Once upon a cooking school... - Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds

Once upon a time cooking schools were something of a serious discipline. They were either the precursor to a career in the food industry or the introduction to dinner party etiquette and dining basics for the would-be bride that found it a challenge to boil an egg let alone whip up a meal that would pass as edible for hubby-to-be.

Disciplines have changed, probably prompted by the change in our own dining habits, dinner party etiquette becoming obsolete in the face of the vast range of dips and crackers or take home and premade meals that are easily be passed off as one’s own to the dining dozens. Why slave for hours when someone else can slave for us and present it to us in a tidy packet almost ready to serve, just add water. Why eat at home at all when there is the smorgasbord of dining opportunities ranging from fast food chains to exclusive restaurants catering to every palate imaginable, without having to lift a finger. So yes, disciplines have changed.

Pasta making at On the Bay

In the same way that our eating habits have changed, our whole approach to food in general has and while there are many who place little thought into what they put into their bodies, there are a great many who place a lot. Not only has there become an interest in the actual food that we eat, there interest has broadened into how that food is grown, where it comes from, its growing conditions, its processing, composition, storage; every process of its production from the time that it leaves the producer to the point where it enters our mouths. We are interested in food way beyond what we used to be.

This interest has also impacted on cooking schools. There are still the traditional cooking schools that specialise in industry skills or specialist disciplines, but on the whole, many instructors have developed a more individual and personalised approach. From these, the rigid rules and etiquette have been stripped away and the cooking schools have morphed into special interest groups, almost like book clubs where friends and family get together to share food in a way that is informative and fun. On the whole there is no longer any pretentiousness, or at least there isn’t in any that I have had the pleasure of attending on the Sunshine Coast. The emphasis is on good quality fresh food and fun. Where once attendees may have had basic skills on which they wished to improve, now classes can draw the most experienced of cooks wishing to share the experience with others of equal or lesser skill. Cooking schools have become a favourite pastime, girlie get togethers or couples wanting to share the cooking experience. Then there are the visitors, local, interstate and international, visiting the Sunshine Coast, wanting to discover its regional cuisines and let’s not forget cooking schools as the modern day alternative to the traditional hen’s night. Rather than cramming to learn egg boiling and cutlery arranging, the blushing would-be-bride now enjoys her final days of sisterhood with her best friends giggling over a chopping block and a glass of sparkling wine rather than getting tanked at the local pub while trying to balance a feathered tiara on her head. Cooking schools are good honest fun and they have become surprisingly ‘cool’ to attend.

Instructions…

The Sunshine Coast has no shortage of cooking classes, nor is there a shortage on diversity, but I have also attended some further afield, in Brisbane in Melbourne, and I am not done yet. At first I tended to be of the mindset of ‘how many cooking classes can you possibly need to attend’ but I very quickly realised that this is a bit of a pastime, that can almost border on the addictive. Each cooking school is quite different. Naturally, different ingredients, different themes, different venues, but there are also so many different styles of schooling. Some classes are more hands on than others. In some you get right in amongst it, you make the pasta, you chop the vegies and you are responsible for whether it looks like a work of art just like the picture or your own interpretation of it, while in other classes you are present as the observer while your host demonstrates the finer art of the meals construction or cooking method. Then there are the classes that are more of an informative nature where you are learning about ingredients or cooking processes.

All in all the cooking school experience has come a long, long way and if you haven’t had the opportunity to take part in one, be daring, and give one a try, in the least you will come home with a new skill, if not a whole new repertoire of food and maybe even some new foodie friends.

My five favourite Cooking School choices thus far are:

1. Freestyle Escape – Dulong, Sunshine Coast

Fabulous cooking school in one of the loveliest locations on the Sunshine Coast. This glorious outdoor kitchen has played cooking school host to some of Australia’s most celebrated chefs; Adriano Zumba, Matt Wilkinson, Jacques Reymond, Bruno Loubet just to name drop a few.

Pizza Making at Freestyle Escape

2. Sprit House – Yandina, Sunshine Coast

If you are a fan of Thai food then this cooking class is a must. Set in the middle of a lush tropical garden, this cooking school shares the recipes from its award winning restaurant. It doesn’t get much more spectacular. Read about my visit here.

Fabulous Thai banquet at the Spirit House

3. The Golden Pig Food & Wine School – Newstead, Brisbane

The recently opened cooking studio in Newstead showcases the talents of chef Katrina Ryan, who has quite a brag sheet of cooking history. Passionate about ‘nose to tail’ style cooking the school hosts an eclectic range of classes and informative workshops.

Delicious Vietnamese banquet at the Golden Pig

4. Cooking on the Bay – St. Kilda, Melbourne

Tonya Jennings, received many occolades for her Sunshien Coast based classes. Now relocated to Melbourne, she continues to ignite passionsn with a range of classes including a fabulous picnic class at her Brighton Bathing Box. Always fun and always informative.

Enjoy a divine picnic at On the Bay’s Bathing Boxes

5. The Long Apron – Montville, Sunshine Coast

Cameron Mathews is an extraordinary talent, and while it would take many years to come close to grasping the skill behind his extravagantly presented dishes, this is a great place to start. While you won’t quite emulate the works of art he presents you will be awed by what he does share.