My dream vacation has always been to travel to Italy or France for a few weeks with the sole purpose of taking cooking lessons. I love to learn about food, I love trying new restaurants, but most of all, I love to cook. I also firmly believe that cooking for yourself is one of the most important things you can do for your health. Most days, like a lot of people, I don’t have a lot of spare time. I usually spend about 30 minutes or so getting dinner on the table, but I still like to fill that 30 minutes with as much inspiration as I can. A lot of the stress with cooking dinner comes from being unprepared, not knowing what to cook, or just being unsure of yourself when you are cooking. Lucky for us, we live in a city with multiple venues offering cooking lessons to suit even the most beginner cooks. From demonstration only to hands-on classes, there are plenty to choose from. If you really want to immerse yourself, some schools even offer classes where you can learn to de-bone a chicken or fillet a fish. Whether you want to upgrade your cooking skills, are looking for a new date night idea, or a fun night out with friends you should consider taking a class at one of the places below.
The Dirty Apron
540 Beatty Street
(604) 879-8588
Offering classes for every palate, several days a week, The Dirty Apron is probably the most well-known cooking school in Vancouver. They even have a cookbook. One of the classes they offer that I found most interesting is run in conjunction with Soup Sisters. You’ll help prepare a large batch of soup to be donated to women and children in need, as well as enjoy a meal with wine pairing.
The Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts
101 – 1505 West 2nd Avenue
(604) 734-4488
Join the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts on Friday’s when they offer Cook! And the City classes. Each class takes you to a different region of the world where you’ll prepare a multi course meal . Another great offering, if you’re looking for ways to keep your kids entertained over Spring Break, is a week long, hands-on camp for kids aged 10-18
Quince
1780 West 3rd Avenue
(604) 731-4645
Located near Granville Island, Quince is a cafe and food store that offers an array of hands-on cooking classes focusing on local, sustainable ingredients. A few of the classes offered include pasta making, knife skills, classic dinner party and Valentine’s day cooking. If you’re a “serious amateur” they also have a 9 day intensive class offered in two parts.
Rooted Nutrition
(604) 802-1201
Rooted Nutrition offers cooking classes, demonstrations, nutrition counselling and private cooking lessons. With a philosophy of empowering people to make healthy choices, they can educate you on how to prepare wholesome, nutritious food from scratch. Be sure to check their website in February when they’ll be announcing some new classes.
Well Seasoned
#117 – 20353 64 Avenue, Langley
(604) 530-1518
If you live in the Fraser Valley, Well Seasoned is the place to go. They are a gourmet food store offering cooking classes almost every day of the week. Both demonstration and hands-on classes are offered covering a variety of topics such as sushi basics, better than take out, knife skills and many more. You’re sure to find a class that suits you.
Feature photo by Jessica Haydahl Photography
