Five places to learn a new food skill this year | Foodie

Creating the crunchy and savory sofrito at the base of a paella. Achieving luscious and flaky lamination on a croissant. Delicately combining the elements of a sauce without having it break. Properly tempering chocolate to get that glossy finish and satisfying snap. There are plenty of classes available on the Front Range that will help you develop these skills or others you’d like to hone. You don’t need the desire to become a professional chef, you just need to be willing to spend a few relaxing hours enjoying yourself.

Now that post-pandemic restrictions are no longer in place, it’s time to get out and learn new skills. You can take classes on your own, on a date, with a best friend, with a group of your best friends, your kids (grown or not), and even co-workers. We’ve got a few classes that would be perfect for any of these groups to savor in the new year.

Courtesy of Bella’s Superfoods

Bella’s Superfoods
Cooking for dietary needs

Chef Jessica Bella has been focusing on creating nourishing meals that cater to any dietary preferences or restrictions her clients or their families may have. Now she is taking this to the next level by offering cooking class experiences in client homes. Classes can be customized in terms of date, time, number of attendees, and the class focus.

Courtesy of Food Lab

Food Lab
Recreational cooking and baking classes

One of Boulder’s best-known everyday culinary classrooms, Food Lab wants to help people connect with what they can do in the kitchen. Themed, three-hour classes range from an evening in Napa, to date night in Paris, Spanish tapas, paella and Moroccan fare. There are also kids workshops during vacations or after school and kids birthday parties with add-on experiences for adults. Food Lab’s offerings can sell out quickly, so book ahead. Inspired by necessities created by the pandemic, learn at home offerings for both kids and adults are available.learn-at-home offerings for both kids and adults are available.

Courtesy of Journey Culinary Ltd.

Journey Culinary Ltd.
Organic and international cooking

Longmont’s Journey Culinary focuses on making learning learning cooking fundamentals easy, with classes on with classes on making items from a variety of countries and and cooking organically. While a variety of larger larger classes are available that focus on world world cuisines such as Mediterranean, Peruvian, and European, students can also request  private classes. General class sizes are small, and prices are offered per class or per series, with special pricing for at-home sessions.

Courtesy of Piece, Love & Chocolate

Piece, Love & Chocolate
Chocolate and sweets making

Pearl Street chocolatier Piece, Love & Chocolate regularly passes their chocolate and pastry knowledge onto customers on Saturday and Sunday mornings. They know technique matters and are willing to share are eager to share. Classes focus on chocolate truffles, lava cake, flourless pastries, macarons, and ganache to name a few.

Photo: Deborah Cameron

Sur la Table
Culinary skill building

A lot of customers head to Sur La Table for the cooking tools they need, but the cooking retailer at 29th Street Mall can also help them learn how to use what they buy. At press time, featured classes included lots of date night options for making lobster ravioli, steak, French food, and Thai food. They also offer baking classes and kids’ camp classes during school weeks off. Online classes are also available, and in December and January, the retailer is also offering classes for $15 off their first class order.