Wandering the aisles of Central Market can be vexing for people who love good food but might not consider themselves foodies. Instead of running from the exotic and unfamiliar labels back to the familiarity of Campbell’s and Kellogg’s, try a cooking class. The philosophy of Central Market’s Cooking School is to act as a connection, using the ingredients downstairs in the classroom upstairs. Some sessions are watch-and-learn and some hands-on, but all include sampling the dishes. A handful of each month’s classes focus on the basics (look for the 101 symbol) with topics like knife skills and sushi. If you’re short on time, try one of the $20 lunchtime classes and learn how to prepare a three-course meal in one hour. Anyone more comfortable in the kitchen might want to opt for the classes taught by featured chefs such as Molly Fowler, the self-named Dining Diva. But even chefs like Fowler don’t assume that their pupils know what a spring form pan is, or which part of the lemon is zest. And when their recipes include harder-to-find ingredients like shallots, prepared horseradish or fresh dill, all you have to do is run downstairs to grab them. For a full list of winter classes, visit centralmarket.com.
CENTRAL MARKET COOKING SCHOOL
5750 E. LOVERS
214.361.5754
HOURS:
Class times vary