look. Some are budget-friendly and others will rival the price at a favorite 4-star restaurant. You can find one-on-one classes with a chef, or do as we did and join a group all hoping to learn a new skill.

sushi-making class — Here, Garth is working on his very first California roll. We learned all of the basics, and especially appreciated time for hands-on practice of the techniques Chef Freyka had just taught.

Cooking Classes – A List of Places to Find a Great Option

You can learn how to make anything from artisan pizza to Beef Wellington with a good coach. Here are a few places you can start your search:

Check with your local supermarket – An underappreciated resource, your local grocery store is often a resource for finding ingenious and inexpensive (free!) cooking classes. Never underestimate the power of teaching your spouse to make a better pot roast or to run the slow cooker. In addition to cooking classes, grocery chains in my area teach knife skills and offer bulk freezer meal prep.
Ask your city recreation department – Local clubs, senior citizens’ groups, church organizations, and hobbyists will offer local classes on everything from Italian cooking to cuisine for diabetics. I’ve learned everything from how to deglaze a wok to how to bake bread in a Dutch Oven from members of my church organization, and once, attended an event taught by a world-champion chef who was promoting a cookbook.

Matt Pelton, a world-champion Dutch Oven chef demostrated how to make a jumbleberry pie in a Dutch Oven. This class was offered as a way for Matt to market a new cookbook he had authored.

Visit websites for local outlets where kitchen supplies and restaurant supplies are sold. Our local restaurant supply sponsors classes from Instagram influencers and celebrity chefs. One favorite for Garth was a class on smoking the perfect brisket, taught at the local Treager Grill headquarters:

If your goal is to become the grill king, check with the grill manufacturer. We came home with expertise in trimming a brisket and burnt ends, plus a recipe for some killer mac and cheese.

Look for Airbnb experiences in your area – or in the area where you will be traveling. Airbnb experiences allow you to find off-the-beaten-path experiences for everything from cheese-tasting tours at actual dairy farms, to the opportunity to harvest your own honeycomb.
TripAdvisor.com will include a section for culinary tours and experiences in your area. Some of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had while traveling are culinary walking tours of the area we are visiting

A walking tour of Boston on a recent trip took us right into the heart of Little Italy, where we sampled bakery-fresh bread and cannoli that even the locals approved of.

Find a friend who knows how to prepare a delicacy from another country and invite them over for a shared meal and combined lesson
If the budget is tight, simply opt to stay at home and download a fun YouTube cooking demo. I’ve linked to one my own Mom created for making her signature caramel pecan nut roll.