I know what
some of you may be thinking... I don't really like to cook so a
cooking class doesn't really appeal to me. Well if you're in that
camp then consider one of their classes where you just sit back and
observe and then enjoy a fabulous meal! Who wouldn't find that
entertaining?And for the record, I would not call myself someone who
is a really good cook. I'd call my husband that, but we BOTH have so
much fun when we do these classes together! The ones we've signed up
for have all been hands on. I'll admit at first I was a little
intimidated, but I quickly realized our class was made up of people
who were at different levels. Some were good, some were not so good.
Some had been cooking since they were 9 while others were learning
that night... and no one was there to judge. The chef and the
volunteers didn't mind if your knife handling skills were poor,
everyone was just having a good time while soaking up some new
information on their favorite pastime.
The class
offerings at TCW are abundant so there is something for just about
everyone. If you want to learn more about classic French cuisine then
they've got you covered. If you're interested in learning how to
prepare meals that are gluten free then chances are they'll have
something on the subject. They've got classes on how to prepare
Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, Caribbean, Southwestern, and of course
Italian cuisine dishes... they even offer classes for the little,
budding cooks in your family. Something like this would make a
wonderful birthday party for my daughter and a handful of her
girlfriends some day!
A class
that really stood out to me though was one my husband and I took last
Fall called The Art of Tailgating. It came at the perfect time given
the fact that we're both big fans of rooting on our favorite team
with plenty of ice cold beverages, food, and of course friends who
also love the same team. Our chef was the ever so talented Rebecca
Lang, and I considered it a plus that we were all fellow alums from
the same University given the topic of the class. Anyway, by the end
of the evening she had taught us the art of rolling out the perfect
biscuits - and trust me, this southern classic is not as easy as one
might think. She also shared with us her pimento cheese recipe which
we made with a homemade mayonnaise, a spicy cole slaw, some bacon
deviled eggs, and of course it wouldn't have been a 'southern' or
'tailgating' class without some fried chicken in the mix. And even
though we took home a packet spelling out how to recreate all of
these wonderful dishes, we still wanted to purchase Rebecca's latest
book which she signed for us at the end of the night. What can I say,
we are suckers for her kind of cooking! Needless to say, it was the
perfect way to end the day. If you're interested in doing something a
little different this weekend then you really ought to sign up for a
class at The Cook's Warehouse.
Photo of Rebecca Lang
More
information on Rebecca Lang, information borrowed from her class
recipe packet:
Rebecca
Lang is the author of Quick-Fix Southern, Southern
Entertaining for a New Generation and Mary Mac's Tea Room.
As a contributing Editor for Southern Living, Rebecca is
featured in cooking segments on the nationally syndicated show
Daytime. She is a Contributing Editor for myrecipes.com
and is the author of the popular column, “Girls' Night In,”
on the site.
Her food
writing has appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution,
Flavors Magazine, Edible Atlanta, Legacy Magazine,
and Athens Magazine. She has also written for several other
newspapers throughout the South, including the Fernandina Beach
News Leader and the Athens Banner-Herald. Her blog has
been featured on the James Beard Foundation's blog as well as the
Food News Journal.
Having taught hundreds of classes, Rebecca is an
accomplished cooking instructor. She teaches at various location in
Atlanta including Central Market, The Cook's Warehouse and Whole
Foods' Salud! Cooking School. She also travels the country teaching
classes to groups as large as 1,200 students. In addition to her work
on Daytime, Rebecca's television appearances include Home
Plate and many local and regional appearances including Good
Day Atlanta, Better Mornings Atlanta and Fox 42 in Omaha,
Nebraska. She also appeared numerous times on the nationally
televised show Every Day with Marcus and Lisa. Rebecca has
been a guest on Martha Stewart's Everyday Food on Sirius and XM
Radio.
After
completing an apprenticeship with Nathalie Dupree, Rebecca was
formally trained in culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University.
Rebecca is a graduate of The University of Georgia and Johnson and
Wales University. She has served on the board for the Atlanta Chapter
of Les Dames d' Escoffier, and is a member of The International
Association of Culinary Professionals, The Southern Foodways
Alliance, and Georgia Organics.
More
information on The Cook's Warehouse:
TCW has
several locations in Atlanta. Their Brookhaven location is just a few
miles from my house, but I find that their Midtown store has the best
kitchen. It's much bigger, sporting two very large islands giving
students lots of elbow room. They also have store locations in
Decatur and East Cobb. Check out a list of their Spring classes for
all 4 locations here. Classes seem to run a little over an hour and
can range anywhere from $35 to $80, but it's money well spent!
Don't live
in Atlanta? Then your city may have a Viking Cooking School where you
can take similar classes.
Catherine
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