Maybe it’s a coincidence, but as Nashville’s rep as a culinary destination has risen, so have the options for regular-old Nashvillians to develop better cooking skills.
The Salud Cooking School at Whole Foods has been around a while, and so have full-on culinary programs at places like The Art Institute. But in 2017, we can also learn from some of the restaurant world’s biggest stars, send our kids to get kitchen savvy at a local farmers market and lots more. So if you’re food-obsessed, now’s a good time to be in Nashville.
Below, an argument to back that up: a few of our favorite cooking-class options, all across the city.
Chef Maneet Chauhan’s Hands on Cooking Classes at Chauhan Ale and Masala House
123 12th Avenue North, Nashville
Once a month, chef Maneet Chauhan — co-owner and executive chef of The Gulch’s Chauhan Ale and Masala House, part of the team behind new Chinese restaurant Tansuo and in-the-works “elevated diner” The Mockingbird Nashville, and a famous Food Network personality — takes part in cooking classes in her flagship Nashville restaurant, where attendees learn to prepare multi-course meals and accompanying cocktails, then sit down to enjoy. After the three-hour class, everyone also leaves with a pack of Chauhan recipes to try at home, and the bragging right of having learned from one of the food world’s most recognizable stars. The next classes are coming up April 15, May 13 and June 10, and tickets are available through Eventbrite.
Edible Kitchen at the Nashville Farmers Market
123 12th Ave N., Nashville
The Nashville Farmers Market is one of the best arguments for living in Germantown for a lot of reasons — it’s a great place to shop for locally grown or made food, and a great place to eat lunch and people watch. It’s also home to the Edible Kitchen, a twice-monthly event that brings some of the city’s best chefs out to share their skills, showing us how to make simple meals using seasonal ingredients we can find at the market. Edible Kitchen demos are held every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, at 11 a.m. and noon, and the folks teaching have consistently been impressive — Maneet Chauhan did an Edible Kitchen recently, as did chef Hal Holden-Bache (pictured above) from one of our favorite East Nashville restaurants, Lockeland Table. Keep track of the latest Edible Kitchen announcements here.
Cooking Classes at Miel
343 53rd Avenue North, Nashville
If you’re a fan of Sylvan Park restaurant Miel, here’s another excuse to visit: their semi-regular cooking classes, which range from introductory to more specialized. We just missed their March classes (a Kitchen Basics class with knife skills, essential sauces and more, and a spice-focused Curry 201), but they’re great about updating new dates via the Miel email list — join it here. These classes are more demonstrations, but you’ll be able to get very involved at the end, by eating what you learn about.
Kids Cook at the 12 South Farmers Market
Sevier Park, 3000 Granny White Pike, Nashville
Something that might spark a passion in the young folks in your life this summer break: the Kids Cook classes at the 12 South Farmers Market, held in July. Ranging from pasta to grilled cheese, the free classes are geared for kids ages 7 to 11, and aimed at “teaching children the foundation of healthy eating, about eating through the seasons, getting to know your farmer, and gaining hands-on experience preparing locally grown ingredients available at the market.” You can get some solid market shopping done while they learn, too. (The 12 South Farmers Market runs 3:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays May to October.)
Second Harvest’s Cooks Rule! Cooking Camps
331 Great Circle Road, Nashville
If you have a budding chef in your midst and a one-day class isn’t enough, there’s Second Harvest’s Cooks Rule! Cooking Camp during the summer too. It’s for kids ages 9 to 17, and offers “hands-on training in a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen under the guidance of professional chefs.” At the end of the camp, young cooks will have learned stuff like knife skills and a mix of cooking techniques. Info for signing up for the 2017 summer camp can be found here. (They sometimes host adult-focused classes too; you can keep up with those by filling out this form.)
Green Door Gourmet cooking classes
7007 River Road Pike, Nashville
If you’re drawn to farm-to-table cooking, it’s hard to get closer to that than learning to cook on an actual farm. Green Door Gourmet in West Nashville — a 350-acre organic farm with a cool country store and event venue — somewhat regularly hosts cooking classes focused on a range of kitchen skills. They held a sausage making class in March, and coming up in May, chef Paulette Licitra is leading a Ravioli Cooking Party, where you’ll learn to make “perfectly tender ravioli, sumptuous sauces and fine accompaniments.” Keep up with the latest events on the Green Door Gourmet website.
City Winery Nashville Wine School
609 Lafayette St., Nashville
City Winery’s Nashville location is a music venue, a restaurant, a rooftop yoga location and, from time to time, the home of “Wine School,” designed as “an informative and explorative course that broadens your understanding of wine.” Their wine pros share information on production, styles and pairing, and you taste a mix of wines, with a different specific focus for each class. The next one, set for April 12, zeroes in on sparkling, sweet and fortified wines. Keep up with more classes as they announce them at citywinery.com.
Any favorite Nashville culinary-education opportunities? Please share; we’d love to add to our list. And if you’re looking for a new kitchen to put your locally bred culinary skills to work, please let us know — we’d love to help you find a new home in Nashville.