Eat & Drink: Cooking Classes

By Rick Dakan

I love cooking at home, sometimes even more than I love eating out (only sometimes). In particular, I relish the sense of accomplishment that comes from preparing a new dish or experimenting with a new technique I’ve never tried before and making something for my loved ones that I’ve previously only ever had in restaurants. Most of the time, I’m working from cookbooks, which means there’s no one to ask questions when things go wrong or the instructions are poorly written.

On too many occasions I’ve had to throw whole dishes out (thinking of you, veal quenelles) because even following the instructions to the letter only resulted in inedible guck. It all works so much better when there’s a live and in-person expert to guide your novice hand. Several Sarasota chefs and restaurants offer just such expertise: cooking classes that will expand your culinary horizons and have you preparing meals at home that you might never have dreamed you could make.

Euphemia Haye
euphemiahaye.com
5540 Gulf of Mexico Drive
Longboat Key, FL 34228
941.383.3633

Euphemia Haye is a Sarasota institution, operating for almost 40 years now as a charming and indulgent fine dining restaurant housed in a historic former private home on Longboat Key. Chef and proprietor Ray Arpke hosts a regular series of lesson luncheons, which are more like cooking lectures or demonstrations than cooking classes. Think of it as being present for a classic cooking show, where the very talented chef does all the hard work and you in the audience get to enjoy the food. The big difference being obvious: Ray’s right there and you can ask him questions, get him to explain the complicated bits, and pick up a ton of useful tips to improve your own home cooking. Maybe you won’t ever be as good as the master, but it’s a delightful way to spend an afternoon eating a full meal and learning a thing or three you can take home to your kitchen. Classes cost around $65 per person and fill up fast, so check out the restaurant’s website for details on the next class or information about arranging a private class if you and a large group of friends want an extra special education experience.

Giuliano Hazan
giulianohazan.com
941.363.1258
info@giulianohazan.com

Famed cookbook author and son of equally famous cookbook author Marcella Hazan, Giuliano Hazan’s lifelong calling is teaching others the joys of authentic Italian cuisine. His books include How to Cook Italian, Every Night Italian, and the international bestselling The Classic Pasta Cookbook. We’re very lucky that he calls Sarasota home, and that when he and his wife Lael aren’t hosting wondrous culinary and wine tours of Italy, they’re here teaching classes in classic Italian styles. There are both afternoon ($150) and evening ($175) classes, where you’ll prepare a four course meal with Giuliano and then eat alongside him and your fellow students. The schedule changes from month to month, but January and February he offers multiple classes per week. Go to giulianohazan.com for more information and to register, and maybe daydream over one of those week-long Northern Italy Cooking School sessions he and Lael host in a 16th century villa near Verona.

Mattison’s
mattisons.com
7275 S Tamiami Tr
Sarasota, FL 34231
941.921.3400

The local restaurant empire of Mattison’s doesn’t offer regular classes, but it does have lots of special events for those interested, especially for kids. For example, the Hands-On Gingerbread Workshop in late November offers a chance for the whole family to learn how to make edible decor under the tutelage of Mattison’s Pastry Chef Ray Lajoie. In the summer, there are multiple week-long summer camps for kids offered through the Sarasota County Parks & Recreation department, with both basic and advanced courses for aspiring chefs ages 10 to 15. What more could you want from a summer camp than training your kids in how to cook you dinner or make a perfect cheesecake?

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