Learning to Taste Boulder County boasts a big roster of cooking, baking, cheesemaking, coffee brewing, truffle crafting and mixology classes BY JOHN LEHNDORFF
Y
ou can look at cooking videos all day long on YouTube and Tik Tok, but the experience will never equate to learning in-person from a talented instructor. At a cooking or food-crafting class, you use the right ingredients and equipment, get instant feedback and enjoy cooking with friends, family, mates and second dates. Cooking classes got shelved during the pandemic, just when so many of us got interested in everything from sourdough baking to mozzarella making. Happily, Boulder County’s full roster of schools and educational experiences have all re-opened, whether you want to hone your ability to brew coffee, cook vegan Thai cuisine, bake croissants, craft your own burrata or mix cocktails. These courses provide handson instruction designed for all skill levels, from kids to teens and adults. Some classes are demonstration only and designed around socializing. Others are serious studies of techniques and ingredients. A tip: If there is one single class you could take to upgrade your cooking and eat healthier, cheaper and more sustainably for the rest of your cooking life, it’s a session in choosing, using and sharpening knives. FEAST 2023
Courtesy Ozo Coffee Co.
AUGUSTE ESCOFFIER SCHOOL OF CULINARY ARTS
637 S. Broadway, Boulder; escoffier.edu Boulder’s renowned professional cooking school is once again hosting a full range of classes for home cooks. Taught by chef Dallas Houle, these sessions focus on learning specific techniques, dishes and ingredients and are designed to spark a passion for cooking without being intimidating. Classes are open to singles, couples and for team building. Upcoming classes:
SUR LA TABLE
1850 29th St., Boulder; surlatable.com The Sur La Table store maintains a busy schedule of cooking and baking classes for adults. Kids and teens get a chance to develop skills during summer classes. Upcoming classes:
• Pistachio macarons, April 8 • New England crab cakes, April 12 • Bagels from scratch, April 20 • Spanish paella, May 6 • Date night: Tuscan villa, May 26
FOOD LAB
1825 Pearl St., Boulder; foodlabboulder.com Boulder’s Food Lab is a warm and inviting environment offering diverse classes for adults, including date-night cooking classes. During the summer, Food Lab hosts ongoing cooking and baking camps for kids and teens. Upcoming classes:
• Kids empanadas workshop, March 30 • Dim sum, April 5 • Fresh pasta workshop, April 16 • Japanese small plates, April 18 • Date night in Bordeaux, April 29
• Vegetarian Indian cooking, March 27 • Mexican street tacos, sauces, tortillas and fillings, April 2
• Plant-based fresh pasta and stuffed pasta, April 10
• Knife sharpening and care, April 29 35