Culinary classes and experiences in Boston and Cambridge.
May 4, 2016 6:49 PM   Subscribe

Please give me recommendations for cooking classes, wine tasting and bartending classes in the Boston metro area.

I'd like to spend some time picking up the basics of cooking, making drinks, and appreciating wine and cheese. I live in Somerville and have no trouble getting to Cambridge and Boston. The ideal class would be stand alone, during a weekday evening or weekend. Not necessarily interested in courses with a degree unless they've been extraordinary.

I've taken the beginning bartending class at The Boston Shaker in Davis Sq. and loved it. I know of classes offered by The Barbara Lynch foundation, but have never taken any. I'm trying to get into a class by Shisho Kitchen in Somerville. Seeking other recommendations :)
posted by rippersid to Food & Drink (9 answers total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
I can't actually vouch for particular classes, but the Cambridge Center for Adult Education usually has a wide variety of cooking & food-appreciation listings. I'll be interested in the recommendations here too!
posted by cogitron at 6:58 PM on May 4, 2016


SO MANY CHANCES TO LEARN ABOUT CHEESE!

(I haven't taken any myself, but many friends rate this A++++++++++)
posted by amelioration at 7:55 PM on May 4, 2016


Have you checked out the classes at Dave's Fresh Pasta in Davis Square? If they can teach you how to make food half as good as what they sell, then you are in luck...

On the drinks side, I recommend getting a book and practicing. The best drink makers (mixologists?) I know all start with looking up and learning some classic recipes, and then building from there. Some friends have hosted cocktail nights with friends, which have been all about mixing and experimenting.
Also, if you go to a good bar on a quiet night, the bartenders will be an invaluable resource, and can talk you through different techniques.

Ball Square Wines has great wine tastings, and the people there are super helpful in teaching about wines.
posted by troytroy at 8:54 PM on May 4, 2016 [1 favorite]


The Science and Cooking public lectures at Harvard are not quite cooking classes, but they're great and feature huge-name chefs. I don't see a schedule for this year yet, but here's 2015. (And you can watch old ones online.)

A friend took the fermentation class at Artisan's Asylum and now makes his own ginger beer.

Mei Mei offers dumpling-making and pig-butchering, though it looks like more of a corporate/private thing. They are having a public dumpling class on Mother's Day.

Flour Bakery has baking classes.

I've also heard good things about the classes at Dave's Fresh Pasta.
posted by teditrix at 3:28 AM on May 5, 2016


There's also the Harvard Bartending Course.
posted by teditrix at 5:56 AM on May 5, 2016


I did one class at Dave's Fresh Pasta (mentioned by troytroy) and enjoyed it.
posted by dfan at 5:56 AM on May 5, 2016


The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts has great classes! Some of them are one-off, others are series. Lots of fun! Very important: Bring tupperware to take leftovers home.

Here's the calendar of available "recreational classes" (as opposed to the professional training program).
posted by noonday at 6:14 AM on May 5, 2016 [1 favorite]


If you can drive down to Providence, RI, then here at JWU there's a series of half-day classes called Chef's Choice that are a lot of fun. They range from cheap, lecture-style classes up to a five-day summer camp for teens: https://apps.jwu.edu/chefschoice/pvd/searchsections.aspx

I confess that they used to be cheaper (like $50 ten years ago), but constant high demand indicates that tons of people still find them worth the cost. You can take one class or a series. When I did it, every paying student was paired with a JWU Culinary student; you get to use the giant teaching kitchens in the new CCCE building; and when there were multiple classes on a day, you shared the food you cooked with everyone else.

(Yes, this is where I work, but I have taken several of these classes a few years ago -- grilling chicken; pizzas; fancy hors d'oeuvres --and had a ball.)
posted by wenestvedt at 7:12 AM on May 5, 2016


Seconding Cambridge School of Culinary Arts! I've taken several of their series classes and they are really well put together and I've learned an amazing amount.
posted by Bresciabouvier at 10:05 AM on May 5, 2016


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