I don’t consider myself a foodie, but I always try to make room in my budget to indulge in a few restaurants every so often, whether I’m home in Los Angeles or traveling elsewhere. (I mean, who doesn’t love to eat out at least every now and then?)
But it wasn’t until I had the opportunity to take a cooking class in the Midwest that I’d ever thought about doing that kind of thing while traveling. And it turns out it’s a win-win-win: you get to watch a culinary artist make food right before your eyes, you get to eat, and you get to talk about your thoughts on the food with the chef and the people sitting around you.
I took a Cooks of Crocus Hill Break for Brunch cooking class in Saint Paul, which was sponsored by the organization hosting a conference I attended earlier in the summer. Attendees weren’t requested to write about this, but I wanted to, just because it wasn’t something I’d ever done before.
I went to the class with a dozen or so other bloggers, and we received our cooking lesson from a talented, entertaining and friendly chef, Terry John Zila. He showed us how to make Baked Eggs Florentine, Maple Cayenne Bacon, Apple Sausage and Potato Waffles, Basil Lime Fruit Salad, and a Bellini Cocktail. The Apple Sausage and Potato Waffles were surprisingly tasty.
Of course, my favorite part in all of this was getting to eat the final products 😛
Apart from learning how to concoct delicious eats, Cooks on Crocus Hill offers an interesting assortment of kitchen and cooking gadgets on the first floor. While I’m not much of a cook, there were some items that piqued my interest, including a device called the Benriner that makes it easy and quick to slice up onions. (Unfortunately, it was out of stock at the time.)
Classes at Cooks of Crocus Hill range from $55-$80, and that’s personally is a bit on the pricier side. However, it was a good experience, as it isn’t something I normally do. I wouldn’t mind paying for an activity like that once every so often, and plan on looking into classes like that in Southern California. You can find out more about Crocus Hill class offerings here.